Kaneland’s Angelina Gochis is the measuring stick on any wrestling bracket bearing her name.
The junior 120-pounder isn’t done, either. She keeps writing chapter after chapter of what is turning out to be a generational high school career in an emerging sport for girls.
“I’m ready for any challenge,” Gochis said Saturday night. “No matter who I go up against, I‘m ready to know how they wrestle. I always prepare myself to face the best.”
And the best could be still yet to come.
Gochis won her third straight state championship, posting a 9-3 decision over Hampshire sophomore Amelia Nidelea-Polanin at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.
The sternest test for Gochis (31-2) came from the previously unbeaten Nidelea-Polanin (25-1).
“Angelina is really strong and really hard to bring down,” Nidelea-Polanin said. “She has great moves. I think (Saturday) showed how much hard work I put in and what it takes to win a state championship.”
Hampshire produced four medalists and three state finalists in scoring 86 points to easily outdistance runner-up Lockport and capture the first state championship in program history.
Sophomore 190-pounder Samantha Diehl (39-4) and freshman 115-pounder Stella Piazza (28-2) also took second. Freshman Annabelle Mueller (40-7) finished fifth at 105.
South Elgin sophomore Allison Garbasz (42-0) punctuated her unbeaten season with a pin in the second period against Freeburg’s Grace Stratton for the 155-pound state title.
Bartlett senior Lilly White (39-4) was second at 130, while Metea Valley junior Alketa Picari (52-6) took third at 140. Batavia senior Lily Enos (41-5) finished fifth at 100.
Last season, Polanin and Diehl each ended up third as the Whip-Purs were runners-up.
Gochis, meanwhile, remained undefeated against Illinois competition.
“She knows what she wants to do and she knows where she wants to be,” Kaneland coach Josh West said of Gochis. “She wants to be the best in the country.
“To be honest, I’m at the point where I question how much more I can help her.”
In the final, Nidelea-Polanin mounted a tactically sharp and defensive-oriented approach that nullified the usual aggressiveness of Gochis.
“I think she knew what I was trying to get into and what I wanted to do,” Gochis said. “She was very prepared to wrestle me and knew what my moves were going to be.”
Gochis seized control with a takedown late in the first period. She ended up scoring takedowns in each period.
In her first two seasons, Gochis had just one loss against a girls wrestler in her career. The two competitive losses she suffered this winter at national tournaments sharpened her focus.
“I learned that I’m not the best ever, and no matter what, I always have to work to improve and get better,” she said. “You have to always realize that there might be someone better.”
Still going out on the mat with a laser-sharp approach, Gochis has transformed her outlook over the years. And her perspective has opened up.
“I just think of how much I’ve changed,” she said. “My freshman year I was pretty nervous and I didn’t know what to expect. Now, I just know what to work on and what to get better on.
“I think the biggest difference is just seeing how much confidence I’ve gained.”
Gochis also spent more time training rather than accepting forfeit wins against inexperienced and overmatched wrestlers. She spent the day after her third state title like her previous two.
By conducting a private workout and practice.
The only thing she struggles with is talking about herself. Now, she’s poised to join Batavia’s Sydney Perry as the only four-time girls wrestling state champion in state history.
The last thing she wants to do is rest on her laurels.
“I’ve been doing this since I was 8 and I’m going to keep doing it every day,” Gochis said. “I just keep going and having bigger goals. Winning state was just one of them.
“I have more goals and more things to improve on.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
