A dominant Shorewood girls wrestling team crowned 3A/4A Region 1 Champions - and on to State

Shorewood girls wrestling team and coaches

By Clark Norton

The Shorewood Girls Wrestling team had a huge day on Saturday, February 11, 2023 in the 3A/4A Region 1 tournament. The Stormrays brought ten competitors to the event, hosted by Snohomish High School, and faced off against wrestlers from 35 other schools.

The team wrestled strong from the very beginning, with 9 of the 10 wrestlers advancing out of the first round into the quarterfinals. Of those nine quarterfinalists, four advanced to the semifinals and then the finals.

Those who lost in the quarters were not to be denied though. Shorewood wrestlers went 9-3 in consolation loser-out matches. Ultimately, senior Abby Tveit, senior Fiona Blair, and sophomore Izzy Crave were able to survive and advance to state. Sophomore Aly Fellores came up just short, but was still able to earn a spot as first alternate to state.

In the finals Shorewood's biggest and smallest wrestlers made the team proud. At 170 pounds senior Kiana Yoshimura faced off against freshman teammate Abbi Chishungu. Chishungu was able to score the first takedown, but Yoshimura quickly turned the tide and pinned her in just 23 seconds to earn a Regional title.

In the lightweights Shorewood had back-to-back finalists in sophomore Libby Norton at 100 pounds and freshman Finley Houck at 105. Norton was completely dominant over Arlington’s Araxi Cruz, ranked 3rd in the state. Norton built a 7-1 advantage, repeatedly smashing Cruz into the mat, before getting the pin in the second period.

Finley Houck faced off against Kamiak’s Rebecca Serati, ranked #5 in the state. This match came after Houck had to rally from a 2-0 deficit for a hard fought 3-2 victory over Lake Stevens’ Kamryn Mason, ranked #6, in the semifinals. The Stormray freshman was able to secure an early takedown and control the flow of the match as she won 7-2.

With three champions, four other state qualifiers, one state alternate, and two other wrestlers that won at least one match each, the Shorewood team was able to best all 35 other schools and be crowned the 3A/4A Region 1 Champions. On to State!!