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OREM — Emmy Finlinson had two goals for the first day of the 6A state girls wrestling tournament Wednesday.
First, spend as little time on the mat as possible; who wouldn't want that? And second, keep her goals for a third consecutive state championship on track.
The first champion in Westlake High girls wrestling history accomplished both.
Finlinson won by fall in a total of 1 minute, 51 seconds in two matches at 145 pounds, becoming one of 10 Westlake wrestlers to advance to Thursday's semifinals.
"People say there is no pressure," said Finlinson, a senior who has committed to play soccer at Casper College. "I want my family and everyone who has put all their time in me to know that it's paying off.
"I want to show that I'm worth the time. I think I can do that by getting (a three-peat title) down."
The Thunder, who won each of the past two 6A titles (plus another as a club program before the Utah High School Activities Association sanctioned the sport in 2020), put on a dominant showcase through the first day, out-distancing second-place Syracuse 132.5 to 90. Copper Hills is third (86.5), followed by Corner Canyon (80) and Mountain Ridge (73).
Celeste Detoles also kept her three-peat title bid on track with a pair of pins Wednesday, though her second against Copper Hills' Kara Noyce drifted 40 seconds into the second round.
"Celeste can beat on me, and I know she can," Finlinson said. "She's been wrestling great, especially coming back from an ankle injury after the all-star meet. We were really nervous that should be OK, but she's finally getting back into it and right in time for divisionals and state."
Lizzie Raleigh will also go for her third title at 155 pounds for the Thunder, while teammates Ella Arnold (115), Ashley Cannon (125), Ameris Jensen (130), Hailey Pigg (140), Chloe Shumway (140), O'dessa Laititi (190) and Keilikki Nau Rarick (235) also advanced to Thursday's semifinals.
The Thunder qualified 20 wrestlers for the state tournament, including five returning champions. If they didn't have a third consecutive team title wrapped up by Wednesday night, they came about as close as possible to it with strength, depth and a little elbow grease.
Finlinson knows a thing or two about work, too. Her older brother Jacob has the distinction of being Westlake's first state wrestling champion, and both of her parents wrestled in high school — including her mother Emily, who wrestled in Utah in the 90s before the sport was sanctioned.
"Our team picks girls who are going to work the hardest. If a girl doesn't work hard, that isn't a practice partner that we want," said Finlinson, who trains daily with Jensen. "When you walk into the room, every girl in there is going to work their hardest. They want to win, whether it's a first title, a second, a third. And I think it's great to have that environment to set a high standard. We all know we're working toward something bigger as a team."
In the boys' tournament, defending state champion Geronimo Rivera (120) won by fall in just 18 seconds in quarterfinals to help Layton cruise to a 140.5 to 88-point lead over Westlake. Five-time defending champion Pleasant Grove is one point back in third.
Kyler Pace (113), Noah Bull (126), Logan Crowther (132), Jace Lemons (138), Ryker Brann (144), Kaden Bennie (165), Ethan Hearne (175) and Kael Bennie (190) all advanced to Thursday's semifinals for the Lancers.
Full results, including matchups for Thursday's semifinals, can be found at trackwrestling.com.
