In a season of firsts, Spectrum High School’s girls wrestling program sent two athletes to the MSHSL State Individual Tournament, marking the first time the school has had girls qualify for state competition.
Tegan Erickson at 112 pounds and Fayth Lindahl at 124 pounds advanced through the Section 5AA tournament in mid-February to earn their spots at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Erickson won the section title taking first, improving on her previous best finish of fourth place in prior years. Lindahl, wrestling as a return-to-mat competitor, lost to the top seed in her bracket but battled back through the consolation rounds, pinning the second-place finisher to secure third and a state berth.
Coach Daryl Skog described the achievement as a significant milestone.
“You know, we were at the section tournament to qualify for state um back in mid-February and we had uh Tegan Ericson at 112 lbs in the girls division and won the section which was a highlight for her,” Skog said, “We have never had a girl qualify for the state tournament … but this year we had two girls, and it was exciting.”
At the state tournament, both wrestlers opened with wins. Erickson won her first match before being eliminated in subsequent rounds. Lindahl advanced to the semifinals, where she fell to the state’s top-ranked wrestler at 124 pounds. She then fought through the consolation bracket, defeating several highly ranked opponents before losing in the third-place match and finishing fourth overall.
Skog said Lindahl “exceeded everybody’s expectations.”
“She made it all the way back uh beating a number of really high ranked girls and uh got to the point where she was going for third place and was uh and lost that match to take fourth,” Skog said, “We’re just really proud of her. She did great.”
Coach Werk noted the electric atmosphere at the Xcel Energy Center.
“When you walk out on that floor for their first matches, the energy in the Excel Center is so exciting that I mean it’s almost instant goosebumps for the wrestlers and for the coaches as well,” Werk said.
Erickson, a junior with several years of wrestling experience, said she tried to treat the state tournament like any other meet despite the unfamiliar setting.
“Going into state, I kind of just had to think like, oh, this is any other tournament … just go with the flow and just do what I can,” Erickson said, “Getting to wrestle at the state tournament is crazy. Only so many people get to do that … I was just happy I got to be there. And also … I’m only a junior, too, so I always have next year, too.”
Lindahl’s fourth-place finish came after overcoming a shoulder injury earlier in the season that forced her to miss time.
“For Faith, uh, she had an injury earlier in the season. She had a shoulder that was bothering her … for her to be able to overcome that injury and then win so many of the matches down state and place fourth was tremendous,” Werk said, “It was a lot of heart because injuries can really take a wrestler out of competition easily.”
Both coaches emphasized the importance of vision, belief and consistent hard work, especially for a young program where many athletes are relatively new to the sport.
“I think the most important thing for wrestlers … you have to have a vision for where you want to go. You have to believe that you’re going to be able to do it and then you put the work behind it,” Werk said.
Erickson encouraged younger teammates to stay committed. “I would just say keep working hard, find your reason for wanting to stay, wanting to do the sport… it’s an experience unlike any other,” Erickson said. “I would love to see even like the girls on our team this year go to state next year cuz again it’s just it’s an experience I feel like everyone would want to experience.”
The qualifications and strong state performances set a foundation for the future of girls wrestling at Spectrum High School.
Congratulations to Tegan Erickson, Fayth Lindahl and the entire Spectrum Sting girls wrestling team.