Freshman Shamil Islamov participated at regionals for wrestling over the weekend. 

He felt nervous going into regionals, causing him to not do his best in the matches, he said. As a result, he will not move on to states.

“It was going good until regionals, and then I just got into my own head,” Islamov said. 

Islamov felt that he could have improved on confidence, but also recognized that he was against older wrestlers, putting him at a disadvantage. 

“I wrestled juniors and seniors, so they were just older and stronger than me,” Islamov said.  

Although Islamov felt he could have done better, wrestling Coach Gehrig Hutchison was proud of Islamov and how far he had come from the start to end of the season. 

“He has very high standards for himself,” Hutchison said. “As a freshman, he’s right on the cusp of being one of the best wrestlers in the state.” 

Hutchison reflected on this season and his hopes for the seasons to come.

“We’re definitely heading in the right direction. But now I think this is where the real work starts, because people know Baldwin wrestling is a legitimate team now, and we have to defend that,” Hutchison said. 

Looking forward to the possibilities of the next season, Hutchison hopes to see fans come out and support the wrestling team.  

“We’re going to be a good team for the next several years. So next season, come out and support us. Wrestling’s the best sport in the world, so come check us out,” Hutchison said.