The Spencer-Van Etten/Candor wrestling teams split an IAC dual meet with Whitney Point on Wednesday, Jan. 14, with the SVEC girls earning a 19–1 victory and the boys dropping a closely contested 35–30 decision on Senior Night.
SVEC recognized seniors Tayah Beach, Kaden Jamison, Rodney Vaow and Kamren Westbrook prior to the meet.
Girls Wrestling
SVEC 19, Whitney Point 1
The Eagles won two contested matches and received two forfeits to secure the team victory. Taylor Zufall recorded a 13–2 technical fall over Zoey Taft at 114 pounds, ending the match at 4:44. Tayah Beach followed with a first-period pin of Colleen Hilderbrant at 120 pounds, finishing the bout in 46 seconds.
Elizabeth Kunte (107) and Abigail Russell (132) earned victories by forfeit.
“Both girls wrestled really well,” head coach Robbie Swartout said. “Taylor had a tough opponent and dominated, and it was great to see Tayah get a win on Senior Night in her last home match.”
Boys Wrestling
Whitney Point 35, SVEC 30
The boys dual came down to forfeits, with Whitney Point claiming three compared to SVEC’s two. Despite the loss, the Eagles posted several notable performances.
Kamren Westbrook earned a 7–5 decision over Kyle Kitson at 138 pounds. Kitson entered the match on an 11-match winning streak and seeking his 25th win of the season. Westbrook built an early lead and held off a late push to secure the victory.
At 150 pounds, Gabe Benjamin delivered an upset win over Eli Baker with a sudden-victory takedown eight seconds into overtime. Benjamin built an early lead before Baker rallied to force overtime.
Korbin Brenza competed in a back-and-forth match at 157 pounds before falling by technical fall late in the third period. Kaden Sims (190) and Connor Breed (215) each earned pins for the Eagles. Sims pinned Justin Card in 3:06, while Breed secured a fall in 42 seconds.
Kaden Jamison (144) and Jak Smith (285) also earned victories by forfeit.
“Our experienced guys are still getting better,” Swartout said. “Even though we didn’t win, I feel like we sent our seniors off the right way. The energy was great and there were a lot of strong matches.”
SVEC is managing injuries to Rodney Vaow (thumb), Brennan Zimmer (rib), Cooper Zufall (foot), and Kollen Westbrook, with hopes of returning to full strength ahead of postseason competition.