(Corning, IA) — There was a point that Kenzie Maeder of Southwest Valley thought she would never get a chance to walk into the Extreme Arena in the Grand March and stand on the podium as a state medalist. That is exactly what she did on last Friday night — the senior finished in 5th place at 145 pounds and 51-5 overall this season. Maeder went 3-2 at the tournament with a 7-1 win in the first round, a fall in 55 seconds in the quarterfinals but lost in the semis to #2 Adeline Whisner of Mount Vernon 6-0. She lost in the consolation semifinals but rebounded to win her 5th place match 7-3. She was happy to finish on a positive note
Maeder has had repeated shoulder problems throughout her career — she has missed about a season and a half of action
She actually had another injury this past August which she says put this season in doubt for a little while — but recovered in time and stayed away from the trainer’s table all season long. In the end, it was emotional when she got her medal on Friday night
Maeder says her wrestling career is now over, she will just be a student in the fall. She is planning on going to the University of Iowa with the intent of becoming a nurse practitioner.
