At the Region II girls competition at Auburn High, Gig Harbor’s sister duo of Mackenzie and Elizabeth Schwendeman advanced to Mat Classic. Both will be there for the first time.
Mackenzie, a junior, placed second at 112 pounds. She forfeited the title bout to Beamer’s Arian Carpio, but the knee injury she sustained isn’t serious and won’t keep her from competing at state, said her father, Don, a Tides assistant coach.
Prior to the injury, she was sharp. She earned second-period pins against Julie Grossman of Rogers (Puyallup) and Taylor Lee of Kentridge. Taryn Lommasson of Camas will be her first-round state opponent.
Elizabeth, a freshman, had a rough start in the 100-pound bracket as Kaitlyn Kroneman of Rogers pinned her. However, she dispatched Steilacoom’s Camille Bien (13-4) and Kent-Meridian’s Ana Valdez (11-4), then pinned Kroneman in a rematch.
She’ll face Warden’s Deianeira Caudle on Friday at state.
Peninsula sophomore Korinna Houghtaling also competed at the regional. She’ll be a state alternate after her fifth-place finish at 124.
Houghtaling was coming off a sub-regional tournament title, but she couldn’t get past Kentwood’s Sara Mozeleski in a winner-to-state, loser-out match. She posted pins over Franklin Pierce’s Harlie Rauscher and Fife’s Kaci Barnes.
Sports Editor Neil Pierson can be reached at 253-358-4155 or by email at neil.pierson@gateline.com. Follow him on Twitter, @gateway_neil.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.