Rochelle senior wrestler Dempsey Atkinson made history during her junior season, when she took fifth and became the first female athlete at RTHS to medal at the IHSA State Championship meet.
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ROCKFORD — Rochelle senior wrestler Dempsey Atkinson made history during her junior season, when she took fifth and became the first female athlete at RTHS to medal at the IHSA State Championship meet. Atkinson has picked up right where she left off last winter, beating a trio of wrestlers to finish first in her weight class at the E-Rab Girls Invitational on Wednesday.
Atkinson went 3-0 over three matches, receiving a first-round bye before dominating her quarterfinal bout against Warren’s Tyanna Jackson. Atkinson needed only 19 seconds to score her first takedown and recorded four near falls in a 17-1 technical fall over Jackson.
“It felt great to win and I think it’s going to give me a lot of momentum to excel this year,” Atkinson said. “It was a big motivation booster and I was really excited. I was focused on putting all of my effort into each match and I focused on staying in good positions and scoring as many points as I could. I’d love to place at state again and finish higher than I did last year.”
Atkinson faced Warren’s Ashley Fugelseth in the semifinals, breaking a 0-0 tie with an escape, a takedown and a four-point near fall in the second period. Leading 8-0, Atkinson finished strong, earning another takedown and near fall to reach the finals with a 15-0 technical fall. The senior clinched her title with a first-period fall over LaSalle-Peru’s Marisa Eggersdorfer in the finals.
“I’ve gotten a lot better on top and I feel like I can score points and get the pin,” Atkinson said. “I’ve become better on my feet and I’ve become a stronger shooter. I’ve been working on my singles… I need to work on getting my point and not letting my opponents hold me down."
Atkinson was one of two Rochelle athletes participating in the tournament on Wednesday. Junior Cammyla Macias went 3-1 over four matches to medal in second at her weight class. Macias won three consecutive matches to start the tournament, pinning Prairie Ridge’s Angela Thrush before securing pins against Marengo’s Avelyn Sacco and Warren’s Grace Ciszek over the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. Macias fell to Hononegah’s Bella Castelli in the finals.
“I had no doubts and it brings my confidence up because I won three matches in a 14-girl bracket,” Macias said. “I had a good mindset and I competed with all of my strength. I know that I have the skills and I just need to put them on the mat. My goals for this year are to qualify for state and possibly place at the state meet. I want to have a good mindset this season and I want to have confidence in myself… I think I’m good at scoring, being on top and moving my feet.”
