SIOUX CITY -- Tatum Shepherd celebrated a dual milestone Friday.
The Ridge View junior qualified for the inaugural Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union wrestling tournament after winning the 125-weight class at a super regional at the Tyson Events Center.
After Shepherd pinned Red Oak's Nicole Bond in the title match, her father, Jason Shepherd, who is also an assistant coach for the Raptors, came onto the mat to congratulate her. The first words out of his mouth: "That's 100."
"You're kidding me," she exclaimed before jumping into her dad's arms.
With three victories at the regional, Shepherd achieved the 100th win in her high school career. Heading into Friday, only three other Iowa girls had achieved that milestone. It's believed Sheperd is the first to do so as a junior.
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Shepherd said her parents kept the impending milestone a secret in order to surprise her when it happened.
"I'd ask her every day, 'Am I close?' '' she said of her mom, Lisa. "She kept saying, 'I'm not telling you.' ''
Shepherd's first 57 career wins came wrestling against boys as a member of the Ridge View boys team her freshman and sophomore seasons. Under pressure from girls wrestling advocates, the IGHSGAU agreed to give girls their own sanctioned teams and tournaments beginning this season.
Wrestling only against girls, Shepherd put together a 44-2 record and a No. 2 ranking at 125 pounds by IA Wrestle.com.
"Wrestling guys, you could be an all-around better wrestler, but if they're a little bit stronger than you, they're probably gonna win,'' she said. "It's an even playing field. I mean, who doesn't like watching girls wrestling?"
Hundreds of people turned out at the Tyson Events Center Friday to do just that. More than 300 female wrestlers from 45 schools across western Iowa competed at the venue, site of two of the state's eight super regionals.
The top four wrestlers in each weight class from each region advanced to the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union's inaugural state tournament, Feb. 2-3, at the Xtream Arena in Coralville. Unlike other state-sanctioned sports, the girl wresters will compete for state championships in a single class.
Like Shepherd, many of Friday's competitors previously wrestled against boys.
"This is much better," said Spencer's Shaylee Sutherland, who captured the 135-pound title in Region 2 Friday. "It's so much better competition. I feel more comfortable wrestling girls. I feel like when you wrestle boys, they try to hurt you."
Sutherland, a sophomore, was one of six Spencer wrestlers who advanced to the state tournament. Junior Olivia Huckfelt, ranked No. 1 in the state, was the Tigers' other regional title winner at 235 pounds.
Seven of Shepherd's teammates are also heading to the state meet. The Ridge View program, which also includes girls who attend classes at Alta-Aurelia, Storm Lake and River Valley. Raptors who also won regional titles included Destiny Brown at 130; Izzy Deeds at 145; and Daynia Werner at 170.
In one of the most competitive weight classes at the regional level, Riverside, Oakland sophomore Molly Allen won the 115-pound title in Region 2 over Sioux City North junior Molly Sek. Allen, 26-0, and ranked No. 1 in the state, won a technical fall over Sek, ranked No. 6.
Sek, who advances to state with a 30-4 record, took the loss in stride.
"I am so excited. That match doesn't even bother me," Sek said. "I'm gonna get a second chance with her at state so I'm going to spend this next week really working on the things that I have to work on to get better for her so that I can potentially get up to that level. She was a great challenge though. I appreciate a great challenge."
Below are the state qualifiers, in the order they finished Friday, in each of the two regionals.
