MFL MarMac Girls Wrestling Preview: Bulldogs hope for individual and team success

By Audrey Posten | Times-Register

MFL MarMac’s girls wrestlers are ready not just to prove themselves as individuals, but as a team, this season. Ten strong, this is the largest Bulldog squad since girls wrestling was sanctioned.

Athletes are excited about the possibilities.

“I feel like this year’s season is going to be outstanding with more of a team and not just individuals,” said Audrey Ruff.

“It’s really hard to run a practice with only four girls, so it’s nice to have a lot of girls in the room because we’re getting nice, hard practices in,” added Mackenzie Bachman.

Ruff and Bachman are MFL MarMac’s senior leaders. Bachman, a state qualifier two seasons ago, wrestled throughout the offseason, facing talented wrestlers from the area as well as around the country.

“I’ve definitely seen a lot of competition. That’s prepared me,” she said.

The seniors are joined by returners, junior Bayleigh Wood and sophomore Kennedy Bachman. The two feel more experienced and confident this year and noted the positivity in the wrestling room.

“Everyone shows up to practice and puts in a hard practice to not only make themselves better but everyone. It’s really positive in the room,” Bachman said.

Newcomers to the team are sophomore Addyson Heins, who was encouraged to join by her brother, along with freshmen Ashlyn Blake, Charlotte Koether, Annaka McArthur, Veda Torkelson and Isla Henkes.

Blake and Koether wrestled in middle school, experience they both said will benefit them at this level.

“I joined in seventh grade and loved it. In my opinion, it’s the best sport ever,” Koether said.

“That has set me up more because I knew what competition was coming. I knew it was going to be hard and I was going to have to put in the work to get where I am and where I want to be,” Blake added. “It’s a mentally and physically hard sport. We have more wrestlers than we’re used to, and I’m proud of who came out and tried this sport.”

Heins said Kennedy Bachman tried to prepare her for how taxing wrestling would be. It took firsthand knowledge to truly drive that home.

“It’s a really physical sport and takes a lot, but these girls make it fun and enjoyable for me to come every day,” she shared. 

The ladies are focusing on having good mindsets, according to Mackenzie Bachman. 

You have to be prepared to ride an emotional rollercoaster, as sister Kennedy described it.

“You can win one match and be super excited, and the next match you could be crying,” Kennedy Bachman said.

Ruff agreed. “Wrestling has taught me to get over it. Keep going,” she said.

Pape said this has been a focus after the Bulldogs did not meet their personal goals a season ago.

“After last year, we all felt it. The coaches knew we had to set up a better foundation. We come in here every night and work hard. Even sickness or bumps and bruises, turning that back into, ‘Hey, we still want to reach our goals,’” he commented. 

Pape is joined this year by assistant coach Shawn Morrissey, who previously volunteered. Mackenzie Bachman said it’s nice to have another official coach in the practice room and at meets or tournaments.

“Pape and Shawn have a lot of the same philosophy and they work really well together. That’s a good bonus to have coaches who feed off each other and know how to help each one of us,” she remarked.

Pape and Morrissey will guide the wrestlers through some changes this season, including rules that now award three points for takedowns and up to four for near falls. 

“Instead of a five-point move, you can gain seven points off the bat with a big move. That’s a big swing,” he said.

Girls wrestling also has two classes—1A and 2A—for the first time, with the Bulldogs in 1A. But Pape said MFL MarMac won’t shy away from larger school competition.

“We want to see some of that 2A competition. We’re not scared of anyone. We don’t care what their singlet looks like. Competition is good. We never shy away from that,” he said.

Because of the team’s larger size, Pape is also not shying away from duals.

“There’s not only individual talent in this room. We’ve gotten people spread out at weights and think we’d be very competitive as a team. I’m hoping MFL MarMac can not only be known as an individual school, but hopefully we can start to place our name with some of the other schools.”

No matter the competition or the format, MFL MarMac will “bring the hammer,” Pape stressed. “We’re in a good place right now, and it’s going to continue to grow bigger.”

MFL MarMac began its season over the weekend, in a tournament at Decorah.