Watertown Wrestlers Claim Second at Lincoln Invitational; Swenson and Richter Capture Titles

Northeast Radio SD News - Watertown, SD - The Watertown Arrows wrestling team put on a strong showing at the Lincoln High School Invitational on December 30, 2025, finishing second as a team and celebrating four individual champions.

The Arrows finished the day with 224.0 points, trailing only Brandon Valley in a competitive field of 21 programs. The tournament was a showcase of aggressive wrestling, with Watertown athletes consistently hunting for pins and significant decisions to climb the team leaderboards.

Max Stroup of Watertown attempts to pin Preston Otte of Lennox.

Several key moments stood out as the Arrows pushed for podium spots:

·        Kutler Swenson (138) In the early rounds, Swenson was relentless, notably working to pin Benjamin Seeley of Beresford/Alcester-Hudson. Swenson carried that momentum into the finals, where he secured the 138-pound title with a fall over Josiah Kauffman of Sioux Falls Lincoln.

·        Cade Kuemper (190) had one of the most exciting moments in the afternoon in the 190-pound division. Kuemper pinned Gavin Boyle of O’Gorman in a key move, helping him finish in third place..

·        Max Stroup (144) showed incredible tenacity in the 144-pound bracket. Stroup was seen nearly pinning Preston Otte of Lennox in a physical display of control. Stroup finished the tournament in fifth place.

·        Conner Christianson (285) represented the heavyweight division with authority. After a successful bout where he pinned Harrisburg’s Cooper Hodge, Christianson went on to secure a seventh-place finish by pinning Parker Muth of Sioux Falls Washington.

Kutler Swenson of Watertown tries to pin Benjamin Seeley of Beresford/Alcester-Hudson

Individual Champions

In addition to the localized highlights, four Arrows stood atop the podium as tournament champions:

·        Braylon Schell (106): First-period fall (1:25) over Macyn Gardner of O’Gorman.

·        Shea Richter (132): A dominant 18-2 technical fall over Wyatt Davidson of Harrisburg.

·        Kutler Swenson (138): Championship fall at the 3:10 mark.

·        Markus Pitkin (165): Secured a 13-1 major decision over Thayne Tjeerdsma of Wagner.

Final Team Standings

1.    Brandon Valley: 260.0

2.    Watertown: 224.0

3.    Harrisburg: 183.5

4.    Parkston: 137.5

5.    Wagner: 129.0

6.    Sioux Falls Lincoln: 125.5

7.    Beresford/Alcester-Hudson: 120.5

8.    O’Gorman: 116.0

9.    Brookings: 110.0

10.                    Dakota Valley: 62.0

Watertown's Cade Kuemper pins Gavin Boyle of O'Gorman

Championship Match Results

·        106: Schell (Watertown) def. Gardner (O’Gorman), Fall 1:25

·        113: O’Connor (O’Gorman) def. Krcil (Wagner), Dec 10-5

·        120: Oehme (Brandon Valley) def. Serck (Beresford/Alcester-Hudson), MD 10-1

·        126: Rehorst (Brandon Valley) def. Kettwig (Harrisburg), Dec 3-2

·        132: Richter (Watertown) def. Davidson (Harrisburg), TF 18-2

·        138: Swenson (Watertown) def. Kauffman (SF Lincoln), Fall 3:10

·        144: Stoeser (Harrisburg) def. Miller (Beresford/Alcester-Hudson), Dec 4-1

·        150: Shoemaker (Brandon Valley) def. Wiechmann (Wagner), TF 16-1

·        157: Reichert (Parkston) def. O’Connor (Harrisburg), MD 13-4

·        165: Pitkin (Watertown) def. Tjeerdsma (Wagner), MD 13-1

·        175: Anderson (Parkston) def. Veskrna (Brandon Valley), MD 16-6

·        190: Fulton (Vermillion) def. Ahmed (Brandon Valley), Dec 13-7

·        215: Knebel (Wagner) def. Petersen (SF Washington), TF 15-0

·        285: Schunke (Brandon Valley) def. Rodriguez Jr. (SF Lincoln), Fall 2:22

Photo credit: captured by.avah

Watertown's Conner Christianson after pinning Harrisburg's Cooper Hodge