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Olympians win Inaugural IHSAA Girls Wrestling Crown
INDIANAPOLIS – History was made inside the Corteva Coliseum on Friday night.
For the first time in Indiana High School Athletic Association history, a wrestling team and 14 individual weight-class champions were crowned during the Inaugural Girls Wrestling State Finals.
A total of 224 wrestlers competed with 121 member schools represented during the highly anticipated, first-ever IHSAA-sanctioned girls wrestling state championships held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
However, one team stood above the rest, as the Columbus East Olympians carried eight state qualifiers into the event and left with one state champion in undefeated 190-pound senior Monica McMahon (33-0) and five state placers overall to tally an unmatched 89 points for the team title.
Top-ranked Merrillville, according to IndianaMat’s Power Poll, was second with 65 points, followed by third-ranked Franklin Community with 63.5 points. Second-ranked Whiteland was fourth with 61 points.
The Olympians bested their state ranking of fourth with a collective effort, which was highlighted by a state runner-up finish from senior Saige Plummer (30-4) at 125, a third-place run from senior Grace McMahon (27-2) at 170 and a fourth-place performance from sophomore Madison Shrader (24-14) at 235.
Columbus East senior Eden Knight (26-7) wrestled back to place seventh at 145 to round out the Olympians’ state championship finale.
“That was our goal from day one, come in here and win a title. We all decided it, and they dedicated themselves,” Columbus East head coach Ty Olds said. “We had a couple of girls today that went above their ceiling. I call it going above their ceiling. On paper, maybe they’re supposed to come in and maybe even lose first round, maybe get seventh place or sixth place.”
Instead, the Olympians utilized their state-finals best eight qualifiers to their advantage, building an insurmountable lead in the team standings before putting the margin out of reach during the medal rounds.
“They just all love each other and really wanted to work hard for each other and win for each other. I think that mindset inside the room got us to where we are today,” Olds said. “Maddie Shrader, first-year wrestler, coming in and going to the semifinals. Saige Plummer wasn’t even going to wrestle this year and made it as a runner-up. Didn’t even wrestle in the state tournament last year, so you just had girls go above and beyond of what many outside of our room thought they would do.”
The Olympians believed and their family-first philosophy cemented their names in the history books.
Top-ranked Monica McMahon, a two-time All-American, upheld her projections with a trio of pins, including a fall in 1 minute, six seconds during her championship finals match.
Sixth-ranked Plummer exceeded expectations, while second-ranked Grace McMahon rallied from her semifinal loss to top-ranked and eventual 170-pound state champion Mallory Winner (36-0) to garner more crucial team points for the Olympians.
“That’s what won us the state title. We could have been top-ranked wrestlers and not known each other, and we probably would have lost. These girls know each other, and they love each other so much and we push each other,” Monica McMahon said. “Every single day at practice, I would say, is emotional. You’re either angry at someone, you want to leave practice, but you always have a friend there. No matter what weight class you wrestle, you always have somebody on that team.”
Four of the Olympians’ five state-placers each at least reached the semifinal round, which paved the way for victory.
“Even though we had eight girls come here, which was more than any other school, all the points mattered so much to us. We really wanted this state title because we’ll be bringing home the first state title to Columbus East,” Plummer said.
“It means you can bring nothing and make it into something because all the girls on the team, all of us that made it here, none of us have been wrestling for more than two years. Half of us have only been wrestling for a year, and the other half maybe two years, and it’s all because of our coaches. They’ve seen it through since the beginning.”
The wrestlers applied the finishing touches with all five wearing both a team and an individual medal around their necks for the event’s team championship trophy photo.
“It’s really awesome, and I love the noise,” Monica McMahon joked while her medals clanked repeatedly as she spoke. “I’m going to remember Columbus East’s undying confidence. Just one more match. We had to get one more match. We have to keep moving. Just the family I’ve gotten from this sport is more than anything I could have ever asked for from high school.”
Neibert Makes It Official
Top-ranked Indian Creek freshman Ella Neibert (33-1) officially became the first IHSAA individual girls wrestling state champion at 100 pounds with a 6-0 decision against third-ranked Madisyn Mikels (29-2) in the evening’s initial title match.
Neibert admittedly couldn’t sleep the night prior, eagerly awaiting her chance to stand atop the winner’s podium.
“It feels really good,” Neibert said. “I woke up at like 2:52 (a.m.) and then I couldn’t go back to sleep because I was just so jittery and excited to wrestle, and I just went out and did what I usually do.”
