Vinton-Shellsburg girls’ wrestling trio enjoys dominating challengers

TAMA — The trifecta of Ellie Weets, Bree Swenson, and Chloe Sanders is particularly good at one thing when it comes to wrestling — showing their opponents the lights.

During Thursday’s South Tama Invitational, the trio from Vinton-Shellsburg was dominant in recording first-period falls in each of their matches en route to tournament titles at 115, 120, and 135 pounds, respectively.

Their pin train helped push Vinton-Shellsburg to win the South Tama Invitational with 202 points, ahead of second-place West Delaware with 174.5 points.

The similarities don’t stop there. Weets, Swenson, and Sanders are returning state qualifiers for the Vikettes and are catalysts for this year’s squad.

“They are three of the biggest leaders we have on the team,” said head coach Brandt Corcran. “They work hard and go out there.”

Since Weets and Swenson are practice partners, the duo is able to push each other and make each other better.

An opportunity Weets is grateful for.

“She makes me a lot better in practice,” Weets said. “ I feel like I’m helping her, too, because we scramble a lot in practice. We are good teammates together.”

Swenson believes Weets is able to get the energy flowing for her team to follow. Once Weets starts a rally, her teammates can follow suit, like what was on display at South Tama.

“She helps the team get excited just by getting out there and pinning her (opponent) quick,” Swenson said. “The team definitely feeds off that, and it helps me, too.”

Sanders knows their dominance is fueled by a winning combination — hard work and positivity.

“We all work really hard and push ourselves during practice,” Sanders said. “That shows on the mat. We tell ourselves that we are going to win this.”

  Buy Photo

Thursday’s tournament also was a milestone for Swenson. She earned her 100th career win.

From a girl who tried wrestling “for fun” her freshman year to now — her senior season and coming off a state runner-up finish — she’s proud of how far she’s come.

“Getting that and earning it (100 wins) — it just feels really good,” Swenson said.

Vinton-Shellsburg enters the 2023-2024 season ranked No. 12 by the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA). With Weets, Swenson, and Sanders leading the charge, high hopes are on the horizon for the Vikettes.

“It’s going to be a great season, and I know we are going to go far,” Swenson said

Corcran is optimistic and pleased with how the team has responded.

From a scrimmage to a JV tournament on Monday to South Tama’s Invitational on Thursday, Corcran noticed improvement among the team and believes there’s more to this season than just wrestling.

“They’ve made strides every single day,” Corcran said. “We stay on them that it’s not just about wrestling. It’s about growing this family and growing the culture on this team. They are all bought in, and we have a lot of goals this season. This is just the start.”