The Sentinel: Search results for Maddie Wells

Off-season work pays off; St. Joseph-Ogden's Maddie Wells heads to state wrestling

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Maddie Wells (left) wrestles Urbana's Rickasia Ivy in dual meet in December. Wells and Ivy, who took second place, qualified for the IHSA Girls Individual Wrestling State Finals in Bloomington Feb. 28 - Mar. 1.

HIGHLAND - At the beginning of the season in December, when asked what she wanted to accomplish this season, St. Joseph-Ogden's Maddie Wells said, "I'm really hoping to qualify for girls' state for the first time." Mission accomplished.

Wells, a junior who started wrestling three years ago, is a warrior. Yesterday, she became the first St. Joseph-Ogden female athlete to qualify for the IHSA's Girls Wrestling State Finals. Finishing third in the 140-pound division, the junior's grueling path through the bracket to punch her ticket to the state tournament in Bloomington was sealed after six matches at the Highland Sectional.

"I was kind of in disbelief and I was happy for all my friends that I’ve made along the way that also qualified," Wells said after her third-place finish. "I was most excited to eat Chipotle, though."

Except for her quarterfinal loss to Collinsville's Taylor Dawson, who won the sectional title in their division, Wells won four matches by fall and recorded a techfall in her consolation semifinal win over Mt. Vernon's Daniya Musgrave.

Mentally and emotionally, she said her first match of sectionals was the most stressful.

"My qualification match was my toughest," she admitted. "My previous two years I had been knocked out in this round so I was the most nervous."

Wells won her sectional opener, pinning Salem's Alan Finney at 1:44. Her quarterfinal loss to Dawson lasted 42 seconds. She bounced back from the defeat to win her next four bouts.

All the work Wells put in during the off-season paid dividends. She heads to the state tournament at Grossinger Motors Arena with an 18-6 record.

"I do a lot of open gyms," she said. She also attended camps at the University of Illinois during the summer to sharpen her technical skills. "And, I did some off-season girls tournaments."

Now a trailblazer for the Spartan girls' program and one of two girls on this year's squad, she hopes that her success will influence other female athletes to join the sport.

"I feel privileged to be able to pave the path but I feel excited to see the girls that follow," she said. "I hope I inspired girls younger than me to not be afraid of trying new things despite their gender and being able to follow their dreams."

Maddie Wells sectional match results:

Champ. Round 1 - Maddie Wells won by fall over Alana Finney, Salem - Fall 1:44
Quarterfinal - Taylor Dawson, Collinsville 32-3 won by fall over Maddie Wells - Fall 0:42
Cons. Round 2 - Maddie Wells won by fall over Kaisley Shotkoski, Mahomet-Seymour - Fall 1:15
Cons. Round 3 - Maddie Wells won by fall over Jacee Mardirosian, Carterville - Fall 3:34
Cons. Semi - Maddie Wells won by tech fall over Daniya Musgrave, Mt. Vernon - TF-1.5 2:18 18-0
3rd Place Match - Maddie Wells won by fall over Lillien Roughton, Unity Christian - Fall 3:09

Maddie Wells finishes third at The Munch, Rice goes 1-1

Spartan Maddie Wells works on a apply a head-lever on an Urbana grappler during a JV match on December 2. A week later, the sophomore finished in third place at The Munch Pontiac Invitational wrestling tournament.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

PONTIAC - St. Joseph-Ogden wrestler Maddie Wells brought home a bronze medal for her efforts at 'The Munch' Pontiac Invitational on Saturday. Wrestling at 130-pounds, Wells finished the two-day event with three wins and one loss in 17-woman bracket.

SJO sophomore Lily Rice went 1-and-1, winning and losing by pin in the 125-pound weight class.

Of the six matches wrestled by SJO girls, only one went the distance requiring a decision.

