CORALVILLE — Solon sent four varsity girls wrestlers to the 2024 IGHSAU State Championships last Thursday and Friday at the Xtream Arena in Coralville.
Kara VeDepo placed fourth at 100 pounds with a first round 10-0 major decision over Prairie’s Elizabeth before dropping a 10-9 decision to Spencer’s Kiara Ruiz in the second round. VeDepo battled back with four wins and a win by medical forfeit as she took a 10-3 decision from Fort Madison’s Hailey Kemper in the second consolation round, won a 6-0 decision over Osage’s Alexis Kolbet in the third, pinned Cedar Falls’ Natalie Blake in the fourth, and took an 11-3 major decision from Ruiz in the fifth. Denver’s Violet Diaz pinned VeDepo in the third-place match in 44 seconds. VeDepo, a junior, finished the season at 39-8.
McKenna Rogers placed fifth at 105 pounds with three straight wins by fall over Sarah Greiner of Independence in 3:51 in the first round, Abigail Durflinger from Cardinal Community in 2:47 in the second, and Hillary Trainor of Sumner-Fredericksburg in 3:05 in the quarterfinals. Rogers fell to Layla Phillips of Mason City in 1:01 in the semifinals and to Don Bosco’s Erica Irvine in 5:34 in the consolation semis before rallying back to pin Lainey Shelangoski of Durant in 3:08 for the fifth-place match.
Rogers, a sophomore, finishes the season at 21-3
Allanah Mahoney fell in the first round of 120-pound competition as Apryl Halsor of Cedar Falls pinned her in 2:26 and fell in the first consolation round when Sadie Smith of Kuemper Catholic pinned her in 4:40. A sophomore, Mahoney finished the season at 25-10.
Olivia Bonnema won her first-round match at 140 pounds by pinning Abigail O’Rear of West Delaware in 5:45 but fell to Kiara Djoumessi from Waverly-Shell Rock in the second round in 1:39. Bonnema was pinned by Eliana Kooi from West Lyon in the second consolation round in 1:58. A junior, Bonnema finished the season at 32-15.
“We were really happy with how the girls competed at the State Tournament,” said Coach Jake Munson. “To have two girls place in the top eight at their weight classes and win 11 matches as a team at the State Tournament was a strong showing. We finished in 21st place out of 162 teams so we felt good about our performance as a team.” Munson is also encouraged about what the future holds for Lady Spartan wrestling. “All four of our state qualifiers return for next season and we have several other girls in our varsity lineup who we are confident can qualify for the state tournament and compete with the best in the state next season. The future is bright for Solon Girls Wrestling.”

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Kaitlin Hatcher • Contributed photo

Kara VeDepo (at left) placed fourth at 100 pounds in the 2024 IGHSAU State Wrestling Championships last week at the Xtream Arena in Coralville.