Whippets fall short at state tournament

Xitlali Nunez and Aliena Osterbuhr represented the lady whippets at the state tournament this weekend, but ultimately fell short of a state medal. 

Xitlali Nunez, in her first trip to the state tournament, lost by fall to eventual runner-up Perdue of York before losing 11-5 to #10 Beed of Aurora. She finished her season with a record of 26-13 and 22 pins, fourth-most in a single season in program history.

Aliena Osterbuhr nearly came away with a medal, matching the previous best by a whippet wrestler (Savannah Koch in 2022) in making the consolation quarterfinals. She won her first round match by fall before losing her quarterfinal match to eventual runner-up Lemburg of Columbus Lakeview. She battled back through the consolations, defeating #8 Raue of Lincoln High before falling to eventual 6th place medalist Painter of Pierce 14-5, the second consecutive season she has been eliminated by the senior.

The girls wrestled well and showed that they belonged at the state tournament, and hope to turn the feeling of falling just short into motivation as the club wrestling and summer lifting seasons begin.