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ORLANDO — Four Cedar Catholic wrestlers qualified to compete for Team Nebraska in the AAU Disney Duals after competing in the Nebraska AAU Championships and the AAU Regionals in Des Moines, Iowa, earlier in the summer.
Bodie and Easton Hochstein, Brody Kleinschmit and Evie Freeman donned Team Nebraska singlets and competed against teams from other states.
Ironically, the teams were named for NBA teams. The Hochsteins wrestled in the Gold Bracket as the Chicago Bulls while Kleinschmit competed on the developmental team. Freeman wrestled for the Team Nebraska girls’ squad, also in the Gold Bracket.
In the developmental bracket, no state-medaling wrestlers were allowed. Freeman finished her experience in Florida with an 11-1 record and brought home a silver medal and made the All-American team.
She finished off a complete year of wrestling after winning her first state title last February.
“Ever since I started wrestling I dreamed of winning a state title,” she said. “I was dead-set on getting one early then going for more. I came up short my freshman year but got it done this last season. This will definitely help me as I move on in high school.”
The Hochsteins each went 9-3 in the tournament to make All-American status and Team Nebraska placed fourth overall.
“I looked at this as another stepping stone to get better and achieve what I want to achieve,” said Bodie Hochstein. “I want to go out next season and dominate my opponents. My loss in the state finals last year is driving me to not leave anything to chance.”
Easton Hochstein agreed. “It kind of keeps you in that wrestling groove over the summer,” he said. “And it definitely gets you another step better. Everyone there was really good.”
The Hochsteins also play football and compete in track and they both enjoy the differences between the sports.
“Wrestling is all you, you can’t hide anywhere,” said Bodie. “Whether you win or lose is all up to you and how much work you put in before you get on the mat. I like the togetherness and teammates of football, that’s very cool, but wrestling is all on you.”
“Football is more of a brotherhood,” Easton said. “In wrestling you get different accomplishments and you have control over the outcome, the winning or losing part of it. I like them both.”
Kleinschmit went an impressive 10-2 in his experience in Florida on the developmental squad.
After reaching so many milestones last winter on the mat, these four wrestlers are making sure the program keeps moving on.
