RONAN — The Ronan Maidens are in their midst of their wrestling season with a young but talented group of athletes.
One of the most experienced on the team is junior River Cote, who began her wrestling career on a high note by winning the 100-pound Class A title as a freshman in 2024.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
“Winning it as a freshman put a target on me and some pressure,” Cote said. “But it really motivated me just more to keep pushing myself harder. Just my main goal was there was pressure on me, and my goal was just to keep working harder to improve myself more.”
Sometimes even hard work cannot prepare you for what life has to offer.
Ronan coach Cameron Neiss says the Maidens were hit hard with the loss of teammate Brynn Courville in an automobile accident last January that affected everyone, especially Cote.
“Wrestling by itself is not easy. It challenges you mentally, it challenges you physically, as I think what she's done coming on the other side of that, challenging time,” Neiss said. “So that's exciting to see her do, and I think the second half of the season is really looking up for her.“
Having taken third in state last year, that loss has stuck with Cote for a while, but with a group of talented young teammates around her, she is determined to push herself back to the top of the podium.
“It stung. It hurt, but it really more so just pushed me in my own mind to just work harder,” Cote said. “If I keep working harder, then I will achieve it again.”
The 2026 state wrestling tournament is Feb. 19-21 at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark in Billings.
