Lady Eagles Claim Invite Title at Home
December 11, 2025
The Colby High School girls wrestling team defended its home mat in emphatic fashion on Wednesday, capturing the team championship at the Lady Eagle Invitational with a deep, balanced performance that showcased both veteran leadership and emerging contributors. Competing in a fast-paced, scramble-style format designed to maximize mat time, the Lady Eagles piled up points across nearly every weight class to secure the title in front of their home crowd.
Head coach Andrew Flanagin said the overall mindset and steady improvement stood out most as the tournament unfolded.
“I liked our effort and attitude tonight,” Flanagin said. “I felt like as a whole, everyone showed up to each match ready to go and were in the right mindset. I think we made incremental improvements from last week’s tournament and that’s exactly what I want to see each week.”
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Colby’s championship push was anchored by several standout individual finishes, beginning at 135 pounds where Morgan Hills turned in one of the most dominant runs of the night. Hills went a perfect 5-0, scoring bonus points in every match and finishing her day with a championship performance that included multiple falls and a technical fall on her way to first place.
At 170 pounds, Makenzi Rhymer was equally impressive, cruising through her bracket unbeaten to claim the title. Rhymer showed composure in tighter matches and power in the later rounds, capping her night with back-to-back pins to stand atop the podium. Rhymer and Hills both come off first place finishes last weekend at Wakeeney, emerging as the cornerstones of this new season.
The Lady Eagles also earned a trio of runner-up finishes that played a major role in the team race. Adrian Salcido battled her way to a second-place finish at 100 pounds, opening the tournament with consecutive falls before falling in the championship match. Gala White followed a similar path at 115, putting together a strong run with multiple pins before settling for second. At 155 pounds, Dallis Stieben advanced to the finals after a string of quality wins, including a major decision and a fall, finishing the night as the runner-up.
Alana Fabrizius nearly added another title at 190 pounds, reaching the championship bout after three straight falls. She finished second after a competitive finals match, adding another strong placement for the Lady Eagles.
Colby’s depth was further on display through several podium finishes beyond the finals. Freshman Lux Vrbas rebounded after an early setback at 105 pounds to place third, winning the third-place match by fall. Heidi Gray added valuable team points with a fifth-place finish at 125, grinding through the backside of the bracket with two pins. Lilly McKinney earned a sixth-place finish at 170, picking up a major decision along the way, while Josalyn Boyson also placed sixth at 130 after earning a hard-fought pin earlier in the tournament.
Several Colby wrestlers gained valuable experience and contributed to the overall team effort despite not placing. Faith Hoover finished fourth at 120 with four wins, including multiple quick pins. Sofia Rapalo earned a win by major decision at 130. Evolet Vergara, Perla Hernandez Pena, Annabell Zerr, and Estefania Lopez Zamora each logged match experience against tough competition, while continuing to develop at the varsity level.
Flanagin also praised the growth shown by his younger wrestlers, many of whom competed for the first time.
“Some of the JV girls had their first ever competition tonight,” he said. “They stepped up and I was very pleased with how they did. There are a couple that didn’t win a match unfortunately, but they are eager and willing to learn. It will be fun to build upon this next week in practice before heading to Goodland.”
Beyond Colby’s success, Flanagin highlighted the smooth execution of the event itself, crediting the tournament staff for keeping the action moving.
“The event as a whole is always ran well,” he said. “We were able to run a scramble style bracket to get kids more matches and I really like how that went. All the credit to Cole Garcia and Matt Sims for setting that up and keeping it running smoothly. 252 matches in 4.5 hours is awesome.”
With a home tournament title secured and clear progress shown across the lineup, the Lady Eagles now turn their focus to continued improvement as they prepare for their next test on the road in Goodland.