Russell Girls Wrestling Wins First Regional Championship

The Russell Lady Broncos wrestling team walked into history on February 14, making this Valentine's Day one their small Kansas town won't soon forget.

The team captured their first-ever regional championship in WaKeeney, dominating the competition with 211 points. They beat second-place Norton by 39 points, proving this wasn't even close.

Eight Lady Broncos punched their tickets to the state tournament. The roster includes freshmen Camry Ney, Arianna Weigel, Karsyn Hamlin, and Aalyiah Trevino, along with sophomore Averie Counts, junior Kinsey Zorn and Chaysie Bachman, and senior Mya Trevino.

Four wrestlers brought home regional titles that day. Freshman Arianna Weigel went undefeated at 120 pounds, winning all four of her matches.

Sophomore Averie Counts stayed perfect on the season with a 4-0 performance at 130 pounds. She's now 40-0 this year and brings an incredible 83-7 career record to state, where she finished as runner-up last season.

Junior Kinsey Zorn also remained undefeated this season, posting a 4-0 record at 145 pounds. She's defending her state championship from last year, when she won at 135 pounds.

Freshman Aalyiah Trevino swept through five matches at 155 pounds without a single loss. Not bad for your first year on the mat.

The other four state qualifiers placed high in their weight classes. Freshman Karsyn Hamlin took second at 125 pounds with only one loss due to medical forfeit in the championship.

Senior Mya Trevino finished third at 135 pounds, bringing three years of state experience with her. Junior Chaysie Bachman grabbed fourth at 140, and freshman Camry Ney secured fifth place at 115 after winning four of six matches.

Why This Inspires

This isn't just about trophies and medals. Russell is a small Kansas community where girls wrestling is still relatively new to many schools.

These eight athletes are proving that dedication and hard work create opportunities that didn't exist just years ago. Four of them are freshmen, meaning they have three more years to build on this foundation.

Coach Luke Keller earned Regional Coach of the Year honors for guiding this historic season. His leadership helped transform a program into champions.

The state tournament takes place February 27-28 at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays, where Russell will compete for even bigger honors. Whatever happens there, these Lady Broncos have already cemented their place in school history.

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