Bachman places fifth at state
Pictured with coaches Brent Pape (left) and Shawn Morrissey, Kennedy Bachman is the second MFL MarMac girls wrestler to medal at a state tournament and the first since girls wrestling was sanctioned in Iowa. (Photo submitted)
At last week’s Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Wrestling Championships, MFL MarMac junior Kennedy Bachman placed fifth in Class 1A at 100 pounds. (Photo courtesy of The Outlook)
By Audrey Posten | Times-Register
MFL MarMac’s Kennedy Bachman is returning home from the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Wrestling Championships with some hardware. The junior placed fifth in Class 1A at 100 pounds, becoming the second MFL MarMac girls wrestler to medal at a state tournament and the first since girls wrestling was sanctioned in Iowa.
“I feel pretty good, but I don’t feel satisfied,” Bachman said after the tournament. “I did reach my goal of top six, but I’m still hungry. I definitely want a lot more.”
Bachman came into the state tournament—held Feb. 5 and 6 at Xtreme Arena in Coralville—as the fifth seed. She pinned West Branch’s Sawyer Rushton in the opening match.
“My first match, I was kind of nervous,” Bachman acknowledged. Although she’d attended state previously to support older sister Mackenzie, this was her first time wrestling there.
In the quarterfinals, Bachman was pinned by fourth seed Jersey Hilgenberg from Riverside, Oakland. She led 9-2 in the match when Hilgenberg caught her arm on one of her shots.
“I was going to tech fall her, then I got caught. It happens,” Bachman said.
She admitted the loss messed with her brain.
“I was down about that match, knowing I should have won and been in the semis. For me, that was very challenging coming back,” Bachman said.
But she rebounded in the notorious “blood round,” earning a fall over Alburnett’s Josie McGraw to assure herself a spot on the podium.
In consolation round three on Friday morning, Bachman scored a 6-5 decision victory over Brynnlie Havig of Osage, setting her up against Kielly Kasal of West Marshall in the consolation semifinals.
“I knew going into that one she was definitely going to throw me. She’s a thrower,” Bachman shared. Bachman acknowledged she didn’t hit some of her shots, and was ultimately pinned.
The tournament ended on a high note, though, as Bachman won by 9-1 major decision against Molly Konechne of Central Lyon - George Little Rock to place fifth.
“It feels really good to end with a win,” she said, “but it also gives me a lot of hunger. I know I’ll keep doing the same stuff [in the offseason], going to club practice, working with people, doing freestyle. Next year, I want to do better. I want to have a bigger leap. I don’t want to be just in a placement match. I want to be in the finals.”
Bachman is proud of her place in the history of the MFL MarMac girls wrestling program. She follows in the footsteps of the first state qualifier, Kadence Pape, the daughter of coach Brent Pape, as well as sister Mackenzie and teammate Charlotte Koether.
“I tell these girls all the time, ‘Wins and losses don’t matter.’ They want a place to work, they want people to train with, they want people to support them. Now, [girls wrestling] is becoming more mainstream and the sport is growing so much. The youth are really coming in and we keep growing. The final touch, and I told her this, is your work ethic. You’re building and raising the bar for the whole program,” reflected coach Pape.
Bachman said she would not have been as successful without her support system and team, especially practice partners Koether and Aaliyah Corcoran, who she believes will be on the state podium in seasons to come.
“Yes, this year me placing was awesome, but the awesome factor was having a team and it felt like a family,” she shared. “It helped make me stronger.”
Bachman is proud to be a leader and encourage continued growth of the program.
“It feels really good to know I am someone little girls look up to and are like, ‘I want to be like her some day.’ I like being that role model for the younger generation,” she said.
