Mount Vernon’s Kiersten Swart and Libby Dix look to keep adding to list of wrestling accomplishments

MOUNT VERNON — Sophomore Kiersten Swart and junior Libby Dix wrestle on opposite sides of the lineup for the Mount Vernon Mustangs.

Swart wrestles at 110 pounds, Dix competes at 190.

This season, the dynamic duo is quite similar. Their records are nearly identical — Swart’s is 29-3, while Dix 29-1.

In Thursday night’s 51-30 win over Solon, Swart and Dix recorded falls over their opponents, and their pin times were just seven seconds apart. Swart pinned Solon’s Emily Pence in 1:24 and Dix, wrestling up a weight at 235, took on the Spartans’ Haiden Wolfe, winning by fall in 1:31.

Mount Vernon Coach Trevor Trende expressed another similarity between the two — how impactful they are to this year’s lineup, as well as the entire Mustangs girls’ wrestling program.

“Libby has been one of the trailblazers of Mount Vernon girls’ wrestling,” Trende said. “She’s always had that drive and passion for growing girls’ wrestling.

“Kiersten is one of those that leads by example. Her presence, work ethic and willingness to learn is contagious. A lot of girls feed off that from her.”

In their own rights, Swart and Dix have experienced great success on the wrestling mat.

Swart, who is only in her second year of wrestling, reached the finals of the Dan Gable Donnybrook tournament in early December, finishing second. That’s one of her top wrestling accomplishments, so far.

“It was so fun to make it to the finals in that tournament,” Swart said.

As for Dix, she got a huge win on the national stage before the season even started. She was crowned the 190-pound champion in the Brian Keck Memorial Preseason National Tournament in Des Moines in October.

She’s using her national title to propel her to a solid junior season for the Mustangs.

“I wanted to get some mat time before the season started,” Dix said. “It ended up being a great way to start the season. It was just a really cool experience.”

These two wrestlers have witnessed the influence one another has had on the Mount Vernon girls’ program.

For Swart, she’s noticed and is grateful for Dix’s leadership.

“I really look up to her, because she’s obviously a stud,” Swart said of Dix.

As for Dix, she’s enjoyed getting to see her teammate improve her craft on the mat.

“It’s cool seeing her grow as a person and a wrestler with the rest of us,” Dix said. “She’s made huge leaps in her wrestling development.”

Dix, Swart and company are gearing up for postseason wrestling action. The Mustangs will travel to Cedar Rapids and the Alliant Energy PowerHouse for a Super Regional on Jan. 26.

Trende and the Mustangs are taking it “one day at a time and one match at a time.”

“Win and learn every day,” Trende said. “We are wanting to get 1 percent better every day — that’s our goal.”