By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – Bryce and Drew West have shared a lot of milestones together.

As twins, it kind of goes with the territory.

From birthdays to athletic achievements, celebrations seem to have come in pairs for the Wests.

With everything the brothers have done together it only seemed fitting one of the biggest accomplishments of their decorated wrestling careers came on the same night.

Both Bryce and Drew recorded career win number 200 on Tuesday, helping Solon qualify for the state dual meet with a pair of wins at regional meet in Solon.

“With all the time we’ve spent together it would have been a little weird if one of us got it tonight and the other one didn’t,” Drew West explained. “It was exciting, especially to do it one the same night and at home.”

The brothers joined a short list of wrestlers in Iowa state history to reach the 200-win plateau. Entering this season only 13 wrestlers had won 200 career matches.

Bryce and Drew have combined for an astounding 401-6 career record and six state medals including three titles.

“It means a lot,” Bryce West said. “Giving back to all the coaches that have helped me and my parents driving me around everywhere getting me get experience. It’s been a lot of people helping me get to where I am right now.”
Bryce earned his 200th win with a first period pin in Solon’s 70-12 semifinal win over Saydel.

The top-ranked 120-pounder in Class 2A, Bryce added another first-period fall against Mount Vernon to improve his season record to 48-1.

Bryce won Class 1A titles each of the past two seasons at Highland and has a 201-3 career record.

His only loss the last three seasons came early this season to two-time Fort Dodge state champ Brody Teske.

“We are always pushing each other,” Bryce said of his brother. “It’s a big accomplishment and on the same day that’s pretty special.”

Less than an hour after Bryce recorded his 200th win Drew joined him in the 200-win club with a pin of Mount Vernon Graham Bradbury in 1:19 at 132 pounds.

Drew, ranked second in Class 2A at 126 pounds, improved his career record to 200-3 with a pair of pins on Tuesday.

The 106-pound 1A champion in 2014, Drew is 49-1 this season, his only loss coming to Missouri state champion Malik Johnson.

“It means a lot to get the 200th win at home and going to state duals is exciting,” Drew West said.

The four combined pins from the West brothers in two matches on Tuesday helped Solon return to the state dual meet for the first time since 2001.

“We wrestled really well,” Bryce said. “We fought every match, effort was in every match. We gave it all and we are going to state which was a goal from the beginning.”

Bryce and Drew will compete at the 2A District 2 meet on Saturday and will try to earn state titles in the same season for the first time at the state tournament next week.

“It’s big, it’s a big goal,” Bryce said. “That’s our goal and it’s great to win (tonight) and have our whole team going to state, we are all still pushing each other in the room.”