Merrill Varsity Girls compete at Mauston Invitational

On Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, the Merrill Girls Varsity Wrestling Team attended their second major event of the season and first of the new year, traveling to Mauston High School for the Mauston Golden Eagle Girls Wrestling Invitational, where the Lady Jays wrestled along with 32 other girls teams.
“There were no team scores kept, so we can’t say how they fared as a team,” Merrill Girls Varsity Wrestling Head Coach Scott Arneson said, “but the 13 girls all competed with high intensity levels, executed awesome effort, and had great grit.”
“The girls all wrestled 4-5 matches [each] which was exhausting in itself,” he said. “What made it even more special was it was a Friday-evening tournament and their matches were completed over the duration of the five and a half hours of the tournament. So they were wrestling every 45 minutes or so—grueling.”
“There is a quote out there that there is no rest for the weary—or our female wrestlers—Haha!” Arneson said.
“The coaching staff was very busy, too,” he said. “There weren’t 10 minutes that passed where Assistant Coach Ali Natzke, Volunteer Coach Ed Fuchs, and/or I were not coaching from the corner—sometimes two corners.”
“The coaches would like to commend the girls on their effort and TEAM camaraderie,” Arneson said. “They represented their community, school, team, and parents with class, great intensity, and awesome efforts.”
“The girls are getting recognized by other teams who are realizing that if you are going to compete against a girl from Merrill, you better be ready, because they will be in shape, have good technique, and they will battle the entire match,” he said.
“We had two weight classes that Merrill did not have a competitor in, which were the 120- and 145-pound weight classes. We always have room for more girls wanting to join the excitement of Merrill Wrestling. We are working hard to be a successful program. Not everyone can be a State Champ, but everyone can work to be a State Champion—as we are!” Arneson said.

Girls individual results:
100 - Natalia Woller took fifth place
100 - Madlyn Hunter took third place
114 - Katelyn Grawien took second place
114 - Gracie Vanvuren took third place
126 - Kendall Klug took fifth place
132 - Kaylynn Allen took fifth place
132 - Adi Clark took third place
138 - Caroline Durbin took seventh place
152 - Liberty Fuchs took ninth place
152 - Bryanna Doerr took 11th place
165 - Marissa Miles took seventh place
185 - Merin Yates took second place
235 - Shelby Yates took seventh place

The team will compete this Saturday, Jan. 11, at home for the Bluejay Challenge, Coach Arneson said. “It will start at 9:30 a.m. and finish around 8 p.m.”
“Neat note is the Varsity and JV Boys and the Girls teams will all be competing at the same time—under the same roof. Come get your dose of MERRILL WRESTLING at the high school Saturday.”