The Fort Calhoun girls wrestling team split a pair of duals Tuesday during its home triangular.
The Pioneers beat Omaha Northwest (24-18) and lost to Omaha Benson (48-16), but went 5-1 in contested matches overall. Sophomore Anna Rae Hartline said her first-year team is far better now than it was at the beginning of the season.
“I think we're a lot stronger,” she said. “I think we're a lot stronger as people, too.”
Altogether, FCHS went 2-0 in matches with the Northwest Huskies before going 3-1 against the Benson Bunnies.
By herself, Hartline was 2-0 with two pins. The 140-pounder stopped Melanie Estrada Moreno of Northwest in 2:26 before pinning Benson's Angelica Sebastian in 1:38.
The Pioneer missed some recent matches due to medical complications, but said she “wanted to show I could come back after being out for so long.”
Hartline's Tuesday night results showed off her improvement even as she's dealt with competing as a type 1 diabetic.
“A lot of it was just listening to my coaches a lot more than I was,” she said, speaking specifically about her work on the mat. “We've had a lot of team-bonding over the break, and I think it's really benefitted us and the connection with our coach.”
Madi Larrick and Ali Dill also notched FCHS victories Tuesday, while Tacey Belina went 0-1 for coach Lilly Gossman's squad. Larrick notched two 120-pound pins in less than a minute each, while Dill earned a 16-7 major decision agaisnt Benson's Sumeeda Rai.
Calhoun next wrestles Saturday at the Weeping Water Invitational.
