CHS girls wrestling grows

To say that Cheney girls’ wrestling has come a long way in a year would be the understatement of understatements.

When freshman Jalisca Holmgren signed up a year ago she was one of six, but as it turned out she was one of one both when the season started and ended.

Holmgren, however, loved her experience — which included a trip to state, a first — so much that she became the program’s pied piper. Today there are 10 girls who have their own coach.

“It’s just been cool to see what’s grown,” Holmgren said at Cheney’s media day, Nov. 18.

The team is coached by former boys’ assistant Jeremy McGee who has seen impressive results early following competition at the Kennewick Lioness tournament, Dec. 1 and at Eastmont the following day.

“We had two freshman Jenny Tian and Paige McGee this weekend that stepped up and competed at a high level,” McGee wrote in an email. “I know it built a lot of confidence.”

Those efforts came against Mid-Columbia Conference, Big 9 and GSL schools as well as 1A and 2A schools.  

“It did not surprise me that Jenny Tian (110 pounds) performed so well,” McGee said. “She is super humble and is developing her own style and is a competitor.”

McGee wrestles at 140 was the first Cheney girl in history to win a big tournament and was able to do it on the first weekend, no less.

Holmgren (130) has been working super hard all summer wrestling freestyle and going to camps. “It’s paying off,”McGee said. “She’s improved where she ended last year and making a name for herself.”

“At Eastmont she ended up with the most pins in the tournament (6) in the least amount of time out of 300 plus girls competing from all divisions across the state,” McGee pointed out.

Gizzell Ramos is a senior at 115 pounds who has been away from the sport since her middle school days, McGee said. “She dug deep at Eastmont to work her way back in the bracket and place third.”

Cheney has a total of 13 girls on the team and many who are brand new to the sport.

“It’s an emerging sport and growing fast in the state as well as the GSL,” McGee said.

“We have a great base to work with and excited to see our new girls be a part of the team and develop on a weekly basis to put us in a position to compete build the program of girls wrestling in Cheney,” McGee said.