Glasgow Highlanders WIN AAU State Championship!

WOW! The Highlanders put on one heck of a show in Montana's greatest venue this weekend. For the first time in club history; the Glasgow Wrestling Club Boys WON the Large Team AAU State Championship. The Girls won the Large Team title in 2022 and the Boys have claimed Small and Medium team titles throughout the storied history of the program, but had never went up against every single Class AA feeder program to win the highest honor. Until this year!

There was a record 1,271 boys in attendance representing 85 different youth clubs. The Highlander boys brought 43 wrestlers to the big dance and scored a whopping 463 points. It was good enough for the 4th most points overall; which in itself is the best finish in program history! Only Team Champs (Billings West), Sidney, and Billings Wrestling Club finished with more total points. The 463 points is the 2nd most the Glasgow Boys have ever scored at a State AAU tournament. (492 points in 2022)

According to Montana AAU By-Laws. The small, medium, and Large Team Titles are determined by a club's total points divided by their total number of wrestlers. That formula gave Glasgow 10.767 points/per wrestler just ahead of Class AA power Team Champs (Billings West) with 10.535 points/per wrestler. 2-time defending AAU Large Team Champion, Huntley Project, finished in 3rd place and Billings Wrestling Club finished in a close 4th. It was the strength of six Individual CHAMPIONS and twenty one state placers that put the mighty Highlanders over the top! 

The Boys also finished in 2nd place overall for the famed Bobby McKinley Trophy; which is given to the best "10-man" team at the event. Huntley Project would score 82 to win the plaque, GWC would come just one point short by scoring 81, and Team Champs was 3rd in the McKinley race with 79 points.

The Highlander Girls would shine bright right alongside the boys this weekend as they were simply DOMINANT from start to finish! The event featured a record 448 girls and GWC brought their own record of 24 girls to the State Meet. It was the 3rd largest female team in attendance. At the end of three intense days of Wrestling; the Highlander Girls would finish in 2nd Place overall out of 64 clubs with a team record 243.5 points. The girls added an Individual Champion and a team record nineteen individual state placers! Only Class AA Billings Darkhorse Girls (Billings Senior) would put up more team points this weekend in the Metra. It is the 4th consecutive year that the Highlander Girls have finished in the Top 3 overall at the State AAU tournament and the 4th consecutive year of finishing above ALL other Class B/C feeder programs. The future is extremely bright for the ladies of Glasgow Wrestling. 

The Girls also finished in 3rd place overall for the Walt Egged Award; which is given to the best "10-man" team at the event. Billings Darkhorse would score 77 to win the plaque, Billings Heights scored 56 to finish runner-up, and the Highlanders rounded out the top three with 52 points.

It was another year of records being smashed by the local club. The 67 wrestlers was the second most GWC has ever brought to a State AAU Meet. The 40 combined Boys and Girls Individual State Placers breaks last year's record of 37! The 706.5 combined Team Points is also a NEW standard for a youth Wrestling Club that has been around since 1968. To top it all off, five Highlanders used their performances from this weekend to earn a spot on the AAU National Duals team. William Kirkland, Jack Morehouse, Aiden Aune, Hunter Pierce, and Tyler King will now represent Team Montana in Des Moines, Iowa on April 5th-7th. Outstanding all the way around. 

GWC will do it all again next weekend as the Highlanders will head back to the Billings Metra for the premier event in the region, the Montana Open! Action will begin late Friday afternoon and continue through Sunday afternoon. The event is expected to smash more attendance records. 

State AAU Individual Results--

Tot

Theo Marks 5th

Rhett Murch 5th

Brands Casterline 3rd

Frank Pattison

Jax Pankratz

Newt Knaff

Kayson Murch 5th

Saylor Thompson 6th

Bantam

Nels Redfield

Howard Redfield

Silas Hopstad

Atikis Girard

Eli Pankratz

Rowen Thompson

Ledger Kaufman 5th

Colt Knaff **State Champion**

Olive Marks

Aurora Markle 6th

Brenley Flaten

Taryn Sundeen 2nd

Collins Flaten **State Champion**

Midget

Tate Lehner **State Champion**

Dayton Markle

Jett Morehouse 2nd

CJ Sillerud

Milo Marks

Murdock Pattison 5th

Whit Ozark 4th

Buddy Cole

Josiah Hernandez 2nd

TenLea Sundeen 2nd

Archer Henry

Rygan Gamas 4th

Gwen Torres

Harlee Vandermars 2nd

Novice

Walker Kirkland

Anders Aune

Knoxsen Harris

Eli Holinde

Taden Sundeen **State Champion**

Kennedy Flaten 4th

Riley Pattison 4th

Lyla Lehner 6th

Khloe Kaufman 4th

Josie Hartwell 4th

Madisyn Murch 6th

Schoolboy/Girl

Aiden Aune 3rd

Hunter Pierce 3rd

Jack Morehouse **State Champion**

Saunten Gamas 2nd

Weston Kirkland

DC Flaten

Kylie Aho

Riley Pedersen 3rd

Bailey Dooley 3rd

Chloe Lamb 3rd

Aubree Holinde 5th

Cadet

Cody Kuka

Tyler King

Alex Earll

Ernie Vandall 3rd

Madison Lamb 5th

Elite

Joaquin Torres 5th

James Landles 5th

William Kirkland **State Champion**

Michael King 3rd 

Avery Pedersen 2nd

Team Montana Qualifiers -- AAU National Duals in Iowa:

William Kirkland -- 9th/10th Grade Silver Team

Jack Morehouse -- Middle School Gold Team

Aiden Aune -- Middle School Gold Team

Hunter Pierce -- Middle School Team

Tyler King -- Middle School Team