Alena Kehm

From the lanes to the mat, Marian’s bowling and wrestling teams have made strides this winter sports season. 

Although both are relatively new programs in the world of Marian athletics, with bowling in its sixth year and wrestling in its fifth, they have found success thanks to the enthusiasm of student participants.

“We’ve been pretty successful…the girls are great, [and] their attitudes are great,” said bowling head coach Chris Dziadus. 

According to Dziadus, the bowlers’ biggest accomplishment this season was the “wild card” they earned at districts that sent them to state. “The top 8 teams go to State and we were seventh out of about 30 teams [at Districts],” Dziadus said. 

Junior Madison Schnell also qualified for State as an individual bowler. Going into State, the team hoped to “win the whole thing,” Dziadus said. Despite a smooth regular season, the team faced their first big challenges at the State tournament. 

Marian was knocked out of the tournament after losses to Grand Island and Millard South. Schnell competed well in her first four games, but didn’t qualify for the second round of play. 

Even though the team didn’t win, just getting to State is a big accomplishment for them. With back-to-back trips to State these past two years and a young team, this season is the tip of the iceberg for what they can accomplish.

Wrestling faced many challenges during the season. The team’s main obstacle was injuries. “We had so many injuries that [led to] huge gaps in the roster…The roster size is 14 and at metros we sent 6,” head coach Lauren Barefoot said. 

On top of injuries, many girls on Marian’s team are new to the sport of wrestling. Barefoot explained that many public high schools have feeder wrestling programs so that middle school girls can be exposed to the sport of wrestling before high school. Private schools have no such program, leading to gaps in wrestling knowledge.

In face of difficulty, the team saw success at their home meets. “I think we had full bleachers in the small gym every single time,” Barefoot said. 

In the post-season, the team had eight wrestlers make it through to the final round of Districts. Three of those eight pushed through and represented Marian at State. 

Seniors Macy Salzbrenner and Keely Robbins, along with sophomore Avril Duran, punched their tickets to state on Feb. 7 at the district meet. The trio competed in the State meet at the CHI Center on Feb. 17 and 18. Robbins placed third out of all Class A girls in the 145 weight class, Duran placed third in Class A 115 weight class and Salzbrenner placed fourth in Class A 125 weight class.

The wrestling seniors hope that their impact this year won’t be forgotten. “I want people to remember how I worked for every last thing,” Robbins said. The work of both the athletes and coaches in Marian’s wrestling program ensure that it will find success in the years to come.