High school girls wrestling: Salem Hills beats out Wasatch for first-ever 5A title

Only a single point separated Salem Hills and back-to-back defending 5A champion Wasatch after Thursday’s Day 1 of the 5A girls wrestling state tournament.

Salem Hills finished fourth in last year’s tournament and climbed all the way to first on Friday as seven wrestlers made it to final matches, with four winning individual titles.

“Wasatch has been ranked No. 1 all year,” said Salem Hills coach TJ Brindley. “We didn’t know if we’d be able to compete with them. After we wrestled them in a dual meet and beat them in the dual meet, our girls started to believe that they could win at state and just kept pushing.

“It’s fun having such a tough competitor like Wasatch to try to compete against, because you’ve got to raise your level if you want to (win). We knew we had to raise our level to compete with them today.”

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Salem Hills’ Avery Winterton had a big performance in the 145-pound final as she beat Wasatch’s Dakota Frogge for the individual title.

Not only was it big for the team race, but the win is Winterton’s second individual title.

“We knew right after divisionals that it was going to be a tight tournament,” Winterton said. “We all needed to perform our best. It’s a team effort. I personally just have to not think about it. I’ve learned I wrestle best when I have fun.”

The Skyhawks’ Makayla Carrick, Rachel Jensen and Ruby Lindstrom also all took home individual titles.

Having seven of your eight Day 2 wrestlers reach the finals is big for the team race, but it was even better for Salem Hills since it beat some of Wasatch’s wrestlers along the way.

“We knew it was going to be tight. Wasatch has a great team,” Brindley said. “...we had four of our seven who were champions in the finals, and that kind of clinched it for us. They all wrestled really well.”

While Wasatch was knocked out from the top podium spot, it did see some success. It advanced nine wrestlers into the semifinals after Thursday and had two wrestlers win individual titles.

Marabelle Brown won the 130-pound weight class for her second individual title and third time as a state finalist, and Makenzi McCoy won the 120-pound weight class.

“I thought I’d be used to it, but it’s just so powerful,” Brown said. “You don’t realize how much you care about something until it’s in your hands, and I truly, truly am so proud of my team, even if we don’t take state as a team.

“I’m so proud of the work they’ve put into getting here and getting those two state championships the last couple of years, and to, at the very least, get second this year. I am so proud of myself and my team.”

While Hillcrest finished in a distant third place, it still had four individual champions. Of particular note, Eva Zimmerman finished a dominant high school career with a fourth consecutive title. She also finished her senior year with a perfect 35-0 record.

Meanwhile, Caroline Pastrana and Katie Zimmerman each won a second consecutive individual title.

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity,” Eva Zimmerman said. “I’m the first four-timer from Hillcrest, and so I got to represent Hillcrest, and that’s super exciting for me.

“But if I lost today, I was going to be just as happy because it’s the process, every day in the room, all those tears, all the hours I’ve spent doing extra, all those extra sprints, that’s what it’s about. I’m just proud to say I know I worked for it.”

Zimmerman didn’t spend much time celebrating her massive achievement on Friday, but instead elected to sit by the championship mat rooting along her teammates, including her sister.

“It is my favorite part of the sport,” Zimmerman said. “I get more excited about them winning than myself... It’s so fun, especially my sister, because my little sister is now a two-time state champ, and so she’s following for that three times next year. Doing it with your teammates means so much more.”

Class 5A girls state tournament

Final Team scores

1. Salem Hills, 211
2. Wasatch, 191
3. Hillcrest, 162.5
4. Box Elder, 140.5
5. Northridge, 121.5
6. Springville, 105
7. Alta, 72
8. Hunter, 64

Individual results

100 pounds

1. Caroline Pastrana, Hillcrest, Sr. (15-1)
2. Audrey Deeter, West Field, Fr. (24-4)
3. Sarah Hammond, Northridge, Sr. (38-7)
4. Noemi Garcia, Clearfield, Jr. (21-16)
5. Valarie Killpack, Cyprus, So. (20-10)
6. Lisinge Patetefa, Hunter, Jr. (12-7)

Championship — Caroline Pastrana, Hillcrest def. Audrey Deeter, West Field, Dec 13-8

105 pounds

1. Katie Zimmerman, Hillcrest, Jr. (18-1)
2. Tyler Rodriguez, Wasatch, Sr. (24-4)
3. Corrine Hendricks, Bonneville, Sr. (14-4)
4. Brielle Childs, Maple Mountain, Fr. (26-18)
5. Macie Haarala, Clearfield, Jr. (7-3)
6. Kallie Doverspike, Hillcrest, Jr. (18-24)

Championship — Katie Zimmerman, Hillcrest def. Tyler Rodriguez, Wasatch, Fall 1:02

110 pounds

1. Casandra Pastrana, Hillcrest, Sr. (35-5)
2. Addie Brindley, Salem Hills, Sr. (35-10)
3. Jaynie Cannon, Granger, Sr. (33-8)
4. Briana Velasques, Northridge, Sr. (28-18)
5. Heather Kingston, Woods Cross, Sr. (28-13)
6. Heather Salazar fragoso, Olympus, Jr. (12-9)

Championship — Casandra Pastrana, Hillcrest def. Addie Brindley, Salem Hills, Fall 4:49

115 pounds

1. Eva Zimmerman, Hillcrest, Sr. (35-0)
2. Hannah Coyne, Salem Hills, Sr. (35-10)
3. Maisey Blaser, Wasatch, Sr. (22-6)
4. Delanie Knight, Wasatch, Fr. (16-10)
5. Brooke Weakley, Springville, Fr. (18-10)
6. Eden Brown, Pleasant Grove, Sr. (29-12)

