After a long, grueling year, the SCHSL wrestling season concluded last week with the individual state championships. Athletes from all over the state convened at the Florence Center to go head-to-head and determine the best wrestlers in the state. 

Each classification was split into 14 different weight classes. Each weight class took the top eight wrestlers from the upper and lower state competition and had them wrestle in a bracket-style tournament until one athlete was left. 

Five Lexington County athletes were crowned state champions at the event. 10 more wrestlers finished in the top three and earned a spot on the podium. 

There was a lot of action on the 5A mat, and two local athletes walked off a champion. 

Chapin junior Preston White secured his third state title with a 16-1 win over Myrtle Beach’s Gunner Musilunas in the 5A 120-pound championship. 

“I love wrestling, This is fun. Winning's fun. I'm feeling good,” White said after the match. 

White has been dominant this season. He was the No. 1 ranked wrestler in his weight class all year and finished unbeaten. The one point conceded in the final match was the only point he allowed during his entire championship run. 

The state finals were not the end of White’s wrestling season as he will soon compete in national competitions to try and prove he belongs among the best in the nation. 

“ Looking back on it, I’m just so thankful for my coaches, for my family, and I just thank god for the opportunities,” White said. “We got nationals. That's what I'm really worried about. This is just next step. States and nationals, so we're looking forward.” 

Dutch Fork senior Kaleb McNeil concluded his Silver Fox career by capturing his first state championship, doing so over a region rival. McNeil defeated River Bluff’s Cael Edwards 10-1 in the 175-pound championship. 

“ I don't even think I’ve processed it yet. It’s a lot of emotions. It's crazy,” McNeil said. “I’ll remember all the people who helped me get here, all the coaches, practice partners, everybody.”

It was the second meeting between McNeil and Edwards this season. McNeil won that meeting 5-2.

“ He's an amazing competitor. He's strong, he's got length, he's got good technique,” McNeil said. “ I can't think about what they're going to do, I just had to focus on what I'm good at.” 

McNeil hopes to continue his wrestling career beyond high school into college. He is undecided on where he’d like to attend, but he knows he will find a good match. 

Pelion’s Landon Byrd won the 2A/1A  113-pound championship match, beating Mid Carolina’s Carson Sturgess 11-3. 

Byrd has been ranked near the top of the 113-pound weight class all season but never reached the top spot. He reached that peak after winning his first state title. 

The Pelion senior came close to winning his first title last season in the 106-pound weight class but finished second after losing in the title match. 

Two local girls won titles in the third year that the SCHSL has sponsored a girls event. 

Lexington freshman Grace Beeson earned a title in the 120-pound weight class after pinning Arielle Daniels of South Florence. 

“ I'm feeling very blessed, thankful to my coach and my parents for supporting me,” Beeson said. “It's just a great experience overall.” 

Beeson will have three more years to defend her title. She said she will remember this year as a learning one, reflecting on all the practice. 

“ A lot of the season I was working with my wrestling partner, and it takes hard work every day, you just can't stop. You’ve got to keep going, even when you feel tired.” Beeson said.  ”I'm just going to keep going to practices and keep going for the next three years and see where it gets me.”

Swansea sophomore Aniya Ruiz was the fifth and final Lexington County athlete to earn a title, winning the girls 235-pound championship. 

All eyes were on Ruiz as she was on the center mat during the tournament's final pairings. Her match against Greenwood’s Aislynn Castillo went the distance and was decided by a single point. 

Ruiz led for most of the match until the third period. Castillo went up 4-3 as the clock counted down. 

“ I didn't come this far just to lose,” Ruiz said. “I just had to keep pushing myself.” 

Ruiz stayed focused and scored two points in the final minute to go up 5-4 and win via pin. 

“ It kind of feels unbelievable, to be honest,” Ruiz said.  

Ruiz is now a state champion after only ever wrestling for one year. In her first season, she learned a lot and went from unranked to the top. She is also the first Swansea girl in school history to win a state title. 

“ Don't give up honestly. You just start listening to coaches, you take their advice, and really, you have to train yourself mentally and physically to be fit for this,” Ruiz said. “ I was scared at first because I didn’t know what I was going to expect, but now that I've done it. Maybe other girls will be influenced to do it. I'm really excited for what this could mean.”

Local athletes on the podium 

5A

120 lbs - (1st) Preston White / Chapin

165 lbs - (2nd) John Marcum / Lexington

175 lbs - (1st) Kaleb McNeil / Dutch Fork, (2nd) Cael Edwards / River Bluff 

4A

113 lbs - (3rd) Jack Turner / Gilbert

138 lbs - (2nd) Devin Lirgg / Gilbert

3A

138 lbs - (3rd) Mekhi Hampton / Swansea

2A/1A

113 lbs - (1st) Landon Byrd / Pelion

126 lbs - (3rd) Dayton Daniel / American Leadership

165 lbs - (3rd) Colin Williams / Pelion

Girls 

120 lbs - (1st) Grace Beeson / Lexington

135 lbs - (2nd) Sophia Voudouris / River Bluff

145 lbs - (3rd) Amy Robinson / River Bluff

170 lbs - (3rd) Irie Edwards / White Knoll

190 lbs - (2nd) Shayanna Shell / White Knoll

235 lbs - (1st) Aniya Ruiz / Swansea