Beebe sophomore Destiny Nunez earned the third-place medal for the 106-pound weight class after she won an 11-8 decision over Greenbrier’s Tyler Hardin, who had a 23-12 record going into the match.
“Destiny, she’s the only girl that medaled,” said Beebe coach David Payne. “To be an All-State wrestler as a female in a male-dominated sport, that’s impressive. She’s a determined kid. She works her butt off.”
Nunez’s only loss in the tournament came against state runner-up Zac Reece of Bismarck in the quarterfinal round, but after the loss, Nunez reeled off two-straight wins by pinfall to advance to the third-place match.
In the third-place match against Hardin, the two wrestlers were knotted up at 8-8 on the scoreboard, but in the final minute, Nunez got the takedown she needed to give her the three points that sealed the win. Nunez not only got a medal for finishing third, but with the top-three finish, she’s automatically an All-State selection.
“When it got to 8-8,” said Nunez, “there was a minute left and I was like, no, I have to get more than eight. I wasn’t going to give up because I’ve worked so hard this season.”
“She goes to volleyball practice and then comes to wrestling,” Payne said. “She’s very much deserving of being an All-State selection.”
Nunez finished the season with an 8-5 record.
