Republic claimed the first tournament championship in program history Saturday, winning its home girls invitational with 205 points to finish well ahead of the rest of the field.
Republic placed first ahead of McDonald County (160) and Nixa (141.5) in a 16-team tournament, continuing the progress the team has shown that began earlier this season. After finishing third at the McDonald County Lady Mustang Invitational in the opening week, Republic followed that with a third-place finish last weekend before breaking through with a team title.
Republic crowned three individual champions and put wrestlers on the podium at nearly every weight.
Freshman Mabel Rogers remained undefeated on the season, winning the 115-pound title to move to 26-0. She was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournaent. Rogers said her improvement has come from continued work on her takedowns and a shift in mindset as the season has gone on.
“I worked a lot on setting them up and then getting them and taking (opponents) down. My mental state has been way better since the beginning. At the beginning I was like, ‘Oh, I’m really scared. These girls are gonna come in and smash me.’ And now that I’ve won a couple, I’ve gotten better and been more happy about it.”
Millie Waterman delivered the tournament’s most productive day at 120 pounds, winning the title with five falls and scoring 34 team points. Waterman pinned all five opponents, including a 1:01 fall over Nixa’s Laura Schulte in the finals. Her semifinal victory marked the 100th win of her career, making her the first Republic girl to reach that milestone.
“I was just in a good mindset, you know,” Waterman said. “I have a whole school surrounded with good coaches and good fans and good teammates and I was just here for it.”
Waterman said the team’s rise has been noticeable since her early days in the program.
“When I first started at Republic we were not close to placing at events as a team,” she said. “We would get individual places but never like a team, but then this year, something’s just switched. All the girls work hard in the room and it shows out on the mat.”
Savannah Bratten captured the championship at 125 pounds, going 5-0 with three falls and two decisions. Bratten closed the tournament with a 5:28 fall over Buffalo’s Mekenley Altic.
Bratten said the finals match pushed her more than she expected, forcing her to rely on technique rather than strength against a stronger opponent.
“I was very excited to wrestle. I knew I was gonna go out there and just try my hardest no matter what…, win or lose,” Bratten said. “I was just excited to be out on the mat again.”
Republic also produced multiple runner-up finishes.
Rachel Clark turned in perhaps the best tournament performance of her career at 100 pounds, finishing second after reaching the finals with a pair of falls and an 11-9 decision over Zoiee Ward of Nixa, a wrestler who had beaten her earlier this season. Clark fell 7-6 in the championship match to Lathrop’s Aubrey Schrunk.
Bre-Elle Gutierrez finished second at 110 pounds, reaching the finals with four falls before dropping the title bout to Glendale’s Alilia Hiteshew. Gabby Shanks added a second-place finish at 135, winning three matches by fall to reach the finals.
Anna McBroom also placed second at 155, advancing to the finals with two falls and a forfeit before falling to Glendale’s Bella Moser.
Additional placers helped build Republic’s team margin.
Aara Shade finished third at 170, winning five matches on the day, all by fall. Astrid Silverio earned her first career win. Chloe Simpson added a fourth-place finish at 145.
The team championship came one week after Republic earned its first-ever team trophy and marked the program’s first tournament title.
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