Week 9 Athlete of the Week: Leola Eslinger

By Andy Brown
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Updated: February 19, 2025

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week nine of the winter sports season, sponsored by Edward Jones-Craig Holtzen.

LEOLA ESLINGER, SOPHOMORE, WRESTLING

Louisburg sophomore Leola Eslinger made history Saturday at the Class 4A East Regional Tournament at Paola High School. Eslinger joined freshman Brooklyn DeWeese as they became the first Wildcat girls to qualify for the state tournament. At 145 pounds, Eslinger went 3-2 on the day and finished seventh overall as the top eight in each weight class qualify.

Eslinger defeated Bishop Ward’s Adalize Arevalo, the No. 4 seed, in the blood round by major decision. She earned a convincing 11-6 victory in the seventh-place match against No. 3 seed Brooklyn Collingsworth of Columbus. Both Eslinger and DeWeese will represent Louisburg at the state tournament on Feb. 28 in Salina.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the winter season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Gavin Lohse

Week 2: Colin Brown

Week 3: Jay McCaskill

Week 4: Brayden Yoder

Week 5: Andrew Jamison

Week 6: Ashlyn Kuhlman

Week 7: Ashton Moore

Week 8: Brooklyn DeWeese