Two wins are better than one to Batavia junior Anabelle Guthke.
The first win Saturday was in her head, but the second one played out in real time, buoyed by her ability to capture the rush and thrill of carrying out her game plan to completion.
“I really try to stay confident in my training,” she said. “With every match, I think of all the time I’ve put into what I do out there. I really always expect it to work out in my favor or the way I imagine.
“If you think about losing, then you’ve already lost.”
Guthke put that concept to good use, capturing the 145-pound championship match by injury default over Oswego East’s Ella Cooper at the Hinsdale South Regional in Darien.
It helped powered Batavia to the upset for the team title by half a point over state power Lockport. Lily Enos, a junior, took second at 100 and senior Emma Abbate finished as the runner-up at 190.
Guthke (33-9) posted wins by fall and major decision during the preliminary rounds. She also has come of age, building her confidence along with her trophy case.
The regional championship follows on the heels of her first conference title a week earlier.
“She’s a really competitive kid,” Batavia coach Scott Bayer said of Guthke. “I think she has started to realize just how competitive she could be.
“She’s a smart wrestler. A leader. She also cares a lot about the team and how they’re doing. That sincerity makes her different. She’s purposeful in everything and wears her heart on her sleeve.”
Abbate is her practice partner, and despite giving up 30 pounds, Guthke holds her own.
“She’s incredibly strong,” Abbate said. “She works so hard in practice and is a real leader. She really pushes herself, especially in all of the training and the drills. She’s like a quiet assassin.
“You wouldn’t know it by looking at her. She’s actually really quiet, but she’s just so fierce.”
Guthke also is a throwback in a time of increased specialization as a year-round athlete who also toggles between playing tennis in the fall and being a thrower in track during the spring.
Her favorite activities outside of competition are spending time with friends and volunteering.
Right now, she’s on a quest to perfect her art, learning how to sharply fuse together her combination of power, speed, technique and strength.
“I definitely see the connections between the sports, especially the balance, strength and agility that you need,” she said. “I love having that ability to cross-train and work on conditioning.”
“With wrestling, I definitely use a lot of upper body because I don’t like to shoot very much. I use strength to my advantage a lot, especially underhooks. I spend a lot of time in the weight room.”
Still, Guthke’s early moments in the sport didn’t paint a pretty picture.
Her intensely competitive nature was humbled and brought about a private reckoning.
“It definitely took me a while to get the hang of it,” she said. “I lost my first six matches, and I don’t think I had a winning record my first two years.
“This is the first year I’ve had any real success in tournaments. Now, my greatest thrill is definitely the feeling of winning a tough match.”
She’s rarely passive — always on the go and looking to push herself to reach elite status.
The conference and regional championships are a good start.
“I just love being part of the team,” Guthke said. “This is what I’ve worked for. It has always been a dream of mine to place at state or be honorable mention. It’s exciting to be that much closer.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
