Swart finishes fifth at state

Swart’s drive to the podium began Wednesday, Feb. 23, with a 10-6 opening round decision over Algona sophomore Kyle Simonson. “The first match is one of the toughest to win probably because of nerves. It was the most anxious match Stephen had,” said Indian coach Greg Adams.

With a first round victory in tow, Swart had a day off before hitting the mat Thursday in the quarterfinals against fifth-rated Glenwood junior Ty Copsey. Copsey ultimately pinned Swart in just 1:04, sending the Indian into the consolation round.

Later Thursday night, Swart got back in the win column, needing 4:37 to put Chariton senior Cody Criqui on the mat.

“After Stephen lost he immediately went to the backside of the bracket,” Adams pointed out. “I think that next match (against Criqui) is the toughest to wrestle. He had to face someone who lost in the first round, then won another match the first day and had a whole day to be ready to wrestle. I think he responded well after getting pinned in the quarterfinals.”

Swart’s consolation win moved the junior forward to a rematch from the district tournament. The Waukon wrestler met North Fayette sophomore Mike Moser for the second time in less than a week. Swart had upended Moser in a district semifinal match Feb. 19. The bout once again played out in Swart’s favor by a 5-2 tally.

“Moser had been having a pretty good tournament and he’s always dangerous,” Adams stated, “but Stephen wrestled a smart match and moved on.”

Next on tap was a consolation semifinal match with East Marshall’s Travis Downs. Downs, a third-rated senior, handed Swart his second loss of the tournament, an 18-10 major decision.

“Stephen found himself down 14-1 going into the third period,” the Indian coach mentioned. “He went on to outscore Down 9-4 in the third.”

Consolation matches have a shortened, one minute first period. Had each period been its typical two minutes, Adams thinks Swart might have pulled out the win. “One more minute and Stephen would win that match.”

Although the loss was Swart’s second of the tournament, he still had the opportunity to wrestle for fifth place Saturday.

The junior made the most of his final match, an exciting overtime bout with Waterloo Columbus senior Austin Hayes. Both wrestlers had scored four points during regulation, so the match went to sudden death overtime. Just as he’d done in the district final, Swart scored a takedown to end the match with a 6-4 victory and a fifth place medal.

“The match with Hayes was pretty tight. Stephen had won three overtime matches this year and he just kept doing what he’s done all year: win in overtime,” Adams pointed out.

Although Swart had the most successful experience, Andrew Schulte also competed at state. The 119-pound junior had a tougher path and finished his tournament after two matches.

Schulte’s first bout was with Waterloo Columbus sophomore Alex Hansen. The Sailor scored a narrow, 2-0 win to drop Schulte into the consolation bracket immediately. Later Wednesday night, Schulte battled in another two-point contest, falling to Glenwood junior Drew Langel by a 7-5 count.

“Andrew lost a couple of two-point matches,” Adams pointed out. “He met his goal of qualifying, but since he’s been there and wrestled so close I’m sure he’ll be motivated to come home with a medal next year.”

Swart and Schulte might have had two very different runs at the tournament, but Adams knows both wrestlers benefitted from the experience. “This was a good experience for both guys. You can go and watch the tournament, but there is no substitute for actually competing,” Adams remarked.

“A lot of guys have the goal of qualifying for state, but after they do, we always need to adjust them a little higher. It’s always good to leave Des Moines with a medal in hand,” Adams added.

“It was exciting having multiple qualifiers this year and we return three state qualifiers to the lineup next year,” the coach added.