The Mount Baker girls' wrestling team took 11 wrestlers to the Lady Wolfpack Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 26, at Jackson, and all 11 came home with a medal.

The Mountaineers, obviously, also came home with the team championship in the 37-team tournament, scoring 204 points to beat out second-place Sedro-Woolley's 120. The win came less that 24 hours after Mount Baker captured its third straight Northwest Conference crown.

"The two tournaments in two days was good," Mountaineers coach Clyde Blockley said in a phone interview. "Hopefully, when we get to state, we'll have a lot of girls wrestle on the second day, so we hopefully got them prepared for that."

Certainly looking ready for state were Jessica Mata at 124 pounds and Aysha Schwinden at 190, who both won championship matches by pin to claim their weight classes. Akemi Schwinden also made the 235-pound title match, but lost by pin.

Jamie Vanderyacht (170), Aniecea Camacho (155), Megan Young (130), Lacey Postlewait (106), Natalie Smith (118) all placed third for Mount Baker, while Nicole Boardman (112), Ivy Locke (130) and Sylvia Lynch (145) finished fifth in their respective weight classes.

Lynden placed ninth in the tournament and had a pair of co-third-place finishers in Felicity Strain at 235 pounds and Thalia Veliz at 170. Gabriella Herrera also had a good tournament, coach Santos Gallegos said.

"I told these girls, every time we wrestle we're getting closer and closer," Gallegos said in a phone interview. "We're getting better and better."

The Bellingham coop team took only three wrestlers, but Chelsey Howard reached the championship match at 100 pounds before falling in a tough match to place second.

"She basically pinned her way to the final and then lost to a senior," Bellingham coach Jaron Kensok said in a phone interview. "It was a tough break for her, but a really solid performance."

Kensok said Taryn Rogers also had a strong showing, just missing out on a medal.