Girls State Wrestling begins Thursday
The second Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Wrestling Tournament is Thursday and Friday at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
AP-GC sophomore Grace Storjohann is the #6 seed at 120. A returning state qualifier from last year, she says she overcame some adversity before the regional tournament and enters with the momentum of a regional title.
"I honestly had no idea what was gonna happen for regionals because I suffered a shoulder injury right before it," Storjohann says. "So I only really could use one arm, so I was really struggling. And I actually ended up packing up my locker because I thought I wasn't even gonna make it to state. And then when I made it to the final match, I knew I'd made it to state. And then the year prior, I'd actually fallen in finals pretty badly. So I really knew I wanted something different this year, especially because when you win regionals, it boosts you in the seeding a lot for state."
Sophomore teammate Zoey Uhlenhopp is the #21 seed at 155. Head Coach Joel Reints says he saw high potential for Uhlenhopp, a first-year wrestler.
"She's just gotten better every time she takes the mat," Reints says. "Really impressive. Actually, she reminds me a lot of Grace last year, kind of raw in her skills, but strong, athletic. And that goes a long ways when it comes to wrestling.
"I already talked with her about it. I said, you're better than the 21st seed. So go down there and compete like you're better than that. And prove some people wrong. Prove whoever did the seeding wrong. You know, sometimes the underdog role is a fun place to be. You get to shock some people and wrestle better than you're seeded, and that's the goal for her right now."
AGWSR senior Rory Siems is the #24 seed at 155. She’s looking for revenge in her first round match against Destiny Kolheim of Charles City, who beat Siems in the regional semifinals last week.
"My first match is actually against a Charles City girl," Siems says. "I wrestled her in regionals. I already know how to beat her. I got it. They're not expecting me to get it, I think, but I'll be making it up to the six spot, even higher, I think."
Iowa Falls-Alden junior Kynnedy Gunderson is the #18 seed at 170. Head Coach Eric Hoffman says Gunderson’s progression has her in a prime position to make a run.
"Kynnedy's really had a great year overall," Hoffman says. "We knew she had a lot of potential. She kind of got banged up a little bit, missed a couple of meets early. So it took, I think, a little longer for her to round into final form. But really after Christmas break, she's just really been wrestling well and seems to be peaking at the right time."
Wrestlers from BCLUW-SH include sophomore Leila Wedgwood at 125, sophomore Taya Hollingsworth at 145 and senior Kailan McEwen at 170.
Thursday’s sessions will air on 104.9 KLMJ and 99 The Wave. The morning session is from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and the evening session is from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