Box Score

125 - RICE, LILY (St. Joseph-Ogden) def. Rodriguez, Itzel (UNAT) Fall 0:31
125 - Vargan, Victoria (morton) def. RICE, LILY (St. Joseph-Ogden) Fall 1:16
130 - WELLS, MADDIE (St. Joseph-Ogden) def. Carbajal (UNAT) Fall 2:28
130 - WELLS, MADDIE (St. Joseph-Ogden) def. DeWitt, Hailey (Jacksonville) - Fall 3:51
130 - Linhorst (Edwardsville) def. WELLS, MADDIE (St. Joseph-Ogden)- Decision 0-0
130 - WELLS, MADDIE (St. Joseph-Ogden) def. Cailteux, K (Minooka) - Fall 1:44

Urbana captures first win of season, Kelso leads Spartans

Urbana captures first win of season with 6-3 victory over St. Joseph-Ogden in girls tennis behind strong doubles play at Blair Park.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Urbana's Elianna Lee hits the ball back over the net while playing the second set of her match against St. Joseph-Ogden's Samantha Kelso in the Tigers' home match against the Spartans.

URBANA - Samantha Kelso broke through for her first singles win of the year, but Urbana High School claimed its first team victory of the season with a 6-3 triumph over St. Joseph-Ogden in a nonconference girls tennis match Tuesday at Blair Park.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Maddie Wells serves during her doubles match on Tuesday.

Kelso, playing No. 1 singles, ended a two-match skid with a grueling 6-4, 7-5 decision over Urbana’s Elianna Lee in a contest that lasted two hours and 25 minutes. The win gave the Spartans an early lift, but Urbana rallied behind depth and strong doubles play.

St. Joseph-Ogden senior Lily Rice also delivered, earning her second singles win of the fall by defeating Urbana’s Catherine Bretl 6-2, 6-0. Rice, who split four matches last season, is off to a promising start with an eye on a breakout year. At No. 6 singles, Kenley Ray gave the Spartans their third point, topping Alisa Aksimentyeva 6-4, 6-2.

Urbana’s lineup countered with steady performances from its underclassmen. Freshman Anyssa Tangmunarunkit rallied from a set down to outlast SJO’s Madison Farber 3-6, 6-3, 10-5. Her older sister, Ananyah Tangmunarunkit, added a 6-4, 6-2 win over Ainsley Rhoten at No. 3 singles. Gwen McLean rounded out Urbana’s singles victories with a 6-3, 6-1 result over Avarie Dietiker.

With the score tied 3-3 after singles play, Urbana swept the doubles courts to clinch the dual. Lee teamed with Ananyah Tangmunarunkit for a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 1, while Bretl and McLean secured No. 2 doubles with a 6-2, 6-1 victory. Anyssa Tangmunarunkit and Aksimentyeva closed it out with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 3.

The victory improved Urbana to 1-1, while St. Joseph-Ogden slipped to 2-2. Urbana will host St. Thomas More on Tuesday, Sept. 9, before embarking on a three-match road swing. The Spartans hit the road Monday, Sept. 8, for a matchup with Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, followed by a Sept. 18 conference battle at Pontiac.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Tigers' Catherine Bretl and Gwen McLean go over game strategy during a changeover in the second set. The duo won their doubles match, defeating Maddie Wells and Ava Midkiff 6-2, 6-1.

Box Score

Urbana 6, St. Joseph-Ogden 3

Singles
No. 1 — Samantha Kelso (SJO) def. Elianna Lee (Urbana) 6-4, 7-5
No. 2 — Lily Rice (SJO) def. Catherine Bretl (Urbana) 6-2, 6-0
No. 3 — Ananyah Tangmunarunkit (Urbana) def. Ainsley Rhoten (SJO) 6-4, 6-2
No. 4 — Anyssa Tangmunarunkit (Urbana) def. Madison Farber (SJO) 3-6, 6-3, 10-5
No. 5 — Gwen McLean (Urbana) def. Avarie Dietiker (SJO) 6-3, 6-1
No. 6 — Kenley Ray (SJO) def. Alisa Aksimentyeva (Urbana) 6-4, 6-2

