Teegan Vasquez Completes 4-Peat Quest

While the team race was filled with drama, there was relatively little drama in the quests by Kalispell Glacier’s Teegan Vasquez and Bozeman’s Avery Allen to become four-time state champions.

Going into the weekend, there had been just 38 in the history of Montana high school wrestling, but when Vasquez earned his fourth pin of the tournament over Butte’s Kip Pumnea, he became No. 39. 

“It feels really great,” Vasquez said. “I’ve been waiting for hold up four fingers here. It’s cool to see everybody stand up and recognize you. It’s surreal but I still feel like I’ve got more wrestling to go.”

Vasquez said he’s exploring different options for college and his career on the mat likely isn’t over. His high school days are done though and he ends his career as the first wrestler from Kalispell to become a four-time state champ.

“It’s crazy,” he said. “With all the great wrestlers to come out of the Flathead valley, to be the first, it’s an amazing achievement.”

Just two matches after Vasquez became the 39th four-time state champion, Avery Allen joined him as the 40th, pinning Kade Baumann in 1:19 to win the 145-pound title and like Vasquez, he pinned his way through all four matches.

“I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this sport,” Allen said. “And I’m happy I get to share it my teammates, my brothers. This is one of those stepping stones I have been looking for since I was a kid.”

Now, Allen has achieved it and is the first Bozeman Hawk to do it since his old training partner, Leif Schroeder, when Allen was a freshman. 

“It’s amazing,” Allen said. “There have been so many great wrestlers to come from the state of Montana. I look up to those guys and being able to be part of that culture, it’s’ just special.”