Competing in the 4A West Regional Tournament in Evanston over the weekend, the Lyman High School girls’ wrestling team had a weekend to remember, earning a Top 5 finish as a team.

Star Valley finished in the top spot with 276 points, followed by Pinedale in second with 165 points and Kemmerer in third, with 127.5 points. Lyman and Natrona County tied for fourth with 112 points.

Five of the 15 Lady Eagles who competed in Evanston over the weekend earned a spot on the podium of their respective weight classes, led by a second-place finish by Gracelynn Allen at 125 pounds. Peyton Hadden and Alicia Aleman finished third at 135 pounds and 190 pounds, respectively, while April Sing earned a spot in the fifth-pace match, though the fifth-place matches were not wrestled.

“Things went all right,” said LHS head coach Damon Mele. “Not quite what we were hoping for our girls, but they all left it all out on the mat by giving it their all. With the growth of girls’ wrestling and still being one class for these girls, it’s only going to get harder to make it to state. Especially when this side of the state was stacked for the region tournament.”

After an opening-round bye, Allen rattled off three straight pins — over Tomi Persson (Riverton), Jordan Nielsen (Lander Valley) and Rihanna Gaytan (Greybull/Riverside) — to earn a spot in the title match at 125 pounds.

“Grace had a phenomenal weekend,” Mele said. “She ended up being on the same side as the number one seed/ranked girl in the state, Jordan Nielsen. She wrestled her for her second match and ended up pinning her in her signature move we like to call ‘getting graced.’  She ended up pinning all her girls up until the finals.”

Standing between Allen and her first 4A West Championship was Jackson’s Tai McBride, a state champion last year at 120 pounds. McBride won a 14-2 major decision, though Allen gave the defending champ a tougher match than the score might indicate.

“Tai is an outstanding wrestler who has been wrestling most of her life,” Mele said. “Grace wrestled her last year, and it was a completely different match this time. Tai even told me that she has a strong feeling that Grace is going places, which I couldn’t agree  with more.”

At 135 pounds, Hadden got off to a strong start, pinning Summer Galovich (Thermopolis) to advance to the semifinals. A loss to Abby Turner (Mountain View) in the quarters derailed Hadden’s hopes for a shot at the championship, though she battled back through the consolation rounds, starting with back-to-back pins over Abbygail Sanderson (Star Valley) and Emily Moreno (Kelly Walsh).

A medical forfeit by her opponent in the consolation semis set up Hadden for a rematch in the 3rd-place match against Abby Turner (Mountain View). With a chance at redemption against the wrestler that beat her in the quarterfinals, Hadden made the most of the opportunity, pinning Turner in the third round to claim bronze.

Aleman also got off to a strong start at 190 pounds, pinning Stella Lind (Star Valley) in the quarterfinals at 190 pounds. A loss to Kamia Runyan (Big Piney) in the semis dropped Aleman to the consolation semifinals, where she pinned Charlee Anderson (Rocky Mountain) to advance to the 3rd-place match.

Squaring off against Adia Price (Green River) for bronze, Aleman made short work of her opponent, pinning Price in the first round.

“Alicia and Peyton had great weekends, with each wrestling girls they have wrestled before,” Mele said. “Alicia wrestled Runyan in the semis, and just couldn’t get as close as she wanted this time, but she battled back and got 3rd. Peyton has had to wrestle Abigail several times. Both strong athletes at that weight, and both determined to win, always making for a good match. Peyton was determined to get redemption in her match, and that’s exactly what she did. All those girls will have a good showing at state.”

After a loss in the quarterfinals at 130 pounds, Karly Sabey battled her way back in the consolation rounds, with back-to-back pins over Makinnen Heaps (Evanston) and Aliyah Maes (Natrona County). Sabey won a 15-4 major decision over Paige Tongate (Rock Springs) in the consolation semis, earning a spot in the 3rd-place match against Oakley Hepworth (Star Valley).

Trailing after two rounds, Sabey rallied in the third, though she came up just short, helped in no small part to a questionable call that stopped her rally in its tracks; the senior lost an 8-7 decision to finish fourth.

“Definitely frustrating when we get calls like that,” Sabey said. “But I try to teach the girls that we can’t leave it in the officials’ hands. Regardless, Karly did what she could, and wrestled her heart out. I am extremely proud of her and all the girls with how they performed.”

At 145 pounds, April Sing pinned Payten Armstrong (Kelly Walsh) to open the tournament, but lost in the quarterfinals to drop to the consolation rounds. Sing bounced back with back-to-back pins over Mackayla Arthur (Mountain View) and Alyvia Smith (Riverton), but lost to Danika Crumrine (Lovell) in the consolation semis to drop to the 5th-place match. A decision was made to forgo the 5th-place matches across the board, though Sing punched her ticket to next week’s WHSAA State Wrestling Championships in Casper.

Other Lady Eagles who scored team points included Addison Lyman at 120 pounds (1-2) and Dakota Trees at 140 pounds (2-2).

The Lady Eagles will now have a couple of days to fine-tune a few things, before heading to Casper Thursday for the WHSAA State Wrestling Tournament. Asked his expectations at state, Mele said he’s confident his team will do well.

“Honestly, I’m expecting to see all my girls on the podium,” he said. “It’s going to be tough — they will have to battle — but I know that they can do it. All the girls going from my team have been constant practice partners with one another, and they know how to help each other get to that next level.”