Lady whippets are the state dual champions!

The whippets concluded their dual season on Thursday at the NSWCA Girls State Duals Championships. They showed why they were the team to beat all season, going wire-to-wire en route to a 14-3 record and a state duals title. They did so by defeating the #8, #5, and #3 seeds on a day when there were plenty of upsets in matches and in duals for both Class A and B. Minden's opponents tried to strategize and find mismatches through lineup shifts, but in the end, the strength of the whippets was inevitable. Coach Ostrom trusted the team, and especially the seniors, to carry the program like they have for the past four years. They did exactly that, etching their names into history. 

Minden defeated #8 Summerland in their quarterfinal matchup 54-24, picking up falls from Keira Crane, Aliena Osterbuhr (over #10), Myka Petersen, Cristal Gonzalez, and Isabel Serrano. Keira Crane broke the school season nearfall record in her match as well.

In the semifinals, Minden defeated #5 Battle Creek 45-36, picking up falls from Keira Crane, Xitlali Nunez, and Myia Hofaker, plus a huge win by decision from Victoria Hansen.

In the finals, the girls prevailed in dramatic fashion, winning the championship in the very last match. The whippets got off to a great start, with Nunez upsetting #6 Berkeland by fall at 110 and Hofaker battling to only a loss by decision versus #7 Bargen at 115. Lakeview then made a mistake at 120, avoiding the #1 vs. #4 matchup to instead trade falls at 120 and 125. Trinity Carr picked up a major decision at 135, and Victoria Hansen prevented bonus points in an 8-2 loss to #5 (135) at 140. The teams then alternated 6 team point results for the next 6 weight classes, leaving Minden down 34-36 heading in to the final match at 105. #4 Keira Crane did what she has been doing all year, overpowering Lakeview's wrestler with a first period fall to send the huge Minden crowd into a frenzy. 

It was a dominating day for the whippets and show they are peaking at the right time, with the Southwest Conference Tournament, Districts, and State coming in the days ahead.