The Park Hill wrestling program reached new heights last season, having the best finish in the brief history on the girls’ side and having four of the five boys that made it to state come away with a medal.
While the Trojans have lost three of their five state qualifiers, Erik Egstad and Ethan Vande Ven are coming back and are looking to make another trip to Mizzou Arena in the postseason. Vande Ven went 1-2 in the 152-weight class and Egstad finished in fifth place in the 106-weight class in the 2022 Class 4 State Wrestling Championships.
“We expect them to continue to build from last year’s success and get on the podium,” Park Hill head wrestling coach Jacob Beck said. “Both of them made jumps throughout the year and are hungry to work hard and make another run this season.”
Park Hill sophomore Angelina Vargas won 41 of her 42 matches last season en route to being a state champion in the 120-weight class.
The Trojans have a slew of wrestlers who are looking to make the jump this season which includes Shad Hassan, Will Tetu, Mason Turner and Jim Humphrey. Freshmen Mason Brayfield, Noah Johnson and Sammy Mormino – along with sophomore Davion Seymore – will look to make an impact as well.
“Will Tetu and Shad Hassan have seen lots of previous action and have some goals that they are striving to achieve. Jim Humphrey and Mason Turner are also two athletes to keep an eye on,” Beck said.
For the Lady Trojans, sophomores Angelina Vargas and Allison Gonier took Class 4 by storm last year despite having very little wrestling experience ahead of high school. Vargas posted a remarkable 41-1 record in her freshman campaign and was a state champion in the 115-weight class, while Gonier took third place in the 120-weight class at state and won 42 of her 48 total matches throughout the year.
“Angelina put in a ton of time on the mat this summer and earned an All-American honor last summer at Fargo, and again this fall at Preseason Nationals so she’s ready to roll. Allison is an excellent softball player, so she gets her competition elsewhere when she’s not on the mat, and I know she has been chomping at the bit to get her hands on someone outside our room, which is exciting to see,” Beck said.
Rylin Beatty, Ava Myers and Jaeda Stroud are all sophomores who return for Park Hill. Eve Herlyn is a two-time fifth place finisher at the state level – most recently in the 141-weight class – and Beck told the Platte County Citizen that they are expecting her to finish at the podium this year.
“Eve didn’t wrestle her best on the front side of the bracket either year but dominated the back side. She has put in a ton of work this summer including a great performance at the always tough Junior Duals in Tulsa,” Beck said.