Severson Sets the Standard for Baraboo Wrestling
What makes Baraboo wrestling special this season isn’t just wins on the mat—it’s the standard being set by two relentless competitors: senior Dezmen Severson and sophomore Nia Jones. Both Thunderbirds have lead with not only with their results, but with their fire, focus and example. They’re the kind of athletes, younger teammates watch closely, because how they train and how they compete shows exactly what it means to wear Baraboo colors with pride.
Severson’s journey has been four years in the making, and it just reached a breakthrough moment. As four-year varsity letter winner, he finally punched his ticket to the WIAA Individual State Wrestling Tournament at the Kohl Center, held Feb. 26–28. After three straight seasons at sectionals, finishing third each time, he refused to let his story end the same way. This year, wrestling at 126 pounds, he battled his way to a sectional runner-up finish, highlighted by a massive win over Reedsburg’s Braiden Hale-Toomey, who entered the day ranked No. 2 in the state. That victory didn’t just secure a spot at state; it symbolized years of persistence paying off.
Teammates see a senior who treats every practice like an opportunity and every drill like it matters. After coming so close to state three years running, it would have been easy to fade or accept “almost” as good enough. Instead, he turned that frustration into fuel, showing younger wrestlers how to respond when goals don’t come easily. By finally breaking through, he’s given the entire Thunderbird program a powerful example of resilience and what can happen when you keep believing in the work.
On the other side of the practice room, Jones is proving that age and class year don’t limit impact. Still only a sophomore, she is already a two-year varsity letter winner, carving out her own path at 126 pounds. At regionals, she stepped into a high-pressure moment and delivered, earning a fall over Waunakee’s Sophia Fisher in 3:32 to advance to sectionals. That win means she’ll represent Baraboo next weekend with a chance to secure her own trip to state, and it reflects the toughness and poise she brings every time she steps on the mat.
Jones’s presence is especially important for the future of the program. As a fierce competitor who is still early in her high school career, she shows younger girls and new wrestlers what’s possible with commitment and courage. She trains with an edge, competes with confidence and carries herself like a veteran, setting a tone that others rise to meet. Alongside Severson, she helps establish a culture where effort, accountability and fearlessness are expected, not requested.
Together, Severson and Jones embody what Baraboo Thunderbirds wrestling is all about: leadership, grit and pride in the program. One is a senior finally realizing a long-held dream; the other is a rising star pushing hard to create her own. Both have earned their teammates’ respect by how they work and how they compete, and their success is energizing the entire community. As Severson heads to the Kohl Center and Jones battles for her ticket to join him, Baraboo can be proud knowing its wrestling future and present, is in fierce, determined hands.
