High school girls wrestling: Westlake continues its dominance with third straight 6A title

In 2021, girls wrestling was made an official UHSAA sport, and since then it’s been nothing but pure dominance from the Westlake Thunder, who have won their third consecutive state championship.

On Thursday night, the Thunder won every single final that featured a Westlake wrestler. In total, Westlake had six wrestlers who won their weight class and earned 289 team points, a full 113.5 points ahead of Copper Hills, who placed second.

“My heart is full of gratitude for all the work that the girls put in,” said Westlake coach Cody Burdett.

“We have a big group of seniors and they’re the ones that started that first year when they were sophomores. It’s been quite a ride; they just work so hard and I’m really proud of everything they’ve done.

“Wrestling is a hard sport, it’s not easy, you’ve got to grind, you get hurt, you get bloody noses, its just a battle and for our girls to embrace it and come together is so fun.”

The 140-pound final featured two Westlake wrestlers, Chloe Shumway and Hailey Pigg. It was a tight match but, in the end, Pigg came away with the victory with an emotional finish.

“I’ve worked three years for this moment, and I was scared for my semifinals match I just thought, ‘I want to win this so bad; I have family and neighbors coming,” said Pigg.

“To get this far and see how my hard work has paid off these last three years has been so rewarding, especially since last year I could’ve gotten it but I made a mistake.

“My teammate Chloe is the one who kept me wrestling this year. We wrestled each other every day in practice. She’s the reason why I’m here and I’m incredibly grateful for her.”

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Pigg’s teammate Emmy Finlinson was champion in the 145-pound weight class and won her third consecutive state championship.

“I feel so much gratitude for everyone around me,” said Finlinson.

“My mom pushes me so hard every day, my brother who supports me is also a three-time state champion, my grandpa who sat me down and said, ‘You made it here and we’re proud’. I’m grateful for my coaches who believe in me and pushed me.

“I started late in the season since I am a dual athlete. I was nervous I’d come in and not be able to catch up but I’m proud of myself for getting here and when the whistle blew, I was kind of in shock.”

Finlinson was not the only three-time state champion for Westlake, with teammate Celeste Detoles also winning the 135-pound bracket for her third title.

Despite the dominance from the Thunder, they were not the only ones who found success.

West’s Madelyn Nielsen earned her first state championship by taking down returning state champion Marlie Rigby.

“I owe it all to my coaches and my amazing wrestling partners. I’m very lucky to have a partner who is much bigger than me. She pushes me everyday and she’s amazing. I have a great team who is very supportive and really pushed me,” said Nielsen.

6A girls state tournament

At UVU

Team scores

1. Westlake, 289
2. Copper Hills, 175.5
3. Syracuse, 167
4. Corner Canyon, 162
5. Mountain Ridge, 119
6. Layton, 107
7. Riverton, 100
8. Cyprus, 96

Individual Results

100 pounds

1. Kristina Kent, Davis
2. Payton Gines, Syracuse
3. Macie Anderson, Herriman
4. Karlie Bishop, Mountain Ridge
5. Emma Morales, Taylorsville
6. Sadie Caldwell, Davis

Championship — Kristina Kent, Davis def. Payton Gines, Syracuse, Fall 3:23

105 pounds

1. Emily Ball, Syracuse
2. Mina Trinh, Riverton
3. Stephanie Taufa, Taylorsville
4. Caroline Pastrana, Cyprus
5. Myah French, Copper Hills
6. Abigail Wagner, Copper Hills

Championship — Emily Ball, Syracuse def. Mina Trinh, Riverton, Fall 3:42

110 pounds

1. Madelyn Nielsen, West
2. Marlie Rigby, Layton
3. Tatum Stranger, Layton
4. Paedyn Knight, Fremont
5. Hallie Hansen, Pleasant Grove
6. Sabrina Jensen, Syracuse

Championship — Madelyn Nielsen, West def. Marlie Rigby, Layton, Dec 5-4

115 pounds

1. Aleena Navarrete, Weber
2. Bella Butterfield, Riverton
3. Paris Bowen, Mountain Ridge
4. Ella Arnold, Westlake
5. Kate Donaldson, Corner Canyon
6. Kaaulani Hew-Len, Hunter

