The Wilbraham & Monson Academy Wrestling team heard a lot of clanking on its recent ride home from New Hampshire, and it wasn’t from an old minibus.

Eight wrestlers earned medals by placing in the top six at the New England Prep School Class A Championships Feb. 11 at St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H.

With enough female competitors for a girls division, Hanser Yoon ’24 had the best finish of all WMA wrestlers, placing second in the 120-pound weight class. Yumin “Yuna” Rho ’23 took third at 145.

Also winning hardware for the Titans were: Trevor Trudeau ’27 (3rd, 106), Keigo Koyasu ’23 (5th, 120), John Crocker ’25 (4th, 144), Owen Swanson ’24 (3rd, 150), Jiwoong “Daniel” Hong ’26 (5th, 157) and Jiseong Choi ’23 (6th, 190).

“I’m very pleased with the team's overall effort,” Coach Drew Shea ’08 said. “Everyone wrestled very well regardless of win or loss.”

Hanser wrestled three opponents from Phillips Academy, going 2-1 with two pins.

“It was my first time participating in a tournament, and it was a thrilling experience,” Hanser said. “Although I was anxious and pressured at the start, I eventually ended the day on a happy note, feeling more confident and proud of myself than ever before. The tournament was truly another learning opportunity for me. Standing on a podium after receiving a medal is a memory I will never forget.”

Hanser’s performance qualified her for the New England Prep School Wrestling Association Championships, which will be held at Phillips Exeter Academy on Feb. 17-18.

“Hanser is prepping and planning for a big weekend at New England’s this coming weekend,” Coach Shea said. “We are very excited to see her continue to find success on the mat.”

Owen went 4-1 and finished with three pins.

“Owen’s performance and effort was top-notch,” Coach Shea beamed. “We are very proud of his hard work on Saturday and the hours of dedicated preparation he put in during practice the week leading up to the tournament.”

Another bright spot for WMA was John, who went 2-2 at the Class A meet.

“John’s dedication and work ethic in the wrestling room combined with that of Owen is helping the pair to push themselves physically and mentally every day at practice,” Coach Shea explained. “They continue to work together in efforts of being as ready as possible for whoever they meet next on the mat.”

Along with Hanser, also qualifying for the New England meet were: Trevor, Keigo, John, Owen and Yuna.