On Wednesday Feb. 19, the Wildcat girls wrestling team hit the mats with a loud and enthusiastic CHI Health Center environment ready to compete for a state title. Millard West had one of their own in Sophomore Sophia Hoegemeyer, getting herself to the girls wrestling state championship.
After putting in much work into practice, she knew she would be one step closer to reaching the end goal. With it being only the fourth year in program history of having a wrestling team at Millard West they have grown significantly from year one both talent wise and number of kids participating. Just the state appearance is a huge accomplishment for a relatively young program.
“It has been so rewarding to see that all my hard work is finally paying off,” Hoegemeyer said. “In order to do better you gotta want to do better and put in work to reach the goals you want. I did exactly that and tried to be the best and perform the best I could on the mat.”
Hoegemeyer had her first loss of the season against Millard South Patriot, Millie Jensen. She got pinned in one minute and 45 seconds. All that did was add fuel to the fire for Hoegemeyer.
“The key to her success has been her unwavering dedication and work ethic,” head coach Lynn Sorich said. “She is always strategic and studies her opponents well enough to where they beat her once she won’t let them beat her again.”
This accomplishment doesn’t just show the resilience Hogemeyer has as a wrestler but an inspiration for others to look up to. Her sister freshman Maria Hoegemeyer wants to work hard to follow in the same path as her sister.
“I am so proud of my sister for winning state because she really knows how to use time management,” Hoegemeyer said. “I hope someday that I can be able to win it too just like she was able to. I feel like if I work as hard or harder than her that I will have a better chance to have the success she is having.”
Hoegemeyer’s win not only cements her place in school history but also paves the way for the future of girls’ wrestling at Millard West. As the program continues to grow, her success is a testament to the dedication and resilience it takes to compete at the highest level. Hoegemeyer has set the standard, one that will continue to push Millard West girls wrestling to new heights.
