Making history

YORK — No matter what happens with the Hartington-Newcastle girls wrestling team over the next thousand years, current senior Madison Kuchta will remain immortal.

That’s because last weekend, Kuchta went 2-2 overall and placed fourth at the district tournament and that was good enough to become the first girl qualifier in the program’s young history and she will now and forever remain the first.

Kuchta (20-7) will not have the chance to go to state with her freshman sister Morgan, but her sophomore brother Hunter will also be on his way to the final weekend of the season.

“I’m very proud of Madison and her growth throughout the season,” Cedar head coach Justin Bartling said. “For a senior girl to pick up this sport so late and still be successful is rare and Madison has certainly done a great job.

Her first match at state is definitely winnable but we will need to work hard as ever this week to push through this tough bracket.”

“It’s a super cool opportunity for me to go to state first of all and then to be the first one in our school history like that’s really cool,” Madison said. “It was my last opportunity; it was also my first opportunity. It was really cool to go out there and be able to make it all the way to state this year.”

Even though she is ecstatic to be heading to state, she is still a bit disappointed in finishing fourth.

“I went out there and I won my first match was super excited and then I ended up losing my second match so I just had to go out there in my third match and bring everything I had,” she said. “I ended up winning that one and qualified for state.”

Kuchta ultimately dropped the third-fourth place match against the same girl she beat at subdistricts, dropping a double overtime match.

She said she hopes her performance will only help the program going forward and more girls will want to go out for the team and experience some of the same highs.

“I want them to see your hard work can pay off and it’s a super rewarding experience,” she said. “It’s hard to believe I am the first ever (for Cedar).

Then of course going to state with her little brother adds a little extra to this trip.

“I was really hoping he was going to make it and he actually lost one of his matches that put him in the heartbreak round and I was so nervous,” she said. “I was freaking out before, but he went out there and he kicked some butt and just wanted it and he took it. It’s so cool that we get to go down the state together.”

When she’s there, Kuchta will just go for it with the pressure off as she enjoys her final official wrestling matches of her career.

“I’m just going to go out there and leave what I got out there,” she said. “I’m just excited that I made it so whatever happens, happens.

“There’s some good competition out there and I’ve lost to a couple of the people that will be there.”