Doubles
No. 1 — Lee/Tangmunarunkit, A. (Urbana) def. Schmitz/Warnes (SJO) 6-3, 6-2
No. 2 — Bretl/McLean (Urbana) def. Wells/Midkiff (SJO) 6-2, 6-1
No. 3 — Tangmunarunkit, An./Aksimentyeva (Urbana) def. Hartman/Spain (SJO) 6-3, 6-3

Photo Gallery | Lightweights lift SJO in home win over Clinton

ST. JOSEPH - The St. Joseph-Ogden wrestling squad won seven out of the nine lightest weight classes on the way to a 56-36 win last night over Clinton. Here are photos from last night's action-packed meet against the Maroons.

Spartan's Hunter Ketchum rolls Clinton's Aric Oliver to his back in their 182-pound match on Thursday in the Main Gym at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. Ketchum, competing in second season, picked up his first varsity win with pin at 2:55.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Fans cheer after St. Joseph-Ogden 182-pounder Hunter Ketchum's win over Clinton's Aric Oliver. Ketchum's victory put the first six point on SJO's side of the scoreboard.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

SJO's Peyton Sarver tries to drive Kael Morlock face down into the mat during their 195-pound match. Sarver battled valiantly for nearly six minutes before suffering a loss by pin with 8 seconds left on the clock. Fall 5:52

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Peyton Sarver overpowers Clinton's Kael Morlock during second period action in their 195-pound match. Sarver is one for four seniors on this year's Spartan wrestling team.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Wrestling at 285-pounds, SJO wrestler Quincy Jones looks for a shot in on Clinton's Dawson Thayer. Thayer went on to beat the Spartan in the first period by pin.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Clinton's Dawson Thayer wrestles Spartans' Quincy Jones.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Jackson Walsh shoots in for a takedown on Clinton's Jeremiah Ortiz during the 106-pound match. Walsh prevailed with pin at 4:47. Earlier in the triangle meet on Thursday, Walsh suffered defeat by El Paso-Gridley's Nolan Whitman by way of a first period pin.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

With the crowd cheering behind him, 106-pound wrestler Jackson Walsh from SJO celebrates his win over Clinton's Jeremiah Ortiz. Walsh, a sophomore

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Emmitt Holt dumps Clinton's Gabe Walker to the mat during their 120-pound bout. Holt, the only junior this year's squad, ran up the match score up to a 20-3 tech fall and tallied his second win of the day. Earlier in SJO's first match of the evening, Holt defeated El Paso-Gridley's Caleb Graham with a second period pin.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Spartans' Holden Brazelton somersaults out of a takedown attempt by Clinton's Cayden Poole in their 132-pound match. Brazelton, who finished 6th at last year's state finals as a 120-pound freshman, destroyed Poole by major decision, 11-2.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

SJO's Holden Brazelton tries force Clinton's Cayden Poole out of a neck bridge in their 132-pound match. Brazelton, who finished 6th at last year's state finals as a 120-pound freshman, destroyed Poole by major decision, 11-2.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Student fans and members of the St. Joseph-Ogden wrestling team cheer for Holden Brazelton at the end of the second period during his match against Clinton's Cayden Poole.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Holden Brazelton scores a takedown in his 132-pound match against Clinton's Cayden Poole.

Media/Clark Brooks

Representing SJO in the 138-pound weight class against Clinton, Landen Butts was all business in his match against Maroons' Sable Taylor. Butts crafted a 16-0 techinical fall to win the bout. Earlier in the evening, the sophomore lost to El Paso-Gridley's Tyler Roth by pin. Tech Fall 16-0

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

After earning back points, Spartans' Coy Hayes looks for an attack on Clinton's Russel Stamp. Hayes won the 152-pound match in the second period by pin.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

SJO wrestler Maddie Wells tries score points on Clinton's Ariana Humes during their 120-pound match. Wells, a freshman, earned six points for the Spartans after pinning Humes at 2:48.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Maddie Wells is declared winner after pinning Clinton sophomore Ariana Humes.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden wrestler nearly pins a Clinton grappler during the 120-pound exhibition match.

