By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Entering Saturday's third annual Washburn Women's Invitational, Washburn Rural senior star Addison Broxterman had no idea she was on the cusp of Kansas girls wrestling history.
And Broxterman, who set state records for pins and total wins en route to the 125-pound championship in the 34-school tournament, is very grateful that Junior Blues coach Damon Parker kept that secret from her.
Washburn Rural state record-setter Addison Broxterman went 5-0 with four wins Saturday to win the 125-pound title in the Washburn Women's Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural's Addison Broxterman, the state's all-time pin and wins leader, records one of her four pins in Saturday's Washburn Women's Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I'm a very nervous person and everybody knows that,'' Broxterman said. "It was definitely a good thing not to know. That was probably one of the best matches I ever wrestled (setting the pin record). It felt really good so I'm very grateful that he did not tell me.''
Broxterman opened the day with back-to-back pins to move past Great Bend's Brianna Ridgeway for the state pin record and became the winningest wrestler in Kansas girls history with her third win of the day, also moving past Ridgeway in that category.
In both cases Broxterman had no idea what was going on until it was announced to the large crowd in attendance.
"No, neither time,'' Broxterman said. "I was like, 'What is happening?' I was like, 'Why are they announcing my 117th pin?' That's so random.''
Broxterman, a two-time state runner-up and three-time state placer, went 5-0 on the day with four pin to help power Washburn Rural to the team championship by a 443-255.5 margin over Spring Hill in an event that drew 309 wrestlers.
Broxterman's main focus is on trying to win her first individual state title next month, but she said she was grateful for Saturday's accomplishments.
"Honestly, now it's just cool because of all the hard work I've put in,'' said Broxterman, who now has 119 pins and 127 wins. "And being not one of the only but in a small group of people that have wrestled since the first year that girls wrestling was sanctioned in Kansas, and now it being my senior year, I don't even hard words to describe it. It's just a new feeling, to be honest.''
Broxterman, who has helped Rural win two state team titles as well as a state runner-up finish, said that when she began her high school career she didn't set a bunch of individual goals.
"I just kind of take it match by match and have new goals each match like, 'I'm going to hit this move or I'm going to get an escape in this amount of seconds,' and just try to better myself,'' Broxterman said.
"It's not really like my set goal is, 'I'm going to win this tournament,' but it's like, 'I'm going to get better each day.' ''
As her high school school is getting down to the final month, Broxterman said she can't believe how quickly the last four years have gone.
"My first year (at Rural) all the seniors were like, 'This is going to be the fastest four years of your life, be grateful for it while you're in the moment,' '' she said. "I was like, 'Dude, what are you talking about? Four years is like over 1,000 days.'
"But now seeing who I was freshman year and how I am right here, it literally feels like five seconds.''
Now Broxterman, 30-3 on the season, just wants to make the most of the remainder of her senior season with her teammates before launching her college career at Chadron State.
"For me it's all about laughing, I love laughing with my teammates,'' she said. "It's the best part. For my Senior Night this week, they asked what is your favorite part of wrestling and I put, 'Laughing with my teammates.' It brings me so much joy to just be living in the moment and being on the sidelines. The wrestling isn't even my favorite part.''
Washburn Rural sophomore Molly Spader won the 105-pound title in Saturday's Washburn Women's Invitational, helping the Junior Blues roll to the team championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Broxterman clinched her tournament title with a 6-1 decision over Great Bend junior Daizy Gomez while Washburn Rural also got an individual championship from sophomore 100-pounder Molly Spader, who improved to 24-3 with a first-period pin (1:23) over Basehor-Linwood senior Narissa Hampton.
The Junior Blues had 10 wrestlers who posted top-six finishes, including a second-place finish from freshman Emme Blanco (140) and third-place finishes from junior Kristen Rezac (105), and junior Laiken Clark (130).
Seaman finished seventh as a team, led by sophomore Taylie Heston, who advanced to the championship match in the 110-pound division and finished second, and junior Madison Murray, who placed third at 125 pounds.
Silver Lake sophomore Serenity Yoakum posted a fourth-place finish at 105 pounds.
