By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
Just three years ago the Geneseo Girls’ Wrestling Club was launched under the direction of Coach Carley Rusk.
Her hope at that time was for the Club to become a GHS Wrestling Team, and it not only is now a GHS team, but the girls on the team recently finished a very successful season, having sent five young women to the State Tournament, with two of them, Lydia King and Molly Snyder, making history by winning matches at the State Level. King finished in fourth place in the State Finals, and although Snyder did not place in the finals, she did win her first match at the State Level.
MEET LYDIA KING
Lydia King, daughter of Rachel and David King, is a sophomore at Geneseo High School, and in addition to wrestling, she also is involved in GHS and Travel softball.
When asked about qualifying for the State Tournament, King said, “it was really exciting! I honestly couldn’t believe that I was one of the first girls to win a match at State and make it all the way to a finals match.”
This is the third year the GHS girls have qualified for the State Tournament, with this year being the first time any of the girls won matches at that level.
King began wrestling when she was in eighth grade and she said she chose wrestling “because I watched my brother Owen wrestle since middle school.”
“Wrestling means so much to me,” King shared. ‘It has taught me so many life lessons, and I couldn’t imagine wrestling without these coaches by my side. Our coaches are amazing! They always care for the girls on the team, and they believe in every girl no matter their experience. Since most of us started this journey together, we have a close bond that feels like family.”
When asked about wrestling considered an “individual sport,” King agreed, but added, “Yes, wrestling is an individual sport on the mat, but when you’re wrestling duals and individual tournaments, the points also matter for the team. As a team, we wrestle for the person sitting next to us.”
She said her favorite memory from wrestling is when she “won against a girl at State that I lost to at Sectionals. This win got me through the blood round and led me to be able to wrestle in the 3rd place finals match.”
Her future goals include being able to go to college and wrestle, and she said, “I just want other girls to look up to me and tell their parents that they want to join wrestling.”
King said for now she is looking forward to Wrestling Club “and doing some freestyle tournaments!”
SOME FUN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
-Advice to younger girls: - “My advice to younger girls would be to stick with any sport even if it gets hard and you want to give up!”
-Favorite food: - “My favorite food would definitely be pasta! I had it before every post-season tournament!”
MEET MOLLY SNYDER
Molly Snyder, daughter of Sarah and Jason Snyder, is a sophomore at Geneseo High School, where, in addition to being on the wrestling team, she also is involved in track.
Snyder also shared a favorite memory of this year’s tournament is “winning for the first time at State was amazing. It helped me feel more confident and overall, just so happy that my hard work throughout the season paid off.”
The Geneseo girls have qualified for State in two previous years, and it was Snyder’s second time to compete at that level.
“Wrestling means a lot to me and it’s taught me a lot these last few years,” she commented. “It’s taught me hard work and dedication and my coaches have been there throughout my career to help me through all the highs and lows.”
Snyder’s reply to wrestling being an individual sport was, “Wrestling is still very much a team sport because every time you step onto the mat, you’re not just competing for yourself, but for your whole team so you have to fight to get the most points possible every single match.”
She said her favorite memory from wrestling is “probably winning my first ever high school tournament at Minooka when I got to experience high school wrestling for the first time and just have fun with no pressure on me.”
Her future goals in wrestling include “wrestling to place at State and earn 100 wins over my four years,” she added. “For now, I’m looking forward to a small break from wrestling, but then straight back to work for the freestyle season.”
SOME FUN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
-Advice for younger girls: “Some advice for younger girls in wrestling is to never give up, even when it feels like you’ll never win, you have to keep fighting and when you do win, it will all be worth it.”
-Favorite food – “My favorite food is Lasagna, or really any type of Italian food.”
COACH CARLEY RUSK’S COMMENTS:
Geneseo High School head wrestling Coach Carley Rusk said, “It’s been an amazing journey for our girls’ wrestling program, and the growth we’ve experienced over the past three years has been incredible. When we first started, we sent three girls to State, which was a big milestone for us. But that was just the beginning. Fast forward to this year, and we’ve sent five girls to State which is a testament to how much the program has developed.”
When asked about the recent wrestling season, Coach Rusk said, “We not only made it to State, but also claimed Sectional and Regional Championships, which shows the hard work and dedication our athletes and coaching staff have put it. It’s amazing to see the level of talent and passion these young women bring to the sport, and the community support has grown as well. We’ve seen more girls getting involved, and the program continues to build momentum.”
Coach Rusk said what she is most proud of is the way these athletes have grown, both as wrestlers and as individuals. “Wrestling is a demanding sport, and the resilience, discipline, and teamwork our girls exhibit are a reflection of the culture we’ve built here. We’re only getting started, and I’m excited to see where we go from here.”