Lilia Gudzyuk had no idea what to expect coming into the Junior and Cadet National Women’s Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Fargo, N.D., July 17-25.

With a scant three years of experience on the mat, the Auburn Mountainview High School senior’s only big meet experience came earlier this year when she grabbed fifth place at 160 pounds at the Washington State Mat Classic championships in the Tacoma Dome.

“Honestly, since it was my first time wrestling freestyle at Nationals, I honestly didn’t know what to expect,” Gudzyuk said. “This is my first time wrestling freestyle.

“It looks similiar to the Dome (and Mat Classic),” she added. “The whole set up was the same. There wasn’t that many people showing up in the beginning, but towards the finals, there was an enormous amount of people.”

With the country’s best woman wrestlers all vying for a national championship, Gudzyuk said she knew there was only one thing to do to prepare – train, train and train.

“I trained five weeks hard with our guys, and it really prepared us,” she said. “For three days a week, three hours a day, I worked hard running, lifting and wrestling. Coach told us we needed to work on our own, too, so I did more running.”

For Gudzyuk the grueling workouts paid off with a fifth-place finish in the 153-pound class.

“I felt really good about my finish,” she said. “I hope to come back next year and do even better now I know who is going to be in it. The girl who won nationals is from Idaho, and I think she s going to be in my weight class again. So I have to watch out for her.”

Annelise DeAragon from Sandpoint, Idaho took home first-place.

In addition to taking fifth, Gudzyuk also got the chance to extract a measure of revenge at the tourney by pinning Montesano wrestler Michaela Ecklund in the fifth-place match. Ecklund pinned Gudzyuk in the third round of the Mat Classic this year.

Gudzyuk’s performance also helped the Washington state contingent finish fourth with 30 points. Texas, followed by California and New York, topped the list

Most important to Gudzyuk, however, was the chance the tourney gave her to prepare for this season’s campaign.

“Since I’ve wrestled so much this summer, I really think I have a good shot at a state title,” she said. “My technique is so much better now, and I think I’m at my peak as a wrestler after three years.”