Senior Trudy Haag placed fourth at 130 pounds in the Central Iowa Kickoff on Saturday at Nevada. She helped the Ankeny girls’ wrestling squad to a third-place finish in the 33-team field.
Haag is a three-time state qualifier who placed fifth in Class 2A at 120 as a junior, when she helped Ankeny to a runner-up finish. She has won 99 matches in her career.
Here is some inside info on Haag:
How is the season going?
It’s been good so far, but each meet has been bittersweet as some of them it’s the last time I’m wrestling in that competition and it’s one meet closer to my last meet.
Were you happy with how you wrestled on Saturday?
Yes and no. No, because I didn’t place where I wanted to, but I enjoyed this last time there and I feel like I competed hard.
Your teammate, Nora Bockes, reached the 100-victory career mark on Saturday while placing fourth at 115, and you are now just one win away from reaching that mark yourself. What will that mean to you when you reach the milestone?
Honestly, I’ve never really thought about it, but I’m glad I’m going to reach it because it shows me that all my effort has paid off. If I can win 100 matches, I can continue to compete at a high level in the sport.
Would you have ever guessed when you first started wrestling as a freshman that you would win 100 matches in your career?
I hadn’t even considered the plausibility of being able to win 100 times. I was just happy to compete and win my matches as a freshman.
As a senior, are you trying to be a leader for the team? And if so, how?
Yes, just trying to be a role model–someone they can look up to and come to if they need it. I love these girls; they mean so much to me and I’m going to miss them next year. And if they know how much they mean to me, I feel like that’s leader enough for me.
Thus far, what has been the highlight of your career?
It came last year at the Ogden tournament. I had lost to a girl from Algona (Malyn Davis) at a previous tournament and wrestled her again at Ogden but lost again, so I competed up on the back side of the bracket which eventually brought us together and I had to wrestle her again, but this time instead of getting cradled and pinned I was able to pin her (for a third-place finish). This was my highlight because it was my comeback in a sense. It showed me I can grow and beat people who I hadn’t beaten before.
What did you think of your team’s performance at the Nevada tournament?
It was a great showing for our team at the start of the season. I’m excited to see improvements our team will make this year, especially the younger girls as they get used to wrestling at the high school level.
Do you think this team has the potential to be better than last year’s squad that placed second in the Class 2A state tournament?
Yes, 100 percent. We have a strong team despite losing some valuable members from last year. We have some younger girls who I think are ready to take on the challenge of competing at a higher level.
What are your goals for the rest of the season?
Well, the big goal is to win state, enjoy, cherish, and live in it.
Coach Roland told me that the team would be selling itself short if its goal wasn’t to win the state title. Do you think Raccoon River-Northwest, the defending champion, is the biggest obstacle in your way?
I won’t deny they will be a big obstacle, but I think the bigger obstacle will be ourselves. The mindset knowing we can compete just like them, that we are tough, that we can win, and we can accomplish our goals, that we have grown and can change “predetermined” outcomes. Because I think it is totally possible for our team to win that state title.
A couple of your teammates from last year’s squad, Elyse Engebretson and Haylee McGrew, are now competing at the collegiate level. Do you have any plans to wrestle in college?
I’m open to the idea of wrestling on the collegiate level, but currently I’m not planning on it. After I graduate, I’m planning to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After that, I do plan to stay involved with wrestling any way I can whether competing, coaching, or as a referee.