Girls/Women

Aspiring to be a state champion

Adeduntan hopes for gold at MSHSL girls state

Park Center senior Rodiat Adeduntan has one major goal this month – become the first Minnesota State High School League-sanctioned 126-pound girls state wrestling champion.

This year’s season is historic in the state with a girls state wrestling tournament being added to the docket for the first time, and Adeduntan said she is ready to prove herself on the big stage.

“If I was to be anything other than a state champ, honestly, I’d be disappointed in myself,” Adeduntan said. “Everyone is going there to reach first place. I am not going just to be there. I am not going there just to qualify. I want to win the whole thing. I want to be on top of my bracket. I want to prove that I am the best 126 female wrestler in the state of Minnesota.”

First, Adeduntan has to get through the section 5-8 tournament Feb. 19 at Sartell High School. Continue reading at hometownsource.com →

Pine Island High School Girls Tournament A Success

Minnesota high school wrestling has added a new chapter to its history book. The 2021-22 season marks the first year that the Minnesota State High School League has sanctioned girls wrestling at the 7th through 12th grade level. While girls have been accepted into boys’ programs for several years, this year marks the first season that women are eligible for their own separate Section and State tournaments.

Participants in female wrestling in Minnesota have risen in numbers for the last few years, and this year there are 250 girls spread amongst 101 high school teams. Recognizing that the rising number of girls would benefit from more competition among their peers, Pine Island High School took the initiative to provide that opportunity. After consulting with the MSHSL about what provisions would need to be met, the Pine Island All-Girls High School Wrestling Tournament was born.

Continue reading →

Girls wrestling steps into spotlight Saturday with 1st-ever MSHSL section tournament

A group of local prep athletes will have an opportunity to be part of history on Saturday, as they take part in the first-ever girls wrestling tournament officially sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL).

The MSHSL voted to approve a girls’ wrestling championship in 2022 and the first step for the wrestlers will be Saturday’s section tournaments in Hastings and Sartell.

Wrestlers from Faribault High School and Northfield High School are slated to compete at the tournament at Hastings High School, which will include teams from Sections 1, 2, 3 and 4.

The top two wrestlers in each weight class at the section tournament will then advance to the 2022 MSHSL state tournament, which will be held in conjunction with the boys tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on March 3-5. Continue reading at southernminn.com →

National Girls High School Rankings

February Pound-For-Pound and Top 25 Rankings

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling, and FloWrestling have released the February 2022 rankings for high school girls wrestlers for the 2021-22 season. This national ranking evaluates all girls enrolled in grades 8-12, and athletes from all 50 states are eligible for selection.

The February rankings reflect the results of the nine girls state high school championships already held in Alabama, Alaska, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The remainder of the official and unofficial state championships for girls will continue in February and through early March. The next ranking in March will reflect the results of those state tournaments and will be published before the start of the USA Wrestling spring season and other major postseason competitions.

Continue reading →

National Girls High School Rankings

January Pound-For-Pound and Top 25 Rankings

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling, and FloWrestling have released the January 2022 rankings for high school girls wrestlers for the 2021-22 season. This national ranking evaluates all girls enrolled in grades 8-12, and athletes from all 50 states are eligible for selection.

We are currently in the middle of the high school wrestling season, and a majority of U.S. high school women wrestlers are competing either for their girls wrestling team or their boys wrestling team.

This ranking has evaluated results from the major girls high school in-season tournaments held at the state and local levels, along with a few competitions outside of the high school athletics structure. In addition, the state girls wrestling rankings were considered.

Continue reading →

CEC girls are pioneers on the mat

Merely a week before the start of the wrestling season, an unexpected announcement over the PA system at Cloquet High School caught the attention of sophomores Kloey Jensen and Morgan Browne.

In light of the Minnesota State High School League’s approval of all-girls postseason wrestling tournaments for the first time this season, the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton team was seeking female participants to sign up for the growing sport.

With little hesitation, Browne and Jensen jumped at the unique opportunity.

“I thought it was cool because a lot of times girls aren’t accepted into the other sports, like football and all,” Browne said. “When I saw that, I thought it was cool. That’s mostly why I joined.” Continue reading at duluthnewstribune.com →

The Main Event – Bemidji and Mora Make History

By Brian Jerzak

As far as we can figure out, on December 2nd, Minnesota high school wrestling history was made at Bemidji High School. The Lumberjacks’ wrestling team hosted a triangular with Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton and Grand Rapids. The Lumberjacks’ grapplers rolled to two comfortable victories – winning by over forty points in both duals. However, that was far from the main event.

“There was a lot of excitement in the gym,” Bemidji head wrestling coach Rance Bahr said. “During our dual with DGF – one of my wrestlers – Seth Newby (ranked 5th at 170 pounds in AAA by The Guillotine), leaned over and said, ‘Coach, we are the JV dual tonight.'”

Newby felt like the 7th ranked team in AAA was on the undercard for a good reason. Bemidji’s newest high school team was making its debut.

“Everyone’s eyes were on the girls’ match,” Bahr said about the Bemidji versus Mora girls’ dual meet. “That side of the gym was packed. Everyone was screaming. We were even looking over there to see what was happening.”

Continue reading →

National Girls High School Rankings

Northfield’s Ella Pagel enters pound-for-pound rankings

USA Wrestling, FloWrestling, and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum have published the November 2021 rankings for high school girls wrestlers for the 2021-22 season. This national ranking evaluates all girls enrolled in grades 8-12, and athletes from all 50 states are eligible for selection.

It has been a busy preseason of action including major events including Who’s No. 1, Super 32, the USA Wrestling Preseason Nationals, the Ultimate Club Duals, FreakShow, and many other preseason events in both folkstyle and freestyle.

New No. 1 ranked wrestlers since September Preseason Rankings include Brianna Gonzalez of California (100), Jaclyn Dehney of New Hampshire (117), Janida Garcia of California (132), and Destiny Rodriguez of Oregon (144).

Continue reading →