Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – Just a few weeks into the season Evelyn Eggleston thought her junior season was over.

Eggleston sustained what was initially believed to be a season-ending injury at the BGM dual tournament on December 7.

“I had high goals and then when I got injured I thought my season was completely over,” Eggleston explained.

Eggleston got a second chance on the season when she received clearance to return from injury earlier this month.

Now the Liberty High junior is making the most of that second chance.

In her first tournament since the injury Eggleston won the 140-pound title at the Mississippi Valley Conference tournament on Saturday in front of near capacity crowd at Liberty High School.

“I just want to maximize the time that I have,” Eggleston said. “I feel like I’ve gotten this second chance and I want to make the most of the opportunity I have.”

Eggleston learned she could return to wrestling earlier this month.

She posted a second-period pin in her return to competition in a dual win over Western Dubuque on Thursday.

On Saturday Class 2A sixth-ranked Eggleston was dominant.

Eggleston (16-2) posted three consecutive pins to reach the 140-pound title match where she earned an 11-1 major decision victory over Dubuque Senior junior Jolee Strohmeyer.

“My goal for this tournament was to go out and give it my all no matter what I got because I hadn’t wrestled for so long,” Eggleston said. “I just wanted to go out and wrestle and do my best.”
Eggleston joined teammate Taylor Cavanh as MVC champions on Saturday as Liberty High had nine wrestlers finish in the top six on its way to a fourth-place team finish.

Class 2A third-ranked Cedar Falls won the team title with 310 points followed by Cedar Rapids Prairie with 227 and Linn-Mar with 157.5.

Cavanh (27-5) dominated on her way to the 105-pound title, posting four consecutive pins including a second-period pin of Ashlyn Garcia of Cedar Rapids Jefferson in the title match.

“This was big up on my list of goals, I wanted to be MVC champ and I’m going for regional champion next week and ultimately my goal is to be state champ this year,” Cavanh said. “This was another checklist thing for me to get to my ultimate goal of a being a state champ.”

Cavanh finished third at the MVC meet a year ago, but rolled to the 105-pound title on Saturday.

“I really focused on my mindset coming into this,” Cavanh said. “I wanted to compete, I had lost to some of these girls before and I went out there knowing I had to bring it and that’s what I did.”

Callum Wu (33-5) finished third for Liberty High at 145 pounds and Abigail Carr (13-11) was fourth for the Lightning at 235.

City High got an individual championship from Shaona Emmanuel at 155 pounds and finished 10^th with 82 points.

West High was 13^th with 27 points.

“In the second round we had some tough matches and we wrestled maybe a little flat and didn’t dictate what we wanted to do and sat back and didn’t wrestle our matches all the time,” City High co-head coach Ryan Ahlers said. “I thought we came back strong in the last round and in the placement matches and got the next best thing.”

Emmanuel pinned her way to a second consecutive MVC title.

Third-ranked Emmanuel (29-5) posted pins in 35 seconds, 31 seconds and 4:35 to reach the 155-pound final where she pinned eighth-ranked Jocelyn Schwartz of Cedar Falls in 38 seconds.

“This was up there on my goals,” Emmanuel said. “I want to be a state champion and this was another step. Every tournament for me is a step forward leading up to that goal.”

Emmanuel defeated Schwartz 8-3 in a dual meet on Thursday at City High but went on the offensive early in the title match on Saturday.

“She makes adjustments as she goes and she has high goals,” City High coach Jeff Koenig said. “She has high goals and she works really hard.”

Molly Carlson (26-7) placed fifth for City High at 170 pounds.

Trinity Myers (26-12) led West High with a fourth-place finish at 120 pounds and

Mississippi Valley Conference Meet

At Liberty High

Team scores – 1. Cedar Falls 310; 2. Cedar Rapids Prairie 227; 3. Linn-Mar 157.5; 4. Liberty High 143.5; 5. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 141; 6. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 125; 7. Dubuque Hempstead 115.5; 8. Western Dubuque 97.5; 9. Waterloo West 89; 10. City High 82; 11. Dubuque Senior 58; 12. Dubuque Wahlert 53.5; 13. West High 27; 14. Cedar Rapids Xavier 15; 15. Cedar Rapids Washington 5

Individual results (champions matches, area placewinners)

100 – 1. Natalie Blake (CF) pinned Elizabeth Burns (CRP) 1:22; 5. Eva Pentecost (ICL); 6. Stella Raitt (ICH)

105 – 1. Taylor Cavanh (ICL) pinned Ashlyn Garcia (CRJ) 3:49; 7. Cooper Hamilton (ICH)

110 – 1. Kate Seery (L-M) pinned Annabelle Rohret (CF) 1:32; 6. Evalynn Karam (ICL)

115 – 1. Lauren Whitt (CF) pinned Libby Stocks (WW) 1:40; 5. Mia Ungs (ICL) 4:57; 7. Martha Willard (ICH)

120 – 1. Apryl Halsor (CF) Pinned Ally Jelinek (L-M) 4:55; 4. Trinity Myers (ICW); 6. Naoni Davisson (ICL); 7. Eliza Mitchell (ICH)

125 – 1. Lana Schafer (CF) pinned Lily Gearheart (CRP) :41; 6. Elyse Caviel (ICL); 8. Noah Overholt (ICW)

130 – 1. Mackenzie Childers (CRP) pinned Jobie Conway (CF) :47; 7. Vivienne Heller (ICH); 8. Harper Johnson (ICL)

135 – 1. Bella Miller (DH) pinned Claire Hynek (CRP) 2:00

140 – 1. Evelyn Eggleston (ICL) major dec. Jolee Strohmeyer (DS) 11-1; 7. Sylvia Broffitt (ICW)

145 – 1. Eve Skrocki (DW) pinned Macie Graves (CF) :40; 3. Callum Wu (ICL); 7. Izzy Brown (ICH)

155 – 1. Shaona Emmanuel (ICH) pinned Jocelyn Schwartz (CF) :38

170 – 1. Anna Johnson (CF) dec. Addison Bowman (CRP) 3-1; 5. Molly Carlson (ICH)

190 – 1. Briar Ludeman (CF) dec. Joscelyn Stricker (CRK) 9-2; 8. Emma Sanders (ICL)

235 – 1. Ella Brown (CRK) pinned Emelia Reyes (CRP) 2:32; 4. Abigail Carr (ICL)

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