By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
PARK CITY -- As a freshman, Seaman sophomore Koti Best made a splash with a fourth-place finish in the Class 6A-5A state tournament.
On Thursday Best took the next step in her progression, reaching the 130-pound final and posting a runnner-up finish at Hartman Arena.
Seaman sophomore 130-pounder Koti Best (right) exchanges a hug with Olathe South junior Nicole Redmond after Best dropped a 4-0 decision in the Class 6A-5A state championship match Thursday at Hartman Arena. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Shawnee Heights sophomore Madison Freeland finished second in the Class 6A-5A state tournament at 135 pounds Thursday at Hartman Arena. [File photo/TSN]
Like Best, Shawnee Heights sophomore Madison Freeland advanced to the state tournament as a freshman in 2022, but Freeland made an early exit, going 0-2 in her two state matches.
Freeland stuck around until the end, reaching the 135-pound championship match and earning her first state medal with her second-place finish while leading Shawnee Heights to a fourth-place team finish, the top finish by a 5A school.
Best dropped a 4-0 decision in the final to Olathe South junior star Nicole Redmond, but that was also a step in the right direction.
"I'm happy with how I performed,'' Best said. "I didn't get pinned this time. All the other times I've wrestled her I got pinned, so I think it's a little bit of growth.''
And before she even walked out of the arena, Best was already looking forward to next season.
"I'm excited for my junior year because I feel like that's the year you get to showcase because everybody's looking at you and watching you,'' said Best, who finished her season 35-6 record. "I'm really excited.''
In her heart, Freeland felt like she won a state championship Thursday night, a sentiment echoed by her Shawnee Heights coaches, but after getting with an eyelash of recording a match-winning win, Gardner-Edgerton senior Shelby Davis turned the tables and recorded a second-period pin.
"It's such a weird feeling to be that close to winning it and then not,'' Freeland said. "It really makes you want to just take it all next year.''
Only a second-year wrestler, Freeland said she felt like she made substantial progress of the course of the season.
"As the season continued I think I started to want it more and more and started working harder for it,'' she said.
And like Best, Freeland (32-7) is anticipating what next season could bring.
"The offseason is when we get better,'' Freeland said.
Shawnee Heights sophomore Reese Taylor finished fifth at 125 pounds while T-Bird freshman Cianna Graves finished sixth at 155 pounds as Heights (73 points) finished behind 6A schools Washburn Rural, the state champion, Garden City and Dodge City.
Seaman, which finished 11th in the team standings, also had three state placers, with junior Madison Murray finishing sixth at 125 and senior Kaidence Heston taking sixth at 140.
Topeka West junior Tristyn Johnson became a two-time state placer, finishing third at 235 pounds and capping her season with a 32-5 record.