REGION 1
100
1st: Ava McNeal, Lewis Central
2nd: Jazz Christensen, S.W.A.T. Valkyrie
3rd: Genessis Corado, Eagle Grove
4th: Daniela Salinas, CBCSD Co-Op
105
1st: Maya Humlicek, Lewis Central
2nd: Emerson Kelderman, Central Lyon/George-Little Rock
3rd: Emma Miller, Treynor
4th: Evelyn Jergenson, Eagle Grove
110
1st: Adyson Lundquist, S.W.A.T. Valkyrie
2nd: Josie Lennon, Sergeant Bluff-Luton
3rd: Cierra Elderbaum, Lewis Central
4th: Sophia Harris, Humboldt
115
1st: Jaymie Anderson, Eagle Grove
2nd: Adalyn Minahan, Treynor
3rd: Kyla Egli, Manson Northwest Webster
4th: Melonie Barillas, Sioux City West
120
1st: Emily Lundvall, Glenwood
2nd: Cora Schut, Sioux Center
3rd: Kendra Berglund, Sergeant Bluff-Luton
4th: Susan Elderbaum, Lewis Central
125
1st: Sophie Barnes, Lewis Central
2nd: Mariaha Benedict, Fort Dodge
3rd: Andyn White, Treynor
4th: Sierra Wieland, CBCSD Co-Op
130
1st: Baylie Beers, Humboldt
2nd: Evy Marlin, S.W.A.T. Valkyrie
3rd: Macy Brown, Fort Dodge
4th: Emerson Gregg, Treynor
135
1st: Alexis Ross, Fort Dodge
2nd: Angie Rivera, Denison-Schleswig
3rd: Maya Rivas, Glenwood
4th: Claire Weydert, Humboldt
140
1st: Mahri Manz, Lewis Central
2nd: Alyssa Schnoor, Sheldon/South O`Brien
3rd: Avery Ballis, Okoboji/HMS
4th: Lucy Kohnen, Manson Northwest Webster
145
1st: Espie Almazan, Lewis Central
2nd: Lily Locke, Eagle Grove
3rd: Nancy Bowman, Logan-Magnolia
4th: Jules Thomas, CBCSD Co-Op
155
1st: Maddie Pulis, Fort Dodge
2nd: Dana Swedensky, Lewis Central
3rd: Kassidy Fiala, CBCSD Co-Op
4th: Claire Miller, Denison-Schleswig
170
1st: Louise Meyer, Central Lyon/George-Little Rock
2nd: Grace Britten, S.W.A.T. Valkyrie
3rd: Alexandria Vaul, Sioux City West
4th: Aria Rensink, Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley
190
1st: Ellen Gerlock, S.W.A.T. Valkyrie
2nd: Brooklyn Robinson, Humboldt
3rd: Kalen Westerfield, Underwood
4th: Kaylee De Jong, Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley
235
1st: Haley Armstrong, S.W.A.T. Valkyrie
2nd: Isabella Canada, AHSTW
3rd: Jacqueline Ordonez, Pocahontas Area
4th: Maddy Stanek, Manson Northwest Webster
REGION 2
100
1st: Olivya Mack, East Sac County
2nd: Isabel Ekchan, Ridge View
3rd: Aroura Preston, Spirit Lake Park
4th: Kourtney King, South Central Calhoun
105
1st: Keira Hessenius, LeMars
2nd: Julia Kanne, Carroll
3rd: Grace Hoffman, Kuemper Catholic
4th: Iris Melody, South Central Calhoun
110
1st: Kacy Miller, Western Iowa
2nd: Trista Guinn, Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire
3rd: Kylie Hessenius, LeMars
4th: Anika Stearns, Emmetsburg
115
1st: Molly Allen, Riverside, Oakland
2nd: Molly Sek, Sioux City North
3rd: Kailee Spencer, Spencer
4th: Jolynn Tiefenthaler, Ridge View
120
1st: Carly Henderson, Riverside, Oakland
2nd: Bailey Brady, LeMars
3rd: Evelyn Kramer, South Central Calhoun
4th: Breanna Johnson, Spencer
125
1st: Tatum Shepherd, Ridge View
2nd: Nicole Bond, Red Oak
3rd: Lea Gute, Missouri Valley
4th: Kyiah Logan, Spencer
130
1st: Destiny Brown, Ridge View
2nd: Delanie Westcott, South Central Calhoun
3rd: Danyka Peterson, Sioux City North
4th: Olivia Villegas, East Sac County
135
1st: Shaylee Sutherland, Spencer
2nd: Eliana Kooi, West Lyon
3rd: Brooklyn Lange, Missouri Valley
4th: Averi Burke, Carroll
140
1st: Clara Sapienza, Southwest Iowa
2nd: Preslee Mass, Missouri Valley
3rd: Kloee Jones, Carroll
4th: Eunice Reyna Yoc, MOC-Floyd Valley
145
1st: Isabella Deeds, Ridge View
2nd: Emily Kesterson, Southwest Iowa
3rd: Marlee Pittet, Western Iowa
4th: Kerene Panya, LeMars
155
1st: Nicole Olson, Missouri Valley
2nd: Kasee Huss, MOC-Floyd Valley
3rd: Leila Kollasch, Spencer
4th: Savanna Salen, LeMars
170
1st: Daynia Werner, Ridge View
2nd: Addaly Miller, MOC-Floyd Valley
3rd: Kelcee McMillen, Missouri Valley
4th: Kia Meek, Riverside, Oakland
190
1st: Jana TerWee, West Lyon
2nd: Kaylee Nachtigal, Spencer
3rd: Elvia Topete Anzua, MOC-Floyd Valley
4th: Maya Waldo, Ridge View
235
1st: Olivia Huckfelt, Spencer
2nd: Jocelyn Buffum, Missouri Valley
3rd: Emma Daniels, Carroll
4th: Hannah Illg-Keith of Sioux Central
