Junior Maddie Fullerton comes home as the Class 4A state runner-up.

By Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — For only the second time in Wellington girls wrestling history, three Crusader wrestlers secured medals at the Class 4A State Tournament in Salina.

•Junior Maddie Fullerton at 130 pounds finished second.

•Sophomore London Pourner at 1oo placed fifth.

•Senior Mikayla Ybarra at 145 ended up in sixth.

Wellington sent seven girls and one boy to the State wrestling tournament in Salina, Friday and Saturday.

The apex of Wellington’s state tournament weekend came on Saturday afternoon, when Fullerton battled for the state championship, losing 5-3 to Addilyn Wacker of Iola. Fullerton finished her outstanding season at 34-3 with another season to go.

Maddie Fullerton during her first match on Friday.

“I have no doubt in my mind that if these two girls wrestled tomorrow, Maddie would win it,” said Mitch McComb, Wellington head wrestling coach. “She unfortunately had her arm in the wrong place in the second period, and that led to a reversal and near fall. That gave her opponent five points, which was too hard to overcome.”

Although Fullerton made a reversal to pull within three later in the period, Wacker used the third period to stall her way to victory.

Maddie Fullerton

It was a big moment for the junior, who will undoubtedly be one of the favorites in whatever weight division she decides to go into next year as a senior. She and Wacker could very well meet again at the Caney Valley Tournament in December.

“Maddie has the drive to be an elite wrestler next year,” McComb said. “We will need to work on her taking shots, so next year she can give up five-point moves without any worries.”

Fullerton came into the finals on a hot streak. She had pinned all three of her tournament opponents (see live blog here and here). She was on an 11-match winning streak. Fullerton finished sixth last season after sustaining a shoulder injury.

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As for Ybarra and Pourner, it was an outstanding tournament. Ybarra finished her high school wrestling career with 101 victories over the four years – a school record. She also went 3-3 for the weekend that easily could have been better had she not lost an incredible tough overtime battle to Amayah Caro of Holcomb in the consolation semifinals.

Mikayla Ybarra had a busy weekend wrestling in six matches. Here she is on her way to a pin in her first match on Friday.

“By the end of Saturday, Mikayla was tired,” McComb said. “She and London had wrestled four matches from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mikayla won that incredible blood round match and then the overtime match thereafter. She had a heck of a tournament to finish her career.

London Pourner places fifth at the state tournament her sophomore year.

Pourner was the same way. Going in as the 10th seed at 100, she won by technical fall over seventh-seed Riley Crookhan of Tonganoxie. Four wrestling matches later, she battled Crookham again for fifth place, this time winning 3-1.

Cayson Ramirez is the only Winfield Regional wrestler to reach the blood round at 190.

Cayson Ramirez was the lone boy wrestler, and he went 2-2. He finished the tournament losing to the second and third place winning wrestlers at 190.

“Cayson had an outstanding tournament,” McComb said. “He was the only wrestler from the Winfield Regional who wrestled in the blood round and he lost to a literal tree trunk of a kid from Rock Creek.”

Meryn Metzen gets a victory as a freshman for Wellington.

Meryn Metzen at 110 finished her freshman year in impressive fashion going 1-2. She lost to Leila Schoonmakere in sudden victory (first round of overtime) the same girl she lost to 9-8 in the regional third-place match.

Aubri Rohrer at 105, Caydence Taylor at 155 and Georgia Shinliver at 140 lost their two matches.

“It was a really good tournament,” McComb said. “I heard there were over 20 high school kids up there supporting this team. That was great to see.”

As for the state of wrestling, Wellington should have a promising group returning in the girls ranks. McComb could potentially have five returning state qualifiers with the girls, with some potential of eighth graders coming up and a couple who were injured.

“This was my first year where three girls over 30 wins,” McComb said. “And yet I know we can do better.”

For all the Wellington state wrestling pictures, click here.