Neibert proved dominant, winning two matches by fall in 23 and 17 seconds while adding a technical fall (16-0) in 4:11 during the semifinal round against second-ranked Claire May (30-2) of Roncalli, who placed third.
Her lone loss on the season came against May during the regular season.
“That’s probably the loss that I needed to get me going through the season. I took that loss and just worked for it,” Neibert said.
Moe the Merrier
A total of five wrestlers collected multiple state titles in their illustrious careers, including top-ranked Hamilton Heights junior Kendall Moe (25-0) at 105 pounds.
Moe, who is ranked 15th nationally by FloWrestling, became a three-time state champion after winning the 98- and 100-pound titles previously during the IHSGWA state finals.
During her IHSAA finals match, Moe posted her 91st career win with the quickest pin recorded in the championship round at 19 seconds.
“It was a lot of fun. It was definitely nerve-wracking. I was nervous going out there with a lot of adrenaline, but once you step on the mat it kind of all goes away,” Moe said. “Usually, we’ve been in a high school gym because we hadn’t been sanctioned yet, and I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, they’re putting us in this big place.’ So, it was kind of like, ‘Woah, this is getting real.’ I definitely was nervous, and I could not sleep last night. I think I fell asleep at around 1 a.m.”
The fastest pin recorded at the state finals was credited to Monica McMahon, who won her quarterfinals match by fall in 16 seconds. She added a 23-second pin in the tournament’s opening round.
Three more wrestlers logged falls in 17 seconds, including top-ranked junior Aubrey Bartkowiak (37-2) of Attica, who posted the time for a third-place finish. Northfield’s top-ranked senior Ella Gahl (30-1), who finished runner-up at 155 with 112-career varsity wins, had a 17-second pin in the opening round. The four-time state-place winner earned the event’s inaugural mental attitude award.
Defending their Titles
New Haven’s top-ranked Ysabelle Ocampo (40-0) won her second-career state title with four falls at 115 ranging from 1:34 to 31 seconds. The 26th-nationally ranked sophomore won her finals match with a pin in 36 seconds. Ocampo won the 115 title in 2024 at the IHSGWA state finals.
Top-ranked junior Aleksandra Bastaic (43-0) of Highland became a three-time state champion after running the table at 145 with three falls and a 5-0 decision in the finals. Bastaic is ranked second in the nation and has been named a two-time Fargo All-American.
In 2023, she was a 126-pound IHSGWA state champion and won the 140-pound title in 2024.
“This year, I’m glad it’s finally sanctioned, and I was able to get the job done,” Bastaic said. “The sport is still growing, and the colleges will start to open up. Finally, D-I got for 2026 the NCAA championships, so that’s going to be fun, and hopefully, a lot more colleges open up for girls wrestling because a lot of the top colleges don’t have it, and even the smaller colleges don’t have it yet.”
Pendleton Heights’ top-ranked 140-pound sophomore Maddie Marsh (35-0) won her second state title behind three pins and a 10-7 decision under the championship spotlight. In 2024, Marsh, who is ranked sixth nationally, won the 135-pound crown under the IHSGWA umbrella.
“It feels like I’ve accomplished so much more now that it’s an official sport. Even though I still won state last year, and I won again this year, I’m still working as hard as I can to be a three-time state champ next year,” Marsh said. “I’m just so grateful to be here now. I’ve put so much work into this, and I feel like I’ve earned it.”
Perfect Finales
Merrillville’s Joy Cantu (37-0), a top-ranked senior, won the 110-pound title. Cantu is a three-time boys wrestling semistate qualifier in her career, ranked 13th nationally and has 101-career victories.
No. 1 freshman Ava Strayer (39-0) of Crown Point, who is ranked 20th in the nation, pinned her way to the 125 state title in a combined time of 5:11.
First-Timers Club
Top-ranked NorthWood junior Naima Ghaffar (46-1) became a three-time state-placer by winning the 135-pound title. Ranked 27th in the nation, Ghaffar placed sixth at 113 in 2023 and second at 120 in 2024.
Garrett had two first-time state champions in top-ranked junior Nevaeh Wilson (38-1) at 130 and third-ranked sophomore Rhaigyn Trenary (33-2) at 155, who upset Gahl in the finals.
Milan junior Kayla Roell (36-1) won her first-career state title at 120, and North Central freshman Racheal Adolphe (38-1) won at 235.
