On senior night, the school hosted Beauty and the Beasts, a unique competition where girls’ weightlifting and wrestling teams compete at the same time. Nine schools came together for what turned out to be an exciting and memorable evening. 

Ava Kudlinski, competing in the 119-weight class, described the event as her favorite meet so far. “It was nice and supportive because it was a home meet and it was my first one,” she said. The competition featured three different lifts: snatch, clean and jerk, and pause bench. Ava performed well across all three, with a max of 90 pounds in snatch, 120 in clean and jerk, and 100 in bench press. Her best lift was the snatch, which helped her tie for third place overall. The team brought most of their varsity squad to the event, including nine seniors who were being recognized that night. The atmosphere in the gym was energetic, with stands packed full of guests cheering everyone on. “There were a lot of people in the stands cheering everyone on,” Ava explained. Despite the crowd making things feel a bit cramped at times, the meeting stayed organized throughout the night considering how many schools there were. 

The coaches played a significant role in the team’s success. They kept everything running smoothly and gave helpful feedback to the athletes about what they needed to improve on. More importantly, they were there to support and encourage everyone to compete. Their guidance clearly paid off, as the team placed first overall at the end of the night. For Ava, the event came with its own set of challenges. She had not performed as well as she thought she could have at her previous meet, which made her nervous about competing again. “I was kind of nervous to try again,” she admitted. The competition was also tough, with several good teams showing up ready to perform their best. Despite the pressure and the nerves, Beauty and the Beasts turned out to be a major success for the team. The combination of wrestling and weightlifting created an exciting atmosphere that kept everyone in the stands engaged throughout the competition. With strong performances from the entire team and great support from the crowd and coaches. It was a night that the seniors and the rest of the team will not forget anytime soon. The first place finish was the perfect way to celebrate senior night.