The Wright City girls wrestling team had plenty to celebrate following a dominant performance this past weekend at the Class 1, District 2 Tournament at St. Charles West.

Four wrestlers – Sadie Sehnert, Kali Jensen, Caelyn Hanff and Lauren Ritter – have booked their tickets to the Class 1 state tournament on Feb. 26-27 at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, making it the first time in program history that Wright City has had four female state qualifiers.

The six Wildcats that competed helped Wright City place third out of 32 teams, marking the highest district finish in school history. 

The accomplishments did not stop there. 

Sehnert won a district championship, becoming just the second Wright City wrestler to accomplish that feat. The other was Hanff in 2023.

Jensen became the first Wright City wrestler to reach 100 career pins and joined Hanff as the first three-time state qualifiers in school history.

Coach Fred Ross said unwavering dedication has been the key to his team’s success.

“They work hard and they listen so well,” he said. “They battle, battle, battle and they never give up.” 

Ritter  will make her state tournament debut. Ritter, unseeded in the 145-pound class, battled through the wrestlebacks to secure third place.  

“She upset a lot of people and had a heck of a bracket for her senior year,” Ross said. 

Ritter said she was excited to clinch her first state berth.

“I never thought I would get this and I’ve never made it to state, so my goal was to make it to state no matter what,” she said. “I went out there and acted like I was the best and I did my best.” 

Ritter credits her teammates for her outstanding season. 

“If I didn’t have my team, I probably wouldn’t have gotten this far, so I’m really thankful for them, and especially my coaches,” Ritter said. “The people around me have gotten me this far and I don’t think I could have done it by myself.” 

Sehnert, who competed at 130, took down all five of her opponents by fall. She pinned St. Charles West’s Arianna Augustyniak in the second period of the championship match. 

Sehnert started wrestling when she was a freshman with no experience. Now, she’s a district champion and a two-time state qualifier.

“I’m excited to experience the environment of it all. Normally, the nerves kick in the night before, so right now I'm not really sure [what to expect],” Sehnert said. 

Jensen, who was coming off a shoulder injury, got second at 115. She won four of her matches before falling to Southern Boone’s Nova Porter in the championship match. 

Jensen, who was cleared to wrestle in October, said she wants to clear the first-match hurdle at state.

“I’ve learned to be a better wrestler and I’ve gotten more confident and just better with my first match,” Jensen said. 

She said having three other teammates going to Columbia with her is a bonus. 

“I’m happy they made it too. Two years ago, it was just me and now I have three other girls going with me so it’s really exciting,” Jensen said.  

Hanff placed second at 170 to earn her third state berth. When she was a freshman at Warrenton, she qualified for state.

She said with this being her third time at the tournament, it takes away some anxiety because she knows what to expect. 

“I want to just do my best [at state]. I know not all my odds are the greatest, but if I try then that’s something,” Hanff said.