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden finishes 7th holiday wrestling tournament

SPRINGFIELD - The Spartans defeated Hoopeston Area 60-18 to finish in 7th place in the Bronze Division at ABE's Rumble.

Banded together, the top 16 grapplers from St. Joseph-Ogden competed in nine duo meets in two days at the Bank of Springfield Center.

After enjoying a first-round bye in the four-match pool round, Brandon Goodwin, Logan Xiao, Devan Swisher, Khaden Hallowell, Emmitt Holt, and Holden Brazelton delivered victories in the ten-point loss to their first opponent, Anna-Jonesboro, 43-32.

In the third bout, SJO won four of the 14 possible matches, falling 42-19 to Auburn.

Devan Swisher pinned Jasen Verry in the third period of the 157-pound match at 4:12. Wrestling at 106 pounds, Holt, a senior, stuck George Piazza at the one minute and seven seconds mark for six points.

Jackson Walsh picked up his first W at the two-day event with an 8-2 decision in the 113-pound division over Jasmine Brown. SJO got a major decision from Landen Butts after he shut out Noah Duncan 8-0.

Brazelton (10-1) suffered his first loss of the season at the hands of Trojan Anthony Ruzic in their 132-pound match. Ruzic outmanuevered the Spartan junior, 8-3

Recovering their composure after the dominating loss at the hands of the Trojans, SJO rolled over Mercer County, 51-29.

Swisher (157), Vance McComas (165), Khaden Hallowell (190), Holt (106), Walsh (113), Maddie Wells (126), and Goodwin logged wins by fall or forfeit.

Only two matches went the distance. Sophomore Camden Getty won his over Mercer County's Miles Ward, 18-13, while Butts fell 18-2 to Eagles' Ethan Monson.

In their final pool match, the Spartans fell to Olympia, 60-24. SJO notched four wins thanks to Brazelton, Holt, McComas, and Swisher.

McComas was awarded a forfeit at 165-pounds, and Swisher, as well at 157 pounds. Holt beat Olympia's Noah Whiteside by pin at 3:09 in their 106-pound match, and Brazelton made quick work of the Oly's Landon Smith via 30-second pin.

The Spartans finished 4th pool action behind Olympia in first, Anna Jonesboro in second place, and Auburn in third. Mercer County finished under SJO in 5th place.

Advancing to the Bronze Division, St. Joseph-Ogden defeated Shelbyville 48-33. The team dropped the next two matches, first Tremont (51-29) and then against Robinson (48-34).

In the final dual for the squad in 2023, the Spartans won ten bouts by fall or forfeit. Brodie Harms, Wells, Brazelton, Xiao, and Hallowell recorded first-period wins by pin. Holt secured his final victory of '23 in the second period, sticking Cornjerkers' Charlie Flores at 2:57.

The Spartans tallied 60 points against Hoopeston Area to secure a 7th-place finish out of a pool of 16 teams in the division.

This year's contingent competing at the annual holiday grappling event included Brodie Harms, Khaden Hallowell, Chaz Bowlin, Vance McComas, James Barron, Jonathan Moore, Nathan Daly, Logan Xiao, Thomas Ware, Brandon Goodwin, Landen Butts, Holden Brazelton, Maddie Wells, Camden Getty, Jackson Walsh, Emmitt Holt, Corbin Smith, and Devan Swisher.

St. Joseph-Ogden tennis rolls past St. Teresa in season opener

Spartans take five of six singles matches in road victory. Veterans Rice, Farber, and Helfrich start the season with stellar performances.

