Lilly Luft advances to the 130-pound semifinals at Girls Wrestling State Tournament

Press Staff Report

CORALVILLE — Charles City senior 130-pounder and two-time state champion Lilly Luft advanced to the semifinal round of her bracket while going 3-0 during the Thursday round of the inaugural sanctioned Girls State Wrestling Tournament being held at the Xtreme Arena.

The University of Iowa-bound Luft improved her undefeated record to 38-0 after pinning Glenwood freshman Lauralyse Flint-Spencer in just 24 seconds of their first-round match, stopping Perry senior Charity Mickles in 1:00 in the second round, and then achieving a 9-0 major decision against Iowa City High School freshman Claire Brown in the quarterfinals.

The top-seeded Luft is set to face another undefeated wrestler, Saydel freshman Colbie Tenborg (24-0) in the semifinals during the morning session on Friday. Tenborg advanced to the semis by way of two fall victories and a technical-fall victory.

Unfortunately for the four other Comet wrestlers who qualified for state, they were all eliminated short of podium (top eight) placement.

Junior 235-pounder Ava Thompson, who placed third at last year’s Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Girls State Tournament, won her first-round match when she pinned Pocahontas Area freshman Jacqueline Ordonez during short time of the second period. But Sioux Center senior Hannah Illg-Keith sent Thompson to the consolation bracket when she pinned her 3:29 into their second-round match.

Martensdale-St. Marys’ Makenna Fritter later ended Thompson’s season when she got the slap just as the second period expired.

Charles City senior 135-pounder Elizabeth Oleson, who has been wrestling with the Comets all four years of her high school career, lost to Glenwood freshman Maya Rivas, who pinned her 1:26 into their first round match. But Oleson bounced back with a pair of consolation wins over Wilton senior Kiley Langley (9-3 dec.) and Missouri Valley junior Brooklyn Lange (5-1 dec.).

Dallas Center-Grimes junior Bella Mulder stopped Oleson in the third round of the consolation bracket with a 3:17 fall victory.

In the 145-pound bracket, Comet senior Morgan Maloy bounced back from her first-period fall defeat in the first round to Eagle Grove freshman Lily Locke by pinning Ankeny junior Mallorie McGuire at the 5:14 mark of their consolation match.

West Liberty junior Dionni Garcia-Vasquez ended Maloy’s season with a 1:58 fall victory in the second round of the consolation bracket.

At her first state tournament at the end of her first year of wrestling, Charles City junior Leah Stewart advanced past the first round of the 190-pound bracket when she pinned Ottumwa freshman Delilah Subsin 4:25 into their match. Then Stewart nearly advanced to the quarterfinal round only to lose an ultimate tiebreaker (4-2) to Independence senior Rachel Eddy.

Stewart was eliminated by Decorah sophomore Kamyn Steines, who pinned her in just under five minutes into their consolation match.