The Antioch varsity wrestling team traveled to Iowa and played in a two-day tournament that contained a total of 17 talented teams from Missouri, Illinois and Iowa.

Before the first day of the competition began, the boys were given a tour of Augustana College by the school’s head wrestling coach, Tony Willaert. To end the tour, the team was given the opportunity to practice in the college’s wrestling room and prepare for their tournament.

This year’s tournament had some exceptional competition. Due to this, Antioch had a tough run in Iowa. Despite the challenge, seniors Jackie Sistrunk and Xavier Sanchez were able to reach the podium and place third in their respective weight classes. Others, however, were not able to perform to their best ability.

“Most of the guys I wrestled were really strong, so I feel like I had trouble setting up and finishing my shots,” sophomore Maxwell Ness said. “This was a really good opportunity that we [got] to come all the way to Iowa and face very good competition.”

Each wrestler fought hard and the team is looking forward to improving and becoming better as a whole.

“There is a lot to [improve on] before the regional [tournament] in a month,” senior captain Michael Volkmar said. “We still need to work on our line up, fill some gaps and get everyone’s confidence up as a whole.”

The tournament in Bettendorf was a learning experience for the ACHS wrestlers. They continue to work hard in preparation for their next competition against the Grayslake Central Rams on Thursday, January 17. The Sequoits are determined to recover and come back stronger and more focused as a team to finish off the rest of their season.