DECATUR — The St. Joseph-Ogden girls tennis team opened its season with a convincing 7-2 win on the road at St. Teresa, showing balance across the lineup in both singles and doubles play.

SJO SPORTS The Spartans secured five of six singles matches to set the tone early. Lily Rice, Madison Farber, Ainsley Rhoten, Avarie Dietiker and Audrie Helfrich all collected victories, with Helfrich cruising to an 8-0 sweep at No. 6 singles.

St. Joseph-Ogden added two more wins in doubles competition. The pairing of Kenley Ray and Karleigh Spain battled to an 8-6 victory at the No. 2 position, while Sophia Schmitz and Shelby Warnes delivered an 8-3 win at No. 3 doubles.

St. Teresa earned its two points at the top of the lineup. Vinathi Marri defeated Samantha Kelso 8-4 at No. 1 singles, while Brooke Nelson and Nora Jerabek combined to take an 8-2 win over Ava Midkiff and Maddie Wells at No. 1 doubles.

With the early road test behind them, the Spartans demonstrated the depth of their roster and strong season potential.

Match Results

Team Score: St. Joseph-Ogden 7 - St. Teresa 2

Singles
No. 1 — Vinathi Marri (St. Teresa) def. Samantha Kelso (SJO) 8-4
No. 2 — Lily Rice (SJO) def. Brooke Nelson (St. Teresa) 8-1
No. 3 — Madison Farber (SJO) def. Nora Jerabek (St. Teresa) 8-4
No. 4 — Ainsley Rhoten (SJO) def. Xaniyah Todd (St. Teresa) 8-2
No. 5 — Avarie Dietiker (SJO) def. Addison Johnson (St. Teresa) 8-4
No. 6 — Audrie Helfrich (SJO) def. Audrey Cunningham (St. Teresa) 8-0

Doubles
No. 1 — Brooke Nelson / Nora Jerabek (St. Teresa) def. Ava Midkiff / Maddie Wells (SJO) 8-2
No. 2 — Kenley Ray / Karleigh Spain (SJO) def. Xaniyah Todd / Audrey Cunningham (St. Teresa) 8-6
No. 3 — Sophia Schmitz / Shelby Warnes (SJO) def. Addison Johnson / Tiarra Perry (St. Teresa) 8-3

St. Joseph-Ogden girls tennis 2025 season opener, SJO vs St. Teresa tennis results, Illinois high school girls tennis scores, Spartans tennis Decatur road win, St. Joseph-Ogden high school sports news

Wells delivers buckets of points

Taylor Wells came off the bench Monday to lead all scorers in the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team's second home game of the year. The sophomore led all scorers with 12 points to help SJO roll past St. Thomas More, 42-25.

After a dismal first quarter, the Sabers showed a brief spark of scoring brilliance, dropping 15 second quarter points building a modest lead three-point lead at the half, up 19-16.

The Spartans returned to the floor to match STM's first half scoring output under the leadership of Wells and her six points along with the combined efforts of four other SJO players in the third quarter.

Sabers' Maddie Swisher tapped a solo field goal in the same period making it all her team could muster against the 15-4 Spartans, who also picked up their second conference win of the season. Held to just six points in the second half, St. Thomas More dropped to 0-2 in the conference and 3-9 overall.

After Wells' contribution, St. Joseph-Ogden's top three scorers were sophomores Ashlyn Lannert with eight points, Payton Jacob with six and Ella Armstrong added another five to the mix. The Spartans received 33 of their scoring total from five of the six sophomores on this season's varsity roster.

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden	7	9	19	7	- 42
St. Thomas More	4	15	2	4	- 25

Scoring

St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 8, Payton Jacob 6, Taylor Wells 12, Atleigh Hamilton 2, Katie Cramer 3, Abby Behrens 2, Taylor Barnes 4 and Ella Armstrong 5.

