OLEAN, NY — This year’s Big 30 Most Valuable Wrestler awards, both the male and female top honors, have both found a home in the hands of Bolivar-Richburg’s Tavyn MacDonell and Teegan Sibble.

Facing dwindling program numbers, the duo shined at an individual level. MacDonell placed fourth in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Division II consolation final, placing him fourth in New York State in the 170-pound weight class. Sibble finished the year as a Section 6 champion in the 101-pound weight class and a third-place finisher in the NYSPHSAA Division II State Qualifier.

These achievements just begin to scratch the surface of what these Wolverines accomplished this year, and according to them none of it would have been possible without hard work and a commitment to improvement by the smaller sized roster they had around them.

“Feels pretty good,” MacDonell said of winning the award. “(It took) a lot of practice, a lot of me and Caden (Allen) just drilling a lot and going at it, kind of head butting, but it turned out in a good way.”

Sibble shared the same feelings about winning the award and on a bigger picture was proud that she has been able to represent female wrestlers in this way.”

“It feels amazing, I just hope more girls get into (wrestling),” Sibble said. “I’m just glad to be a part of it … I like to be someone who can get girls more into wrestling and just being that kind of leader.”

Of course, the proverbial elephant in the room was that both wrestlers who took home plaques donned the same “BR” on their jackets. Representing Bolivar-Richburg’s program at the highest level is something both MacDonell and Sibble have taken pride in. Now, with the program’s numbers having declined, both have found it has given them a new perspective when considering what it means to collect this award and represent their school.

“It’s great, we always had a good program at Bolivar, but it’s kind of declining and to just represent the team (is great),” MacDonell said. “Hopefully, we can get more.”

In Sibble’s eyes, the amount of success her team had on the year, especially facing the issue of limited numbers, speaks volumes. And that success did not come without the need for hard work and a healthy serving of internal support from teammates.

“It feels good, and the team is really small, so just to have good wrestlers and to beat other teams, it shows a lot,” Sibble said. “(It took) a lot of hard practices, a lot of training, rooting on our teammates, trying to get them better.”

However, the triumphs of MacDonell and Sibble did not come without their trials and tribulations. The duo needed to overcome the aforementioned limited roster and for MacDonell in specific, he needed to find it within himself to stave off the burnout he felt at points in the year.

“Most of the time, it was just burning out,” MacDonell said. “I’ve done the sport for 12, 13 years and it kind of just catches up with you. But you always just gotta get past it.”

Sibble’s wrestling career started when she was just four years old, developing strong relationships with her teammates. Her brothers, the first ones to have introduced her to the sport, had always been there for her and this year was the first she competed without one of them on the team. But thanks to the support she has felt from her fellow Wolverines, she didn’t find her brothers’ absence that difficult to overcome.

This year marks Teegan’s third as Big 30 Female Wrestler of the Year. The previous two, it was her brother Trent, a state champion in 2023 who now wrestles at Binghamton Univeristy, who won the top male honor.

“It’s been special, very special,” Sibble said. “My brother was on the team when I first started out. This is my first year without him. But, I built a relationship with my teammates, so this year wasn’t really that hard without my brother.”

Overall, both MacDonell and Sibble both agreed without hesitation that being named as Wrestler of the Year ranks towards the very top of all the accomplishments that they have reeled in over the years.

Even though he believes it was a “down year” for him personally and already has his eyes set on the mountaintop of a New York State title next season, MacDonell said that in terms of career achievements, he would rank this award “probably around top-three, it’s got to be up there.”

Sibble shared a similar answer. Even with bigger stages such as the national tournament on the horizon, she still acknowledged how much it means to be able to represent a small community.

“It ranks high, just to be a part of something with the guys and moving along,” Sibble said. “Because I know I have nationals in Fargo coming up and all the big tournaments, but just being a part of a small school, it ranks pretty high.”