By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' girls wrestling team earned its third straight United Kansas Conference team championship Saturday at Leavenworth, taking the title by a 156-63.5 margin over runner-up Leavenworth.
Seven T-Birds captured individual league titles en route to Shawnee Heights' decisive title run.
Shawnee Heights got titles from 109-pound senior Odessa Schmidt (17-8), 115-pound junior Molly Busenitz (22-1), 120-pound senior Alexandria Buce (17-8), 126-pound freshman Reece Taylor (14-11), 132-pound senior Haley Haltom (18-7), 138-pound freshman Madison Freeland (16-7) and 191-pound senior Maranda Bell (20-1).
Haltom had one of the T-Birds' most competitive routes to the title, posting pins in 1 minute, 15 seconds, 5:17 and 1:44, while Taylor recorded a pair of pins.
Bell and Busenitz are both state-ranked in Class 6A-5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association, with Bell currently second-ranked at 191 pounds while Busenitz is fifth-ranked at 115.
Bell placed third in the Division I state tournament last season and posted a 31-5 record on the season while Busenitz posted a 22-8 record last season and qualified for the state meet.
Shawnee Heights will compete in a Class 6A-5A regional tournament Saturday at Seaman, vying for state tournament berths.
UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE GIRLS WRESTLING
Team scores
Shawnee Heights 156, Leavenworth 63.5, Basehor-Linwood 63, Lansing 41, Turner 32, De Soto 19.
Individual results
101 -- 1. Arianna Ortiz, Turner; 2. Narissa Hampton, Basehor-Linwood; 3. Emberlynn Phillips, Shawnee Heights.
109 -- 1. Odessa Schmidt, Shawnee Heights; 2. Rhyan Briggs, Basehor-Linwood.
115 -- 1. Molly Busenitz, Shawnee Heights; 2. Christina Townsend, Leavenworth.
120 -- 1. Alexandria Buce, Shawnee Heights; 2. Kaylin Dunlap, Lansing.
126 -- 1. Reece Taylor, Shawnee Heights; 2. Rylee Jones, Basehor-Linwood; 3. Jillian Douglas, Lansing.
132 -- 1. Haley Haltom, Shawnee Heights; 2. Lauren Hooser, Lansing; 3. Ava Taylor, De Soto; 4. Aleksandra Stjepanovic, Basehor-Linwood.
138 -- 1. Madison Freeland, Shawnee Heights; 2. Izabella McCully, Leavenworth.
143 -- 1. Hannah Jackson, Leavenworth; 2. McKenna Haltom, Shawnee Heights; 3. Claire Vandeweide, Basehor-Linwood.
155 -- 1. Avari Johnson, Leavenworth; 2. Daisy Chavez, Turner; 3. Hannah Sixkiller, Shawnee Heights; 4. MacKenzie Botka, Basehor-Linwood.
170 -- 1. Jacqueline Goodman, Leavenworth; 2. Gloria Lillich, Shawnee Heights.
191 -- 1. Maranda Bell, Shawnee Heights; 2. Gabby Chaney, De Soto.
235 -- 1. Cadence Christenson, Basehor-Linwood.