St. Thomas More: Kennedy Ramshaw 6, Alaina Bowie 1, Tatum De Vries 5, Ava Dickerson 4, Bridget Delorenzo 2, Maddie Swisher 2 and Sarah Gibas 5.

3rd quarter adjustment saves SJO from Unity upset

For a little more than 19 minutes of clock time, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls' basketball team's undefeated record was in jeapordy. Entering the game with a three-game win streak to start the season, the Spartans were, by all accounts, the pre-game favorite against the 1 win - 3 loss visiting Unity Rockets.

With nearly half of the third quarter gone and a 19-17 score in the Rockets favor on the main scoreboard mounted on the gym's north wall, a three-point shot from Ella Armstrong gave SJO their first lead of the contest. The Spartans relenquished it briefly after Unity's Alysson England answered with field goal but regained the advantage with yet another trey from Armstrong on the way to a 47-29 Illini Prairie Conference win last Thursday.

For nearly two quarters Unity out-hustled and out-muscled their host. The three guards, Maddie Reed, Chloee Reed and Lauren Miller were busy bees forcing turnovers and ball control issues for SJO. Miller and Chloee Reed paired up, were credited with five steals.

"The girls came to play tonight," said Rockets' head coach Dave Ellars. "We had a couple days off due to the weather and I believe it helped our legs."

Unity played a solid first half preventing St. Joseph-Ogden from getting any offensive traction. Except for a 6-6 tie midway into the first quarter, the Rockets had the favored Spartans on the rope and kept them there until halftime.

"We did not play well in the first half," said SJO head coach Kevin Taylor concerning how his team started the game. "We were standing around too much against their zone and not moving the ball."

Taylor said he made a simple adjustment in his game plan for the second half.

"We switched up our offense to get more movement and we made an effort to get the ball inside where we had a big advantage in size," he said. "Our post play made really good decisions in the second half. Several times when we went to the post, they kicked it back out for an open shot."

We learned we can compete. I believe we will learn from this game.

The midgame tweak worked and allowed Armstrong score on three baskets for eight points pushing a four point deficit on the Rockets. Ashlyn Lannert extended the lead to nine points on a bucket and trey.

"SJO made a couple of adjustments and they made a few shots," Ellars said, explaining the shift in the game's momentum. "Due to SJO's size we wanted to try to help (our players) inside. She (Armstrong) made some shots in the second half."

Ellars was trying to keep the ball out of the hands of Taylor Wells. Wells finished the game with 12 rebounds and four assists.

"Taylor did a good job tonight using her size. She controlled the lane tonight with her defense and rebounding," Taylor said. "She also had several plays on offense where she found an open teammate when she was doubled-team in the post."

While she contributed just four points, Payton Jacob's presence on the court was crucial for the Spartans.

"Jacob always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. She had several key plays when we needed it tonight," he said about the junior starter. "There were a couple of key offensive rebounds and put backs that stood out to me."

St. Joseph-Ogden's top three scorers were Lannert and Wells with ten points apiece and Armstrong, whose four treys produced a game-high 16 points.

The Rockets offense was compiled by four players. Chloee Reed led the team with 10 points, England added in eight, Miller five and Maddie Reed chipped in three points. Miller led the team in rebounding with four. Miller and Chloee Reed had three apiece.

The loss withstanding, Ellars was happy with the way the team played.

"We learned we can compete," he said about his team. "I believe we will learn from this game. I was extremely pleased with our effort."

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It takes a gritty team to gut check and turnaround a game in the last 11 minutes, especially when you trailed the first two-thirds of it. On the floor, on the bench or in practice, it also takes a group of dedicated fourth-year players willing to do the little things.

"If this team has any mental toughness it is because of the seniors," Taylor said. "Whether they played a lot of mins or just a few, they all are doing a great job trying to lead this team and are doing all the little things that go unnoticed by most.

I can't thank them enough for what they are doing. They were a big part of why we were able to comeback and have that big swing in the score."