Inaugural IHSAA Girls Wrestling State Finals
January 17, 2025
Corteva Coliseum, Indiana State Fairgrounds
Indianapolis, IN
Team Scores: Columbus East 89, Merrillville 65, Franklin Community 63.5, Whiteland 61, Garrett 57.5, Jay County 52, New Haven 51.5, Southport 46.5, North Central (Indianapolis) 46, Crown Point 44, Hamilton Heights 40, Warren Central 34, Harrison (West Lafayette) 32, Rensselaer Central 30, Milan 29, Perry Meridian 28, Highland 28, NorthWood 28, Pendleton Heights 28, Indian Creek 27.5, Franklin Central 27, Greenfield-Central 27, Madison Consolidated 27, Northfield 24, Daleville 24, South Bend Riley 24, Portage 24, Silver Creek 23.5, Mishawaka 22, McCutcheon 21.5, Jeffersonville 20, Attica 19, Terre Haute South Vigo 19, Homestead 19, Rossville 19, Huntington North 19, Roncalli 18, Plymouth 17, Clinton Prairie 17, Seymour 16, Lafayette Jefferson 15, East Central 15, Eastbrook 15, Southridge 15, Mooresville 14, Columbia City 14, Evansville Reitz 14, Western 13.5, New Palestine 13, Tri-County 11.5, Lebanon 11.5, Beech Grove 10, Logansport 10, Rochester Community 9, Marion 9, Griffith 8, Wheeler 8, Riverton Parke 8, Carroll (FW) 8, Goshen 8, Lapel 8, Wawasee 8, Munster 7, Hobart 6, Jennings County 6, Terre Haute North Vigo 6, Sullivan 5.5, Warsaw Community 5, Fairfield 5, Lake Central 5, North Montgomery 4.
Championship Round Results
100: Ella Neibert (9) Indian Creek (33-1) def. Madisyn Mikels (11) Portage (29-2) by dec. 6-0
105: Kendall Moe (11) Hamilton Heights (25-0) def. Kynlie Keffer (10) Daleville (34-1) by fall 0:19
110: Joy Cantu (12) Merrillville (37-0) def. Brooke Fuller (12) Whiteland Community (31-5) by fall 0:53
115: Ysabelle Ocampo (10) New Haven (40-0) def. Marissa Nicolas (9) Rossville (33-4) by fall 0:36
120: Kayla Roell (11) Milan (36-1) def. Aaliyah McLean (11) McCutcheon (31-3) by fall 5:37
125: Ava Strayer (9) Crown Point (39-0) def. Saige Plummer (12) Columbus East (30-4) by fall 1:12
130: Nevaeh Wilson (11) Garrett (38-1) def. Julianne Cantu (9) Merrillville (31-6) by fall 3:19
135: Naima Ghaffar (11) NorthWood (46-1) def. Kaylea Beauchamp (12) Jeffersonville (36-1) by maj. dec. 12-2
140: Maddie Marsh (10) Pendleton Heights (35-0) def. Ava Allen (11) Silver Creek (37-1) by dec. 10-7
145: Aleksandra Bastaic (11) Highland (43-0) def. Jazlinn Diaz-Avalos (11) Franklin Community (35-2) by dec. 5-0
155: Rhaigyn Trenary (10) Garrett (33-2) def. Ella Gahl (12) Northfield (30-1) by tech fall 15-0 (5:47)
170: Mallory Winner (12) Jay County (36-0) def. Lydia Kwaleh (11) Perry Meridian (20-5) by fall 2:50
190: Monica McMahon (12) Columbus East (33-0) def. Ja’Niya Howard (12) South Bend Riley (23-6) by fall 1:06
235: Racheal Adolphe (9) North Central (Indianapolis) (38-1) def. Erin Cauble (11) Harrison (West Lafayette) (29-5) by dec. 4-2
Northfield’s Ella Gahl honored with Mental Attitude Award
Senior Ella Gahl of Northfield High School was recognized by the IHSAA Executive Committee as the very first recipient of the Mental Attitude Award for Girls Wrestling.
The Executive Committee selects a senior who was nominated by her principal and coach and was determined to have the best demonstrated mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability.
Ella completed a 30-1 season with a state runner-up finish at 155 pounds this evening. She had won the 132 pound title two years ago in the coaches association tournament.
Ella ranks sixth in her class, has earned four Gold Key Awards for scholastic art, twice earned an AP Biology Award, and is a member of the Key Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
She is the daughter of Greg and Kacey Gahl of Largo, Indiana and plans to attend Manchester University to study Pre-Medicine. Ella is her school’s first female recipient of an IHSAA mental attitude award and fourth overall.
Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the proud corporate partner of the IHSAA, presented $1,000 to Northfield High School’s general scholarship fund in the name of Ella Gahl.
