Clear Creek Amana’s Halle Bormann is still relatively new to wrestling, but it’s hard to tell

MARION — Clear Creek Amana senior Halle Bormann has only been wrestling for two seasons.

As a junior, Bormann was encouraged to go out for the sport by former Clipper wrestler and now assistant coach Teagan Schreiber.

Due to the strong reputation of wrestling at Clear Creek Amana, Bormann knew she wanted to give the sport a try. Reflecting on her first season, she knew she made the right choice.

“It was a great atmosphere, and I loved it,” Bormann said. “It not only got me into better shape, but it also made my mentality better for future sports and life.

“Even my mom told me that she can tell the difference that wrestling has made on my life.”

On Thursday night in the Clippers’ double dual against Grinnell and Marion, you wouldn’t have guessed Bormann is only in her second season of wrestling.

She dominated her opponents in both bouts at 135 pounds, winning by first-period falls. Bormann pinned Grinnell’s Kyrie Chapman in 1 minute, 13 seconds, which was the only contested match in that dual. In her match against Marion’s Zoey Carter, Bormann got the pin in 37 seconds.

Her stellar performance on the mat Thursday night was fueled by her new mentality — one of the benefits she’s found from being involved in wrestling.

“I went in with the mentality that I had nothing to lose,” Bormann said. “I wanted to prove to myself that I could go out and wrestle hard. Two pins happened, and I was proud of that.”

In addition to redefining her mindset, Bormann has been all in when it comes to learning about the sport of wrestling.

Clippers head coach Adam Endres knows Bormann can learn something quickly and put it into her repertoire, no matter if it’s during practice or competition.

“She’s learning every day,” Endres said. “She’s coming along really fast. If she sees something in a match, she’s very quick to make an adjustment.

“She’s eager to learn and get better in every position.”

Aside from Bormann and fellow senior and returning state qualifier Marlie McBride, the Clippers’ girls’ wrestling team is comprised of all freshmen.

Those ninth-graders use Bormann as an example for consistently striving to improve and learn more about wrestling.

“We have freshmen that are inexperienced,” Endres said. “They kind of look to Halle as a leader on the team. They are doing the same things as her, and they want to learn. That’s following Halle’s example.

“We want to keep getting better every day, just like Halle does.”

With most of the team being new to high school wrestling, Bormann has made it a priority to ensure opportunities exist to learn more about the sport, while also creating a bright future for the Clippers’ girls’ wrestling program from youth on up.

“I can help my teammates learn to love the sport,” Bormann said. “I hope Clear Creek Amana continues to grow, so we can have a full team.

“Seeing all of the middle school girls coming in, I hope that we can be a positive role model for them and be a team that is known for competing at a high level.”