Box Score

Unity	16	3	3	7	- 29
St. Joseph-Ogden	9	6	15	14	- 44

Unity
C. Reed 2 (2) 0-3 -- 10, England 4 (0) 0-0 -- 8, Renfrow 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Miller 2 (0) 1-2 -- 5, Stringer 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Steinman 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, B. Henry 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, M. Reed 0 (1) 0-0 -- 3, Moore 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Alagna 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, T. Henry 0 (0) 0-4 -- 0, Flesch 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0.

St. Joseph-Ogden
Lannert 2 (2) 0-0 -- 10, Walden 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Campbell 1 (0) 0-2 -- 2, Jacob 2 (0) 0-2 -- 4, Wells 5 (0) 0-0 -- 10, Hamilton 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, Hug 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Behrens 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Smith 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Jones 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Hamilton 0 (0) 0-2 -- 0, Vallee 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Armstrong 2 (4) 0-0 -- 16.

Seven area girls ready to compete for state wrestling titles on Friday in Bloomington

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity's Phoenix Molina wrestles Prairie Central's Chloe Hoselton in the 235 pound championship match at the IHSA Girls Individual Wrestling State Finals in 2024. Molina, a 28-5 junior and last year's runner-up, returns to Grossinger Motors Arena with her eye on besting Hoselton, a senior with a record of 23-0, looking to defend her title.

URBANA - Seven area wrestlers will travel to Bloomington on Friday in search of a state wrestling title at the fourth Girls Individual Wrestling State Finals.

Maddie Wells will be one of the five, heading to Champaign-Urbana's sister twin city as the first female SJO wrestler to compete for an IHSA state title. She finished second at the Pontiac regional meet, falling to Urbana's Rickasia Ivy in the title match by major decision, 15-6. A week later, she took third at the Highland sectional after losing her quarterfinal bout against eventual champion Taylor Dawson from Collinsville. Wells heads to state with an 18-6 record.

"I feel privileged to be able to pave the path, but I'm excited to see the girls that follow," said Wells, coached by longtime wrestling coach Bill Gallo. She is optimistic about the future for other girls taking up the sport. "I hope I inspired girls younger than me to not be afraid of trying new things despite their gender and to follow their dreams."

Representing Urbana High School, Rickasia Ivy (28-5) will compete in the 140-pound category, and Lillian Disanto (34-9) in the 235-pound category. Coached by Phil Sexton, the Tigers secured their girls program's first regional title on February 8.

Unity head coach Logan Patton will returns to the girls' state finals with veteran Phoenix Molina (28-5) wrestling at 235 pounds along Anna Vasey (32-4) at 155.

Centennial's Ava Beldo (24-6) qualified for state in the 130-pound division after finishing second at the Highland sectional meet on February 15. The first and only Charger to advance to state, she is coached by Ron Beldo.

"I love the sport," she told the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association after winning the Pontiac regional title. "It takes dedication and mental strength. That was the biggest part for me—being able to push through no matter what. It doesn’t matter the ranking or the name; what matters is giving it 100 percent on the mat. Win or lose, you learn. I drill a lot with the boys. Last year, I was the only girl on my wrestling team, so it’s amazing to open up the environment for more girls. I just love the environment when I wrestle."

Completing the group of seven area state qualifiers, Mahomet-Seymour freshman Jaycee Weitekamp, under coach Jeff Castor, will also make the trip to Bloomington on Friday. Weitekamp, in her first varsity wrestling season, holds a 19-14 record. She finished fourth at both the Pontiac regional and Highland sectional.

Competition begins at 9 a.m. on Friday with action on six mats. Quarterfinal matches and first-round wrestlebacks start at 11 a.m.

Admission is $10 per session at the arena. Tickets are available online via Ticketmaster or by calling the City Box Office at (309) 434-2777. The tournament will be live-streamed on the NFHS Network.

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