Senlycki earns return trip to state wrestling

Cambridge-Isanti Bluejacket girls wrestler Kami Senlycki has punched her ticket to her second state tournament in as many years of Minnesota State High School League girls wrestling individual competition. The senior qualified for state by winning the 185-pound section 6 and 7 tournament held at Sartell. Last season, Senlycki finished second at 165 pounds at the inaugural state girls tournament.

Senlycki had a fairly easy go of it in claiming the section championship this season. After a first-round bye, she pinned Madison Sauvegeau of Coon Rapids in 1:07 of the first period. She had an even shorter match for the championship, pinning Joy Kral of Osakis in 56 seconds.

The Jackets almost had three other girls accompanying Senlycki to state. Taitum Kostecka (100 pounds), Phoenix Fure (114 pounds), and Hannah Tilus-Tierney (165 pounds) each finished in third place, with the top two in each weight advancing to state. Both Kostecka and Tilus-Tierney advanced to the championship match before getting beaten by the champion. They both had a second chance of advancing in the form of a “true second” match, but both would lose that match. Fure, wrestling in the largest bracket, featuring 13 wrestlers, had to wrestle four times to secure third place, however, she wasn’t afforded the chance to wrestle for true second since she had already been defeated by the runner-up earlier in the tournament. Also wrestling in the tournament for the Bluejackets was Kimber Senlycki at 120 pounds.

RUSH CITY/BRAHAM ADVANCES ONE

Rush City/Braham has their first-ever state girls qualifier in Isabelle Shockman at 107 pounds. Like Senlycki, Shockman would make short work of her two opponents in claiming the championship. She pinned Ava Lohse of West Central Area-Ashby-Brandon-Evansville in 55 seconds and followed that up with a pin of Olivia Browen from LPGE-Browerville in 1:57 of the first period.

RCB was also represented by Keely McKenzie at 100 pounds and Sofia Ruth at 114 pounds.

The Minnesota State Girls Individual Wrestling Tournament, which in just its second year has doubled the number of state entrants in each of the 12 weights, will be held on Saturday, March 4 at Excel Energy Center in conjunction with the state boys wrestling tournament.