It was a big deal when White River High qualified five girls for Mat Classic, the state wrestling tournament. It was more exciting Saturday evening when four of them were taking their place on the medal stand at the Tacoma Dome.

“Every girl won a match,” coach Joe Klein said, adding it was good for them to see the season’s hard work pay off and receive recognition.

Some won more than one, like Sam Mitchell, who placed sixth, and Dylan Fagan, Mikaela Kilcup and Kamyriah Padgett, who each finished seventh.

The Hornets finished 12th as a team. Sedro Woolley won the tournament with Washougal placing second.

A bright spot for the Lady Hornets is the four place winners are freshmen and sophomores. Sam Lovelace was the lone senior in the bunch. Her 112-pound weight class was a tough one, but the Lady Hornet scored a technical fall in her second match.

At 160 pounds, Mitchell, a freshman, pulled out with an injury to Jessy Christensen of Rogers of Puyallup for her sixth-place finish.

Fagan, a 140-pound freshman, earned her seventh-place finish by pinning Nichole Morris of Rainier in 2 minutes, 20 seconds.

Kilcup, a sophomore at 145 pounds, also earned her seventh-place medal with a fall, taking Jasmine Jones of Washington to the mat at the 2:03 mark.

Padgett earned the Hornets’ final seventh-place medal by pinning her 171-pound opponent, Monica Orozco of Connell, in 2:03. Padgett had the luck of the draw to run into South Puget Sound League nemesis and defending state champion Chantelle Bailey in the quarterfinals. Bailey went on to win her second straight title.