YOU GO, GIRLS: E.C. Wrestlers to Compete in First Statewide All-Girls Wrestling Competition
five are part of North High’s first all-female wrestling team
Five Eau Claire wrestlers are slated to compete in the first-ever Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Girls Individual Wrestling tournament, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 29 at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse.
Sydni Schindler, Cambree Lokken, Katlyn Grant, Tatum Carey, and Shelley Bulman – all students at Eau Claire North High School – will take to the mat Saturday. These fierce female Huskies are all part of the first all-girls wrestling team, which had their first competition in December and has already wrestled their way to the top.
This is the first year that the WIAA has organized a girls-only tournament. According to the WIAA, only 4,975 girls participated in wrestling across the country in 2005, a number that skyrocketed to 28,447 during the 2019-20 season, based on data collected by the USA Wrestling Girls High School Development Committee.
The match is also the first of a year-long celebration commemorating the 50th anniversary of Title IX legislation, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools. Participants in the tournament are set to receive a commemorative bag tag.
The competition includes 261 female wrestlers from across the state, representing 115 programs. Wrestlers will compete among 12 weight classes: 100 pounds, 107 pounds, 114 pounds, 120 pounds, 126 pounds, 132 pounds, 138 pounds, 145 pounds, 152 pounds, 165 pounds, 185 pounds, and 235 pounds. Champions will be crowned in each weight class in a single division.
Weigh-ins for competitors begin at 7:30am, and doors open for attendees at 8am, with the competition beginning at 9am through 4pm, showcasing preliminaries through semifinals. At 6:30pm, there will be a march of champions, championships, and third- and fifth-place matches.
In addition to the five Eau Claire wrestlers, Boyceville will send two wrestlers – Makayla Schewe and Emma Gruenhagen – and Osseo-Fairchild/Augusta/Fall Creek will send one wrestler – Breanna Wier.
Tickets for the event cost $11 for an all-day ticket and can be purchased online at the WIAA website here. Mats of the pre-finals and third- and fifth-place matches will be streamed at WIAA.TV with a subscription to the NFHS Network, which costs $10.99 per month. For more information, visit www.wiaa.tv or www.nfhsnetwork.com. Check out updates from the tournament on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaawr. Check out more about Eau Claire North High School's women's wrestling team at facebook.com/ECNWWrestling.
