KC Moulden won her third straight wrestling title the same way she won the other two – by pin.

The Enumclaw High senior won her first crown in 2013 in 3 minutes, 8 seconds. Her championship last season came at 54 seconds. Saturday night before friends, family and the Mat Classic crowd at the Tacoma Dome, she finished off Sophia Munoz of Highline in 1:38 to become the fifth girl in state wrestling history to earn three championships.

Emotionally, this was a big win for Moulden, whose grandmother passed away during the season.

“Before she passed I promised her I’d win for her,” Moulden said.

Cool and calm, she eliminated the competition on her way to the top of the 235-pound podium.

Moulden hoped to face Centralia’s Ryan Gibbons, who was making a run at a fourth state title. Gibbons was upset in the semifinals by Munoz, who was also a worthy opponent. The Highline wrestler beat Moulden early in the season. Moulden returned the favor at regionals before topping her at state.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy match,” she said.

Moulden earned her way into the finals with three straight falls. In her four years at the state tournament – 15 matches – EHS Coach Jerry Scheidt said Moulden lost just one match and won 14 by pin.

“She lost her freshman year to the state champion,” Scheidt said. “She was third in state that year.”

Moulden holds a number of EHS records including fastest pin, most pins in a season and most pins in a career. She tallied 15 pins this season, 82 for her career. She closes out her four seasons as a Hornet with a 90-9 win-loss record and leaves EHS as the first three-time girls state wrestling champion. Up until Saturday, she shared the two-time spot with 2010 graduate Chantelle Bailey.

“Overall it’s just been a great run for her,” Scheidt said. “It’s a great culmination for her career.”

Moulden also nailed down her second straight Academic state title with a 3.9 grade-point average. She has been accepted at ivy-league Cornell University, where the defending 3A state shot put champion would be part of the Big Red track and field team.

Story written by Brenda Sexton for Enumclaw High School’s Athletic Department.

Another highlight that bodes well for the Hornets’ future was the state appearance of freshman Alexandra Puzon at 100 pounds, who wrestled two matches, leading her second before suffering a loss in the closing seconds.

“It was probably the toughest bracket top to bottom in the state,” Scheidt said.