MEEKER | This past weekend the Meeker Cowboys girls wrestling team returned to the mat after taking a couple weekends off to celebrate the Christmas and New Year holidays. They traveled to West Grand on Jan. 3 to start the second half of their season.
Last year at the West Grand tournament, the team finished third overall with 74 points. This time around, the Cowboys captured the team title with 89 points.
Junior Ruth LeBlanc (170) and sophomore Abigail Amick (190) went undefeated to claim individual championships, anchoring the team’s score. Freshman Jenna Pelloni (130) and senior Gracie Varner (135) each earned third-place finishes, while sophomore Ellie Ford (155) also took third. Freshman Maite Camargo (110) and sophomore Lorilei Davis (120) finished fourth, and senior Emma Ford competed at 135 but did not place.
Abigail Amick said the tournament highlighted areas she wants to improve. “The thing that stood out to me was the small things I needed to improve on, for example finishing and getting takedowns,” she said. “I feel my endurance has improved since the beginning of the season and my technique. Although the weight difference can be a bit of a challenge, I mostly just try not to think about it too much and recognize patterns. I’m so thrilled to be helping my team get higher places and so proud of the other girls on my team.” She added she is eager to continue building her skills for the upcoming Tournament of Champions. “I’m hoping to improve my shots and other takedowns over the next week and am really excited for TOC. I’m really looking forward to all the things I can learn.”
Ruth LeBlanc said her performance at West Grand was about patience and precision. “What worked best for me was focusing on being dominant in the handfight and being patient with my shot,” she said. “Instead of forcing the shot I wanted, I fought to the dominant tie and shot what was there.” She noted her confidence and decision-making have grown since the start of the season. “Before, I was so focused on pinning right away that I took bad shots and had to work to get out of compromised positions. This tournament helped me learn adjustments that paid off and taught me a lot.”
Gracie Varner of Rangely, said her third-place finish at 135 pounds reflected the importance of resilience in tough brackets. “I’m beyond proud of my accomplishment for getting the opportunity to come back and finish third at the West Grand tournament,” she said. “To me, resilience is bouncing back after a loss and not letting it get into my head. A loss will not defeat me. There is always something to learn from a loss.” She added that past experiences have taught her to stay composed under pressure. “They have taught me to stay focused and work hard, and the next big tournament I’ll stand on the podium,” she said. Gracie also highlighted the team’s progress. “This tournament showed that all of the girls on the team are improving in many aspects. I’m proud to see how far the girls have come in this short period of time and how they handle hard matches.”
Looking ahead, she said she plans to carry her momentum into the next competitions. “I’m just going to keep pushing myself to the point I succeed and accomplish all the little goals along the way. The more matches I get, the better the outcome I may receive,” Varner said.
Coach Barny LeBlanc said the tournament highlighted the team’s growth and depth. “The girls have extremely big hearts and desire to improve their skills,” he said. “It’s encouraging that we are improving our skills and we’re blessed with numerically more ladies than the surrounding towns.”
Meeker will travel to Rifle for a dual on Thursday, Jan. 8, before competing in the Tournament of Champions in Vernal, Utah, Jan. 9–10. LeBlanc said he wants the team to stay relaxed and focused. “I’m hoping we can relax and not let nerves affect our performance in a dual meet competition,” he said.
The upcoming tournament will pit the Cowboys against elite competition from Utah and Wyoming, offering a benchmark for the program’s progress. LeBlanc said practices are emphasizing bottom wrestling and capitalizing on opponents’ mistakes on their feet. “We’re working on improving our bottom wrestling skills and taking advantage of our opponents’ mistakes,” he said. “Just that we learn from some of our challenging areas from this past week, especially that we relax and look for opportunity rather than forcing technique that is not there.”
He also said he is excited about the team’s overall trajectory. “I’m looking forward to having everyone back wrestling and excited for all that these young ladies are learning to overcome,” LeBlanc said.
With momentum from the West Grand Tournament and lessons learned from early-season competition, Meeker looks to carry confidence and experience into the rest of the January schedule.
Front, from left: Ellie Ford, Emma Ford, Gracie Varner, and Lorilei Davis. Back, from left: Jenna Pelloni, Maite Camargo, Ruth LeBlanc, and Abigail Amick stand in front of the podium after taking first place as a team.