Championship — Eva Zimmerman, Hillcrest def. Hannah Coyne, Salem Hills, Fall 1:37

120 pounds

1. Makenzi Mccoy, Wasatch, Sr. (23-3)
2. Mika Mcmullin, Hillcrest, So. (14-10)
3. Mei-mei Engebretsen, Brighton, Sr. (36-7)
4. Alyssa Naylor, Woods Cross, Sr. (33-15)
5. Emma Baldacci, Wasatch, So. (18-8)
6. Riah Tingey, Maple Mountain, So. (20-19)

Championship — Makenzi Mccoy, Wasatch def. Mika Mcmullin, Hillcrest, Fall 1:01

125 pounds

1. Makayla Carrick, Salem Hills, Jr. (39-4)
2. Riley Levin, Alta, Sr. (35-12)
3. Kaelyn Alleman, Wasatch, Fr. (24-4)
4. Makaell Knight, Box Elder, So. (13-13)
5. Lily Wilson, Wasatch, Jr. (15-8)
6. Xadia Fisher, Bountiful, So. (24-12)

Championship — Makayla Carrick, Salem Hills def. Riley Levin, Alta, Fall 1:44

130 pounds

1. Marabelle Brown, Wasatch, Sr. (18-2)
2. Abbie Colvin, Roy, Jr. (29-9)
3. Hailey Fisher, Box Elder, Sr. (24-14)
4. Kelseigh Banks, Salem Hills, Sr. (32-15)
5. Mugwanesa veronica Mbasa, Kearns, Jr. (25-14)
6. Martha Comacho, Maple Mountain, Jr. (10-10)

Championship — Marabelle Brown, Wasatch def. Abbie Colvin, Roy, Fall 1:46

135 pounds

1. Avery Colvin, Roy, Fr. (37-3)
2. Sheyla Hawley, Salem Hills, Jr. (37-6)
3. Amber Murray, Box Elder, Sr. (23-8)
4. Keira Kohler, Wasatch, Jr. (19-7)
5. Hailey Fox, West Jordan, Sr. (31-16)
6. Jakelle Marvin, Payson, Sr. (30-17)

Championship — Avery Colvin, Roy def. Sheyla Hawley, Salem Hills, Fall 5:00

140 pounds

1. Rachel Jensen, Salem Hills, So. (42-1)
2. Brooke Deeter, West Field, Jr. (27-4)
3. Bailee Broderick, Payson, Sr. (40-12)
4. Emmary Brimhall, Springville, So. (21-9)
5. Aspyn Knight, Wasatch, Fr. (13-11)
6. Bianca Cluff, Wasatch, Sr. (19-10)

Championship — Rachel Jensen, Salem Hills def. Brooke Deeter, West Field, Fall 4:47

145 pounds

1. Avery Winterton, Salem Hills, Sr. (37-3)
2. Dakota Frogge, Wasatch, Sr. (20-5)
3. Brenna Smith, Box Elder, So. (33-9)
4. Hallie Myers, Fremont, Fr. (28-17)
5. Micayla Christensen, Box Elder, Sr. (13-6)
6. La`nayah Miera, Cyprus, Jr. (19-14)

Championship — Avery Winterton, Salem Hills def. Dakota Frogge, Wasatch, Fall 5:01

155 pounds

1. Ruby Lindstrom, Salem Hills, Jr. (39-2)
2. Daisy Fackrell, Clearfield, Jr. (36-6)
3. Brooke Gehring, Springville, Sr. (26-11)
4. Jade Caudle, Olympus, Sr. (14-11)
5. Ava Morgan, Alta, Jr. (25-14)
6. Marin Spanos, West, So. (25-15)

Championship — Ruby Lindstrom, Salem Hills def. Daisy Fackrell, Clearfield, Fall 3:30

170 pounds

1. Vanessa Carranza, Hunter, Sr. (40-3)
2. Eleni Nonu, Hillcrest, Sr. (37-9)
3. Ismene Borja, Alta, Sr. (26-15)
4. Mckenzie Rice, Northridge, So. (39-15)
5. Rubie Wilson, Pleasant Grove, Sr. (24-16)
6. Katerina Seumanu, West Jordan, Sr. (24-18)

Championship — Vanessa Carranza, Hunter def. Eleni Nonu, Hillcrest, Dec 5-3

190 pounds

1. Heather Weakley, Springville, Sr. (31-9)
2. Mary Katoa, West, Jr. (36-5)
3. Losivale Fa`atili, West Jordan, Sr. (34-9)
4. Evelie Kort, Fremont, Jr. (24-13)
5. Loretta Byrd, Taylorsville, Jr. (14-11)
6. Nadia Good, Northridge, Jr. (25-9)

Championship — Heather Weakley, Springville def. Mary Katoa, West, Fall 2:29

235 pounds

1. Maycee Hales, Box Elder, So. (37-0)
2. Kayla Mulitalo, Cyprus, Sr. (15-3)
3. Emalata Eli, Hunter, Sr. (10-2)
4. Elise Pickett, Northridge, Sr. (31-18)
5. Berlyn Kalt, Taylorsville, Fr. (16-8)
6. Abigail Ta`ala, Hunter, Fr. (17-13)

Championship — Maycee Hales, Box Elder def. Kayla Mulitalo, Cyprus, Fall 2:42