The Mexico Lady Bulldogs wrestling program is entering the holiday break on a high note.

In just its second season, the team has grown from a group of five to an ambitious squad of 14. Returning for the Lady Bulldogs are sophomore Katie Bowen—who finished third at state last season — sophomore Abby Drew, juniors Choice Foster and Kaylynn Pehle and senior Brett Iman.

Head coach Tony Senor said with other North Central Missouri Conference schools adding girls’ wrestling programs this season, one of his team’s goals is to win a conference title. He also noted that another target was to send multiple grapplers to state.

Marshfield Dual Tournament

Mexico opened the year at the Marshfield Duals, finishing 3-2 with wins over Jefferson City, Mountain Home and Springdale Har-Ber, and losses to Waynesville and host Marshfield.

“For a lot of our girls that was the first time they’d wrestled,” explained Senor. “So for the first time putting on wrestling shoes and headgear, I was really proud of how they responded. And just seeing us come together as a team and having that many girls was very special.”

Bowen, Alizabeth Welch, Pehle, Drew, Tessa Higgins, Shelby Shramek and Matty Tolbert picked up wins to give the Lady Buildings something to build on heading into their first ever conference dual against Marshall.

Marshall Tri Meet

Bowen, Drew, Shramek, Tolbert and senior Ivy Perez all notched wins by fall in Mexico’s 54-10 dismantling of Marshall, while Kaylin Weldon, Welch, Iman and Foster added points on wins by forfeit.

“Honestly, girls were willing to step up and fill certain weight classes that needed to be filled,” said Senor. “It was a dominant win.”

Mexico followed it up beating Warrenton 54-9, tallying points with forfeits from open classes to sweep the tri meet.

Blair Oaks Girls Tournament

The Lady Bulldogs third meet of the season was the Blair Oaks Tournament on Dec. 15. With matches starting around 4 p.m. and running to 11 p.m., Senor said it made for a long, trying day.

“That tournament produced toughness in us,” he said. “Whether we won or lost.”

Senor’s squad did walk away with some hardware, with Bowen finishing first, Drew placing third and Higgins and Shramek taking fifth.

2021 Lady Mustangs Christmas Clash

The Lady Bulldogs traveled to Eldon last week for their first ever two-day tournament.

The 22-team tournament featured multiple state-ranked grapplers and proved to be a good measuring stick for Mexico.

Bowen continued to establish her dominance, going 6-0 with wins over ranked wrestlers to stay undefeated and enter the break an impressive 17-0.

Pehle also made her way to the championship match, but fell to Fulton’s Emmy Begemann. Senor said Pehle beat some talented district opponents en route to her second-place finish. He also said that Pehle would get an opportunity to avenge her loss to Begemann later in the season.

Drew fell to Bolivar’s Allison Butler in the semifinals, but rebounded to take down Tipton’s Holly Parker in the third-place contest.

“She wrestled probably the best she’s wrestled all year,” said Senor. “Really proud of her and her performance.”

Welch and Higgins ended the tournament in fifth place and Shramek finished seventh.

Into the Break

The Lady Bulldogs have a short layover before returning to action with the Wonder Woman Tournament at Battle High School on Dec. 29-30.

“It’s one of the toughest girls’ tournaments in the nation,” explained Senor. “There are going to be over 75 schools there from all over.”

To prepare, Senor said, his team’s holiday break may look a little different than most high school students’.

“Wrestlers are crazy,” he chuckled. “We’re built different. The only day that we take off during Christmas break is Christmas day – because we know we have a big tournament. It comes down to how we’re preparing for every tournament and every competition. And really, that eases a lot of our nerves and builds confidence in what we’re doing every day.”