Ema Durst didn’t just become the first girls wrestling state champion in Sycamore history when she won her 140-pound match at the IHSA State Finals on Saturday in Bloomington.

The junior is just the third wrestling state champion – boys and girls – for a program that crowned its first medalist in 1967.

“It’s hard to put into words to know that I’m not only making women’s history, but also just Sycamore history in general. It’s super exhilarating,” said Durst, who took fourth at state last year. “It doesn’t feel like it would happen to you until you’re doing it, until you’re the one out there on the mat and the whistle blows.”

Kaneland junior Angelina Gochis also won a state title. Gochis claimed the crown at 120 with a 9-3 win over Amelia Nidelea-Polanin.

DeKalb senior Alex Gregorio-Perez finished third at 100 pounds, and freshman teammate Larisza Gomez-Guevara was fourth at 105. Sycamore’s Jasmine Enriquez took sixth place at 235. Batavia’s Lily Enos picked up her fourth medal with a fifth-place finish at 100 pounds after nearly coming from behind against Gregorio-Perez in the consolation semifinals.

Gochis’ decision in the finals followed three tech falls to open the tournament as she became the fifth three-time champion in the tournament’s five-year history.

“There’s definitely some pressure on making sure I’m winning it again,” Gochis said. “But knowing I’m doing all the hard work and training I put in, I’m pretty confident in what I can do.”

Gochis said that as the tournament grows every year, it’s becoming more difficult.

“You just kind of have to keep working harder than all of them and make sure you’re going to stay on top,” Gochis said.

Durst finished the season 35-1, the only blemish coming in the DeKalb Sectional final two weeks ago to Minooka’s Ezra Rodriguez, who took fourth Saturday.

Durst had a pair of pins in the tournament, including against Oak Park-River Forest’s Isabella Miller in the final.

Durst gave up an early takedown, but got a reversal and worked her way to the pin with 10 seconds left in the first period.

“The reversal was great in that moment,” Durst said. “She had a great way to pressure me into that throw. It was beautifully done on her part. I think knowing it was the first period and knowing myself as a wrestler, I knew I could get out and do everything I needed to do to make sure I was the one getting my hand raised at the end.

And as she had done 35 times this season, her hand was raised once again, the loss to Rodriguez her only blemish. She didn’t get a rematch with the Minooka wrestler.

Durst said it’s mixed feelings finishing with one loss on the year.

“A part of me knows I’ll never get that one back,” Durst said. “But I think I would prefer having this 35-1 record because now next season I am going to drive for that undefeated record, and I have something I can improve on and something I can change.”

Enriquez took sixth, picking up a pin in the blood round to secure a medal before losing her final two matches.

Gregorio-Perez, in her fourth trip to state, picked up her third medal after finishing sixth twice. She reached the semifinals but lost to eventual state champion Janiah Slaughter of Huntley, 11-1.

She recovered in the consolation semifinals, knocking off Enos 6-5. Gregorio-Perez led most of the way, but Enos got a late four-point near fall to make it close. She fell into the fifth-place match, while Gregorio-Perez went on to beat Roxana’s Madelyn Murphy 3-1 to take third.

“It didn’t go as expected. I think I got a little too much in my head,” Gregorio-Perez said. “But other than that, to bounce back, I think it showed how much I really wanted it, how much I trusted myself.”

Gregorio-Perez was one of the original wrestlers to start the program four years ago. She’s excited to see where the team goes with young wrestlers like Gomez-Guevara.

“She’s fun to watch, fun to practice with, a great teammate,” Gregorio-Perez said. “I feel that I set the standard, and DeKalb girls’ wrestling is going to grow from here on out. I know it is.”

Gomez-Guevara continued to close the gap on Rockford East’s Saya Hongmoungkhoune, a defending state champion. They met in the finals of both regionals and sectionals, with Hongmoungkhoune winning both times.

This time around in the third-place match, Gomez-Guevara led 8-6 after a reversal with 41 seconds left. Hongmoungkhoune tied it up with a reversal 18 seconds later, and got a two-point near fall at the buzzer for a 10-8 win.

“It was like a free-for-all,” Gomez-Guevara said. “She’s a tough one. She definitely is. All respect to her. Girls like her make me want to work harder.”

Enos said she was a little upset with moving down to fifth after taking third as a sophomore and fifth as a freshman, junior and now a senior.

She said she was proud to end her career and head to North Central as a four-time medalist.

“I’m pretty happy with how my high school career wrapped up,” Enos said. “I’m a little sad with how state ended, but overall it was a good career, and I’m excited to go on to college and wrestle even more. And I end with, I think it was like 172 wins, the most in Batavia history. So I’m pretty happy about that.”