Their styles are completely different, but Katrina Gibson and Madyson Gillen will forever share a common bond. The seniors have been cornerstones for the Aberdeen Central girls’ wrestling program.

Years from now, when people look back on the early stages of Golden Eagles girls’ wrestling it will be impossible not to recognize the accomplishments of the dynamic duo.

While Gibson and Gillen have developed a different approach to strategy on the mat, the end result is the same.

“They kind of set the tone just in terms of how we’re supposed to go out there and compete. Each of them has very different styles, but they both have one thing in common: they find a way to win,” said Central girls’ coach Jake Flakus. “That really is the tone that we want to set, whether you go out and pin them in 20 seconds or you dig deep into matches and gas them out. Either style, you’ve just got to find a way to win and both of them do that.”

Gillen got a head start in the sport, growing up in a wrestling family. The transition to the mat was a natural fit.

“My family has all wrestled. My dad was a wrestler. I’ve been around wrestling since I was little with my cousins, so I’ve always wanted to take it on the mat,” Gillen said. “I always thought about it when I was little.”

In fact, the wrestling never really stops for Gillen, even when she is not competing for the Eagles.

“All the time they’re trying to show me stuff at home,” Gillen said. “The grind never stops.”

Gibson was the exact opposite, not knowing a thing about the sport until she decided to give it a try.

“I didn’t even know what wrestling was until my first year,” Gibson said. “I came up here (to the wrestling room) and I didn’t even know what wrestling stance was. I had never seen anyone wrestle. I didn’t even know wrestling was a thing. I knew nothing.”

To say that Gibson was a quick learner is a major understatement as last season she became the first female wrestler in school history to win a state championship.

Meanwhile, Gillen is Central’s first multi-time state place winner in the history of the program.

Interestingly enough, the girls have a much different philosophy when it comes to wrestling. Gibson is a grinder, willing to go the distance and wear down opponents along the way. Gillen brings an attack mode to the mat, getting down to business from the opening whistle.

Gibson isn’t quite sure where her style comes from.

“I don’t know if I really ever came up with it, it just kind of happened. My whole family picking on me, calling me ‘The Grinder,’ and saying ‘bully-bully em,'” Gibson said. “Whether it was (Central boys’ coach Donnie) Bowden saying weather the storm and just stay out there and be a fighter and stuff like that, I’ve always been kind of the stronger out of my three siblings, and so I’m just kind of weathering the storm, I guess.”

While Gibson is weathering the storm, it’s Gillen who is busy causing the storm, ripping into foes with major aggession.

“You better be here on time,” Gillen said, “otherwise you’ll miss it.”

Gillen said there are a few times when she takes a more cautious approach, but not very often.

“The girls that are ranked higher than me, I kind of take my time and see what they’re going to do,” Gillen said, “but other than that I just kind of go out there and get it done.”

And whether by finesse or by force, Gibson and Gillen more times than not find ways to foil opponents.

“Katrina will just kind of barrel and bruise people, and then wait for them to make a mistake and she’ll capitalize,” Flakus said. “She can dig down deep in matches, whereas Madyson likes to go out and slap ’em around right away and just put them to their back. She wants to pin them as quickly as she can. Again, two very different styles, but they find a way to win matches.”

Gibson and Gillen plan go their separate ways next season. Gibson will head to the University of Sioux Falls and wrestling for the Cougars. Gillen will attend North Dakota State College of Science and go into the dental program. Both have more immediate plans, though.

“I would love to be a two-time state champ, but that’s not my main goal. My main goal every day going into practice and going into a tournament or a dual or whatever it is, is just to get better, to learn from what I’m messing up as and just get better,” Gibson said. “So whether I’m wrestling someone at practice or wrestling someone in a tournament, it’s not ‘oh I have to win this, otherwise I’m going to beat myself up,’ it’s more I just have to learn from what I’m doing.”

Gillen is fighting through pain in order to cap her final season back on the podium at the state tournament. She has had shoulder issues throughout her high school career.

“I tore my labrum three years ago and I’ve just been pushing it off, and pushing it off, because shoulder surgery is a big surgery,” Gillen said. “This is my fifth time dislocating it this season.”

Still, she fights on for the goal that lies in front of her.

“State’s my end goal so might as well keep going through the pain and misery to place,” Gillen said. “That’s my goal.”

Regardless of what happens the remainder of the season, it is safe to say that Gibson and Gillen will walk away as the most decorated female wrestlers in Central history and the legacy they leave behind will likely be felt for years to come.

“Katrina being a state champ and Gillen being a multi state place winner, I think they’ll be the names that people will remember,” Flakus said, “and I think that gives our girls a hunger to want to be that name as well.”