WASHBURN WOMEN'S INVITATIONAL
Team scores
Washburn Rural 443, Columbus 255.5, Spring Hill 233.5, Olathe North 232.5, Olathe West 214, Gardner-Edgerton 212.5, Seaman 208, Manhattan 198.5, Burlington 194, Fort Scott 187, Tonganoxie 186, Great Bend 184.5, Olathe Northwest 163.5, Bonner Springs 151.5, Leavenworth 149.5, Blue Valley Southwest 142.5, Basehor-Linwood 130.5, Rock Creek 118.5, Shawnee Mission Northwest 103, Oskaloosa 90.5, Silver Lake 85.5, KC-Sumner 78.5, Chapman 77, Olathe East 46, Mill Valley 45, Minneapolis 44.5, KC-Harmon 39, Shawnee Mission West 38, Atchison County 31.5, Blue Valley 27, Highland Park 10.5, KC-Ward 3.
Individual results
100 -- Championship: Spader, Washburn Rural, pinned Hampton, Basehor-Linwood, 1:23; Third: Noel, Columbus, dec. Lucios, Manhattan, 4-1; Fifth: Ayres, Seaman, pinned Perkins, Rock Creek, 3:52.
105 -- Championship: Thacher, Oskaloosa, dec. Wilson, Tonganoxie, 8-1; Third: Rezac, Washburn Rural, pinned Yoakum, Silver Lake, 0:15; Fifth: Reppert, Burlington, pinned Rose, Mill Valley, 1:47.
110 -- Championship: Calovich, Chapman, dec. Heston, Seaman, 7-3; Third: Miles, Fort Scott, pinned Mannio, Gardner-Edgerton, 1:29; Fifth: Hill, Washburn Rural, dec. Peterson, Spring Hill, 4-2.
115 -- Championship: Lyons, Burlington, pinned Dougan, Blue Valley Southwest, 0:24; Third: Knight, Bonner Springs, pinned Wedel, Olathe West, 3:09; Fifth: Smith, Seaman, pinned Metcalf, Fort Scott, 1:45.
120 -- Championship: Hitchcock, Olathe North, dec. Saporito, Columbus, 3-2; Third: Weber, Shawnee Mission West, pinned Gallegos, Washburn Rural, 5:58; Fifth: Garcia-Campo, Olathe West, pinned McMullen, Great Bend, 1:00.
125 -- Championship: Broxterman, Washburn Rural, dec. Gomez, Great Bend, 6-1; Third: Murray, Seaman, winner by medical forfeit over Butler, Shawnee Mission Northwest; Fifth: Yoder, Spring Hill, Britt, Columbus, 1-0.
130 -- Championship: Burenheide, Rock Creek, pinned Rusk, Fort Scott, 3:09; Third: Clark, Washburn Rural, winner by injury default over Kendall, Blue Valley Southwest, 4:09; Fifth: K. Best, Seaman, dec. Oppeau, Spring Hill, 7-2.
135 -- Championship: Davis, Gardner-Edgerton, dec. Slifer, Manhattan, 1-0; Third: Jackson, KC-Harmon, pinned De Cicco, Olathe West, 1:38; Fifth: Fredrickson, Washburn Rural, dec. Harris, KC-Sumner Acacemy, 5-1.
140 -- Championship: Lima, Columbus, pinned Blanco, Washurn Rural, 4:36; Third: Sharp, Olathe North, pinned Rowley, Chapman, 0:38; Fifth: Arthur, Olathe Northwest, pinned Simpson, Columbus, 0:57.
145 -- Championship: Johnson, Leavenworth, pinned Mermis, Spring Hill, 3:33; Third: Major, Columbus, dec. Phillips, Burlington, 4-3; Fifth: Faulkner, Basehor-Linwood, dec. Eilert, Washburn Rural, 4-3.
155 -- Championship: Rosario, Manhattan, pinned King, Oskaloosa, 1:37; Third: Finazzo, Olathe West, dec. Mott, Shawnee Mission North, 4-3; Fifth: Stevens, Great Bend, dec. Stephenson, Gardner-Edgerton, 4-3.
170 -- Championship: Stean, Bonner Springs, pinned Johns, Minneapolis, 1:14; Third: Galligan, Olathe Northwest, dec. Goodman, Leavenworth, 5-2; Fifth: Stean, Tonganoxie, pinned Simmes, Atchison County, 3:57.
190 -- Championship: Colvert, Tonganoxie, pinned Feeback, Spring Hill, 1:23; Third: Carrasco, Burlington, pinned Graham, Olathe North, 4:37; Fifth: Miller, Blue Valley Southwest, dec. Yarnell, Olathe Northwest, 1-0.
235 -- Championship: Jackson, Leavenworth, dec. Conley, Olathe North, 3-0; Third: Rodriguez, Gardner-Edgerton, dec. Ross, Washburn Rural, 3-1; Fifth: Cline, Olathe West, winner by injury default over Holinde, Great Bend.
