Historic season comes to a close

The best season in program history came to an end Wednesday night in Omaha, capped off with the first two medalists in program history. 7 whippet state qualifiers combined for 52 team points and a 10th-place finish in Class B, soaring past the previous record of 7 points and a 44th place finish achieved the very first year of girls wrestling in 2022.  As has been the case throughout the season, the team was led by Keira Crane and Aliena Osterbuhr, who both finished with 4th place medals. 

For Aliena, it was a fitting end to her career, which includes qualifying for state all four years and the school records for career wins, pins, and takedowns. For Keira, it was the start of a bright future. The freshman broke the school record for wins in a season at the state tournament, finishing the campaign with 43 wins and tying Myia Hofaker for the new school record for nearfalls in a season. 

Xitlali Nunez, Myia Hofaker, Aubree Bules, and Cheyenne Vahl all helped build the program over the last four years and showed why Minden is the premier western Nebraska program. Victoria Hansen got better and better as the season progressed, working hard in the practice room every day and never backing down from a tough opponent. They all wrestled with heart and effort, and they should be proud of what they were able to accomplish.

We look forward to celebrating this season one more time together, and then transitioning to the offseason where we hope to maintain the high standard that has been set for us and working hard for bigger and better goals for each wrestler and for the program overall.