Sunlin is happy with her success, but wants more


Alaina Sunlin of Monticello (left) poses with her medal after finishing second at the sectional meet. (Express file photos)

Alaina Sunlin of Monticello has an opponent in trouble during the Class 2A sectional meet Feb. 4 at West Delaware. Sunlin, a freshman, became the first girl to reach the district tournament in school history.
WRESTLING
By: 
Pete Temple
Express Sports Editor

     There is a movement under way to see if there could be enough participation to warrant a State High School Girls Wrestling Tournament in Iowa.

     Monticello’s Alaina Sunlin said she is in no hurry to see that happen.

     “It’d be cool, but I kind of like it how it is now,” the Monticello High School freshman said.

     Sunlin is the Panthers’ history-making wrestler, the first girl from MHS to make it to a district tournament.

     She did so by finishing second in a Class 2A sectional tournament, pinning three boys in the process.

     “It means a lot (to me),” the 15-year-old said. “I feel like I’ve accomplished quite a bit. I was extremely focused that day.”

     Her post-season bid ended with two losses at the district tournament, but that didn’t discourage her.

     “It‘s going to make me work a lot harder, to go farther than I did this year,” Sunlin said.

     She comes from a wrestling family; her brother Mark started the sport at a young age, and her older sister, Olivia, was a wrestler on the high school team.

     Alaina started wrestling at age 7. She said she became interested in the sport by watching Mark.

     “My brother started wrestling before me, and I thought it looked fun,” Alaina said. “I didn’t even know if girls wrestled, I just wanted to.

     “I liked it. I like how it is a one-(vs.)-one sport. It’s different. If you mess up, it’s all on you.”

     It didn’t hurt that Alaina found immediate success.

     “My first meet, I only had one practice, and I won the meet,” she said.

     She competed in youth tournaments, often winning them, and went on to wrestle with the Monticello Middle School team.

     She has wrestled in all-girl tournaments; in March 2015 she won the middle school championship in the 89-103 weight class at the Iowa Girls Female Elite Wrestling (FEW) State Championships.

     During the high school season, as a freshman, Sunlin went 17-22 with 14 pins.

     “I’ve learned a lot this year. I’ve been working extremely hard, talking to the coaches and doing the extra stuff, and I think that’s really been helping me,” she said.

     She drew praise from a lot of people, particularly Monticello varsity wrestling coach Ryan Luensman.

     “Alaina is tough, and really improved throughout the year,” Luensman said. Her attitude has been excellent and it showed in her wrestling. She wants more from this sport and she has goals set from now until next year.

     “Alaina will continue to impress people and set the bar for many girl wrestlers. I was very proud of her throughout this entire year.”

     Sunlin said her teammates are supportive, and she hasn’t run into any issues with opponents not wanting to wrestle a girl.

     “It’s not any different, a guy wrestling a girl. It’s the same thing, pretty much,” she said.

     At the sectional meet, Sunlin pinned her first opponent, one she had beaten earlier in the season. After a loss in the semifinals, she had to win the next match to stay alive in the tournament, and then win a wrestleback match to advance to districts. She won both by fall.

     Sunlin works at Fareway in Monticello. In her spare time, she likes to draw.

     But mostly, she likes to wrestle, and to keep getting better. She takes the advice of family members who tell her to keep working hard.

     “The hardest working person will go farther than everybody else,” she said.

 

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