Championship — Aleena Navarrete, Weber def. Bella Butterfield, Riverton, Fall 1:57

120 pounds

1. Brooklyn Pace, Copper Hills
2. Erin Fuller, Layton
3. Nadia Thomas, Skyridge
4. Myiah Giampapa, Riverton
5. Casandra Pastrana, Cyprus
6. Afton Lampright, Herriman

Championship — Brooklyn Pace, Copper Hills def. Erin Fuller, Layton, Fall 1:17

125 pounds

1. Ashley Cannon, Westlake
2. Kimberly Chaparro, Granger
3. Bella Hernandez, Copper Hills
4. Valentina Martinez, Davis
5. Olivia Byington, Corner Canyon
6. Hannah Bingham, Weber

Championship — Ashley Cannon, Westlake def. Kimberly Chaparro, Granger, TF 6:00 15-0

130 pounds

1. Daeja Sundquist, Syracuse
2. Madison Sherman, Skyridge
3. Ameris Jensen, Westlake
4. Alissa Lafferty, Westlake
5. Amyrlin McDonald, Weber
6. Abby French, Copper Hills

Championship — Daeja Sundquist, Syracuse def. Madison Sherman, Skyridge, Fall 5:08

135 pounds

1. Celeste Detoles, Westlake
2. Alejandra Martinez, Davis
3. Meleana Fager, Corner Canyon
4. Ragan Julander, Clearfield
5. Kara Noyce, Copper Hills
6. Angelica Magana, Cyprus

Championship — Celeste Detoles, Westlake def. Alejandra Martinez, Davis, Fall 3:24

140 pounds

1. Hailey Pigg, Westlake
2. Chloe Shumway, Westlake
3. Makayla Talauega, Corner Canyon
4. Amelia Roennebeck, Syracuse
5. Amaya Kano, Corner Canyon
6. Jacey Jones, Riverton

Championship — Hailey Pigg, Westlake def. Chloe Shumway, Westlake, Dec 4-0

145 pounds

1. Emmy Finlinson, Westlake
2. Isabella Morgan, Corner Canyon
3. Haley Diaz, Layton
4. Leticia Garcia, Kearns
5. Kimberlynn Fowers, Copper Hills
6. Olivia Merino, Mountain Ridge

Championship — Emmy Finlinson, Westlake def. Isabella Morgan, Corner Canyon, Dec 7-2

155 pounds

1. Lizzie Raleigh, Westlake
2. Ashlyn Packer, Syracuse
3. Katie Law, Herriman
4. Leena Lacayo, Pleasant Grove
5. Kamylle Nez, Corner Canyon
6. Yvonne Lealiiee, Hunter

Championship — Lizzie Raleigh, Westlake def. Ashlyn Packer, Syracuse, Fall 3:35

170 pounds

1. Anya Hatch, Copper Hills
2. Clarion Fager, Corner Canyon
3. Madeline Fulks, Mountain Ridge
4. Lydia Frandsen, Farmington
5. Hope Barton, Syracuse
6. Matamona Malohifoou, Granger

Championship — Anya Hatch, Copper Hills def. Clarion Fager, Corner Canyon, Dec 9-8

190 pounds

1. Cheyenne Ruiz, Taylorsville
2. Rachel Johnson, Riverton
3. Tori Poulsen, Cyprus
4. O’dessa Laititi, Westlake
5. Josalyn Quisenberry, Farmington
6. Malia Meyer, Taylorsville

Championship – Cheyenne Ruiz, Taylorsville def Rachel Johnson, Riverton, Fall 1:40

235 pounds

1. Keilikki Nau Rarick, Westlake
2. Elena Kamai, West
3. Emile Clark, Cyprus
4. Kate Ashton, Mountain Ridge
5. Chloe Collier, Westlake
6. Brooklyn Van Fleet, Syracuse

Championship — Keilikki Nau Rarick, Westlake def. Elena Kamai, West, Dec 11-5