Fifteen Powell athletes and three wrestling coaches made the trip in June to Gunnison, Colorado, to take part in a team camp at Western Colorado University.

A number of athletes from the Powell High School boys’ team featured in the dual style tournament, as the Panthers finished 12-3 against top teams from around Colorado, Arizona, Texas and Kansas. Powell was the only Wyoming team in attendance.

“We wrestled outstanding. Beat some really good teams,” coach Nick Fulton said. “We didn’t win all of them but it’s good for us to be exposed to that level (of competition).”

That included a win against one of the top teams in Arizona, Corona Del Sol out of Tempe, which placed third at state last season.

Panther boys featured included Wyatt Nicholson and Braxton Batt at 113 pounds, Gabe Whiting at 120 pounds, Chevy Hill at 126 pounds, Tyler Wenzel at 132 pounds, Broc Frank at 144 pounds, Patrick Haney at 157 pounds, Mitchel Wainscott at 165 pounds, McKale Foley and Cody Seifert at 175 pounds, Dusty Carter at 190 pounds, Denton Wainscott at 215 pounds and Jacob Eaton at 285 pounds.

The Panthers picked up an additional wrestler not from Powell to fill in at 138 pounds, but still left three weights open for the camp.

Competing against a variety of teams was important for Fulton. He said seeing a wide variety of techniques and approaches helps the Panthers — he said he realized how much more aggressive the Panthers were compared to other teams.

“We’re always looking to learn, it’s interesting seeing all the different styles,” Fulton said. “The one thing that was resounding to me is we are more physical and aggressive compared to these other teams. That’s something we pride ourselves on.”

Despite the smaller Powell group giving up 18 points due to open weights, the largest deficit only proved to be 11 with the other two losses coming by single digits.

“We wrestled like a veteran team,” Fulton said. “That shows a lot of composure.”

At the camp, the Panthers were faced with three key new rules that will be in effect next wrestling season, with the National Federation of State High School Associations recently announcing big changes that mirror the college wrestling rules.

Those include the change from a two to a three point takedown, the opportunity to earn four points on a near fall and changing the out-of-bounds rule to say that only one point of contact must be inbounds for the match to be considered inbounds.

Fulton said being able to compete with that new ruleset will be a huge benefit for the Panthers once the season rolls around.

“It will give us a leg up out of the chutes,” Fulton said. “It was such a competitive camp.”

Fulton said there were 48 men’s teams attending, more than 20 women’s teams and around 1,000 wrestlers total competing on 32 mats.

On the girls’ side, Powell had two wrestlers in attendance with Cadee Eden competing at 100 pounds and Allison LeBlanc competing at 110 pounds.

“Caydee was picked for the camp All-Star match and won 8-7,” Fulton said. “I was really pleased with the way they wrestled too.”

Throughout the trip Fulton was appreciative of the time the athletes spent together.

“It was fun spending time with these kids. You see a lot of bonding with them,” Fulton said. “It was a really positive week for the Panthers.”

Fulton noted the importance of attending these camps for the Panthers, as it pits them up against fresh competition and takes out the prior storylines involved with athletes from around Wyoming.

“One of the best things is it takes out the factor of ‘oh this kid beat me in third grade.’ There’s no TrackWrestling record (at camp),” Fulton said. “It takes wrestling to the purest form. It’s important for kids to realize what their abilities are rather than what’s on paper, and a lot of kids struggle with that.”

He said that it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Club Dauntless which provided a van for the team to travel in to the camp.

“Can’t thank them enough for how they support Panther athletics,” Fulton said. “My kids wouldn’t get to experience this without their support. The wrestling team certainly appreciates their support for us.”

Fulton said that the team will continue to lift and get stronger throughout the summer, with several athletes taking part in fall sports before heading into the wrestling season in the winter.

He said they will continue to hold open mats and work on technique, with the team having big goals next season after returning a large portion of the wrestlers.

“We’re looking towards February,” Fulton said. “We want to put the time in to ensure they have the best opportunities for success.”