High school girls wrestling: Westlake caps inaugural year of 6A girls wrestling with state title
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Emmy Finlinson of Westlake wrestles Alyxandra `Alyx` Walker of Clearfield in class 150 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
By Tom Ripplinger
Monday marked an important milestone for high school wrestling in the state of Utah. For the first time ever, girls’ 6A wrestling took to the mat to crown state champions in the newly recognized sport.
The momentous event occurred at Westlake High School where the Thunder took the state championship in their home gym scoring 288 points. Copper Hills came in second with 233 points, with Fremont placing third at 160 points.
Westlake head coach Ben Szabo talked about the importance of a full team effort for his team to win the 6A state championship. “To take those girls who have no wrestling experience and build them up the way that we have feels really good,” he said. “The girls that won us this tournament weren’t the state titles, it was the girls taking third and the girls taking fifth.”
Szabo is optimistic that his team can continue to build off their state championship. “It excites me for the future because all of these girls are first year wrestlers. They’re really young. We have twenty sophomores on the team. So it excites me to look forward and see the potential that’s there.”
One Westlake sophomore with a bright future is Emmy Finlinson. Finlinson (150) was Westlake’s first individual state champion, pinning Alyx Walker of Clearfield to claim the title. The sophomore champion credited her brother Jacob Finlinson, a state champion wrestler on Westlake’s boys team, for much of her success. “He taught me so much. He stays after practice when I need him. He goes early to the girls’ practices and helps me out. I owe this to him and my mom.”
Finlinson felt Westlake could use this state championship to propel the rest of its athletics forward. “I hope that can be a part of [Westlake’s] legacy, just continue building off that win. To have this program, we can build a legacy off of it, and hopefully the other programs build that mentality too and we can boost the school from there.”
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West Lake girls celebrate their first place finish in 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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West Lake girls celebrate their first place finish in 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Copper Hills girls celebrate their second place finish in 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Jamie Barton of Westlake and Sabrina Jensen of Syracuse wrestle in class 108 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Jamie Barton of Westlake and Sabrina Jensen of Syracuse wrestle in class 108 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Jamie Barton of Westlake and Sabrina Jensen of Syracuse wrestle in class 108 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Brooklyn Pace of Copper Hills takes down Arleth Antonio of
Granger wrestle in class 115 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Arleth Antonio of Granger gets her ankle taped as she and Brooklyn Pace of Copper Hills wrestle in class 115 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Brooklyn Pace of Copper Hills and Arleth Antonio of
Granger as they wrestle in class 115 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Brooklyn Pace of Copper Hills takes down Arleth Antonio of
Granger as they wrestle in class 115 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Celeste Detoles of Westlake stands up after pinning Bryton Moore of Pleasant Grove as they wrestle in class 120 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Celeste Detoles of Westlake tries to pin Bryton Moore of Pleasant Grove as they wrestle in class 120 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Celeste Detoles of Westlake takes down Bryton Moore of Pleasant Grove as they wrestle in class 120 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Celeste Detoles of Westlake tries to pin Bryton Moore of Pleasant Grove as they wrestle in class 120 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Marquize Salguero of Copper Hills and Neida Valle of Hunter, wrestle in class 128 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Lacie Toone of Fremont and Meridien Grandpre of Copper Hills wrestle in class 124 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Marquize Salguero of Copper Hills and Neida Valle of Hunter, wrestle in class 128 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Neida Valle of Hunter and Marquize Salguero of Copper Hills, wrestle in class 128 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Amber Nalder of Fremont and Abby Fue of West wrestle in class 132 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Neida Valle of Hunter and Marquize Salguero of Copper Hills, wrestle in class 128 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Amber Nalder of Fremont and Abby Fue of West wrestle in class 132 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Amber Nalder of Fremont works to control the arm as she and Abby Fue of West wrestle in class 132 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Ashley Wilcox of Copper Hills takes Jessica Nowers of Davis down as they wrestle in class 136 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Ashley Wilcox of Copper Hills takes Jessica Nowers of Davis down as they wrestle in class 136 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Jessica Nowers of Davis and Ashley Wilcox of Copper Hills wrestle in class 136 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Ashley Wilcox of Copper Hills takes Jessica Nowers of Davis down as they wrestle in class 136 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Elizabeth Shunn of Westlake wrestles Alyssa Pace of Copper Hills in class 140 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Brooklyn Sariah Hays of Pleasant Grove celebrates her win over Megan Allred of Westlake in class 145 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. Hays won the match. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Elizabeth Shunn of Westlake wrestles Alyssa Pace of Copper Hills in class 140 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Brooklyn Sariah Hays of Pleasant Grove takes down Megan Allred of Westlake in class 145 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. Hays won the match. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Emmy Finlinson of Westlake celebrates her win over Alyxandra `Alyx` Walker of Clearfield in the 150 class as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Emmy Finlinson of Westlake wrestles Alyxandra `Alyx` Walker of Clearfield in class 150 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Uno Latu of Hunter celebrates her win over Katie Navarro of West Jordan in class 160 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Katie Navarro of West Jordan is taken down Uno Latu of Hunter in class 160 as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Anya Hatch Copper Hills wrestles and defeats Brylee Bradley of Fremont in the 170 class as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Cheyenne Ruiz of Taylorsville, wrestles and defeats Emma Williams of Copper Hills in the 190 class as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Karla Padilla Zepeda Northridge, shows her emotion as she defeats Lusimoni Vakalahi Copper Hills, for the 245 class of the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. Padilla Zepda won. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Karla Padilla Zepeda Northridge, wrestles Lusimoni Vakalahi Copper Hills, as girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. Padilla Zepda won. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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Girls compete for the 6A State Wrestling championship at West Lake High in Saratoga Springs on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Finlinson’s victory was followed by teammate Megan Allred (145) falling to Pleasant Grove’s Sariah Hays a mere 34 seconds into the match. Westlake’s Lizzie Shunn (140) was the second individual champion for the Thunder when she pinned Alyssa Pace of Copper Hills.
Shunn described how far Westlake had come as a program and how fulfilling it was to win the state championship. “A couple years ago I was the only girl on the team here, in the club,” Shunn said. “Having this big of a team and being able to win as a team, it’s really cool.”
The Thunder used a full team effort to earn their crown. Westlake ended the day with four individual state champions and twelve others placing. The individual winners included Finlinson (150), Shunn (140), Celeste Detoles (120) and Jamie Barton (108).
Copper Hills proved to be the Thunder’s most formidable foe with four individual state champions as well. The Grizzlies winners were Anya Hatch (170), Ashley Wilcox (136), Meridien Grandpre (124) and Brooklyn Pace (115). Coming into the tournament with a perfect record, Hatch kept that intact with the fastest victory of the championship round, needing only 30 seconds to pin Brylee Bradley of Fremont.
Other individual champions were Northridge’s Karla Padilla Zepeda (245), Taylorsville’s Cheyenne Ruiz (190), Hunter’s Uno Latu (160), Pleasant Grove’s Brooklyn Sariah Hays (145), Fremont’s Amber Nalder (132), and Hunter’s Neida Valle (128).