Written by Keira Sieber MUAHS Reporter
On Friday February 13, the Mount Union Area High School wrestling team competed in the district wrestling tournament at the Altoona Area High School Fieldhouse. Four members of the wrestling team advanced to the regional round on February 27.
The four members advancing include senior Kamden Beatty, senior Jacik Hess, senior Rowan McClain-Hartman and senior Andrew Ryan.
Beatty competed in the 121-pound weight class and placed fifth overall. Beatty says to prepare he “just focused on the things I need to work on and ate the right things.” The hardest thing Beatty had to do to prepare was “focusing on my diet would have been the toughest for me, I like my food.”
“I just make sure I am confident and just stick to the same plan,” is what Beatty had to say when it comes to dealing with tough competitors. To prepare for regionals, Beatty has focused on “keeping the head space clear and just working on stuff I’ve seen I could have done better with at districts.”
Finally, some advice Beatty has for future Mount Union wrestlers is “work hard every day and have discipline, it will come.”
Competing in the 152-pound weight class is Hess. Hess placed sixth place overall in his weight class. In order to prepare for districts Hess focused on “sleep, eat right, don’t procrastinate on cutting weight, and focus on keeping the right head space.” The hardest parts of Hess’ preparation were “making weight, practices are difficult, but nothing compares to the weight cut.”
When it comes to facing skilled and talented competitors Hess says, “I go in assuming they are better, so I work harder no matter what.” Hess has been “dialing in on technique, same things but focusing on what I did wrong at districts” to help prepare for regionals. Hess’ advice for future wrestlers is “take advantage of opportunities you have now because it will give you more opportunities in the future.”
McClain-Hartman competed in the 172-pound weight class. McClain-Hartman tied with Ryan as the highest placed Trojan wrestler placing third overall in his weight class. McClain-Hartman focused on “training hard, eating right, and recovering well” to prepare for districts. He added, “the hardest thing I had to overcome was the mental preparation.”
For regionals, McClain-Hartman is “focusing on my mental doubts and trying to overcome them and eat healthy.” McClain-Hartman’s advice is “to not let a loss break you and keep your head up.”
Finaly, Andrew Ryan wrestled in the weight class 215lbs and placed 3rd overall in his weight class. Mount Union is excited to see how their regional qualifiers will perform. Mount Union fans can support their Trojan wrestlers by attending the tournament in person at the Altoona Area High School Fieldhouse.