Urbana girls makes history by winning Pontiac Regional title

By Curt Herron – for the IWCOA

Urbana has enjoyed a proud history in wrestling, dating back to the first IHSA Finals in 1937, when it tied for fourth. Things were still going very well during the 1980s, when 1991 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Wayne Mammen led it to eight-straight regional titles through 1990.

But while the school has had four athletes who’ve won multiple state medals and four who’ve competed for IHSA titles in the last 35 years, most notably University of Illinois redshirt senior Luke Luffman, who earned four medals and won IHSA Class 2A championships at 220 in 2017 and 2018 and at 285 in 2019, the Tigers had not won any regional team titles since 1990.

That changed last Saturday at the Pontiac Regional where a third-year girls program led by coach Phil Sexton that only had three individuals, including two freshmen, who took 21st place at the Richwoods Sectional in 2023 was able to win top honors in the 26-team competition by scoring 90 points, which was seven points ahead of Prairie Central, who collected 83 points.

Paris (79.5), Pontiac (77), Oakwood/ Salt Fork co-op (59.5), Westville (56.5), Mahomet-Seymour (54.5), Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op (54), Clinton (51.5), Clifton Central (46), Normal West (45), Deer Creek-Mackinaw (39.5) and Dwight (36.5) were next-best.

A couple of things are pretty clear when you take a quick look at the results of the Pontiac Regional compared to how the top six teams in the standings placed a year ago while competing in either the Mt. Zion or Minooka regionals.

What a difference a year meant and addition definitely led to subtraction. The top six teams averaged a gain of 16.67 positions in the standings from their 2024 regional showing, with the biggest gainers being 29 spots by Pontiiac (fourth from 33rd), 24 by Prairie Central (second from 26th), 20 by Oakwood/ Salt Fork (fifth from 25th) and 18 by Westville (sixth from 24th).

The addition of four regionals from eight to 12 and more competitors on those teams are major reasons why those huge shifts occurred and the improvements in finishes didn’t stop there. Twenty of the 25 teams that scored points finished in a better position than they did a year ago. 

There was a real buzz in Pontiac over where girls wrestling is headed in east central Illinois. And just four years into it being an officially-sanctioned sport by the IHSA, it will be very exciting to see how much others will be able to accomplish building on the great foundation that many of the trailblazers who participated in the regional have already established in such short order.

The champion Tigers advanced five of their seven individuals to the Highland Sectional, which takes place on February 14-15. Their lone champion was Rickasia Ivy (26-4 at 140) while Tauhnisjha Hart (130) claimed second place. Placing third and also advancing to the sectional were Tamya Terry (135), Franciana Kalanga (190) and Lillian Disanto (235). Randi Campe (125) and Fra`ncette Musau (145) didn’t place but contributed key team points to the winning effort.

“It’s awesome and I’m really glad that we got it started at Urbana,” said Sexton, who’s in his 31st season as a coach and his fifth season leading Urbana. “We started off with one girl (Jurdan Tyler) and she was a first-year kid two years ago and she took third in state. And then we got more of her friends to come out and we’ve just exploded since then and more and more girls are coming out because they want to be a part of it because they see there’s options to go to college and options to have success. My girls cheer for everybody, win or lose, they’re at mat side or in the bleachers and are cheering for the kids and it’s just a neat atmosphere.

“And they’ve made a lot of friends with other teams and they go out and cheer for them, as well. It’s just nice to see the girls come together and this sport is just going to keep going up. It’s a lot of fun and I can’t describe how I feel. We have our ups and downs and the girls have just kept me together. And they’re a joy to be at practice and they keep my boys in line. It’s just amazing. We’ve had a motto all year, and it’s do the best that you can. Just give me your best effort and that’s what they’ve done today and it’s been great.

“We’ll keep getting better and keep getting bigger and with the success, we’ll have more and more girls show up. Back in the 1980’s, Urbana wrestling was the best and now we have the girls coming out so we’re the best in the area right now with the girls and we’re trying to build the boys back up. It’s a hotbed, I grew up there and it’s always been a hotbed for wrestling. And with this, it will bring more and more girls out and it will help both Champaign schools and us.”

Runner-up Prairie Central had two champions and two third-place to give it four qualifiers out of the seven who competed. Claiming first-place finishes for coach Scott Ziller’s Hawks were 2024 IHSA 235 champion Chloe Hoselton (20-0 at 235) and Yuri Vilchis (22-10 at 120) while Makiya Baker (125) and Victoria Vadeboncoeur (140) both finished third. Ruby Guzman (110), Valeria Vilchis (130) and Victoria Marquez (135) also contributed to the cause but did not place.

“We’re very proud of how the girls have wrestled all season and especially at regionals,” Ziller said. “It was a day of personal milestones for many of our kids. Chloe of course started her postseason journey in the hunt for her second state championship. She has been a consistent hammer wrestling year-round for years. Not only that, Chloe has been a senior captain for the whole team, boys and girls, and part of our senior leadership council that got together during preseason to define a framework for the culture they wanted to create among the team. That group has helped maintain a positive culture, kept the coaching staff connected to the mental and physical state of the team, and helped us make decisions throughout the season. 

“Yuri has shown so much promise and growth and has worked her butt off year-round since her first time on the mat in preseason open mats in fall of 2023. She seeks out challenging rounds with both boys and girls in practice and competition and is the hardest worker in every weight room she walks into. Makiya and Tori made every preseason workout and have trained hard and been very coachable leading to them qualifying for sectionals in their first season. Talking about the qualifiers is obvious, but also there is Ruby Guzman, who turned a corner toward an attack style of wrestling and was one match from making sectionals this year after being kind of timid and going 0-2 at regionals last year. Vicky Marquez won her first wrestling match at the end of her first season in which she didn’t get much mat time and Val Vilchis made a 100 percent improvement this season from last. 

“Chloe and Yuri have been great leaders directly in practice and examples putting in extra workouts on and off season. They’ve also brought some of the other girls with them on some of those workouts. Chloe and Yuri were the catalyst for the start and growth of our girls program last year and this year. We tried to recruit girls for years and Chloe and Yuri came out last year and brought a few girls with them. They more than doubled the number of sign-ups this year. It was great to see a mostly inexperienced group of girls place a close second in the regional with almost all of them contributing to that team score.”

Paris qualified four of the five individuals that it brought to the regional tournament. Winning a championship for coach Seth Rohrbach’s third-place Tigers was Emma Shelkey (10-0 at 170) while Kaidence Eveland (110) and Emerson Barrett (135) claimed second-place finishes and Paisley Reed (115) took third place.

And fourth place Pontiac had four qualifiers among its six competitors. Winning titles for coach 

Vinnie Hobart’s Indians were Sophia Mussari (12-6 at 115) and Jocelyn Cobix (25-6 at 125) while Alix Robinson (155) took third place and Olivia Miller (170) finished fourth.

Other Pontiac Regional champions were Gibson City Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher’s Justice Milligan (17-0 at 100) and Avery Schlickman (18-5 at 145), Rantoul’s Jasmine Johnson (8-7 at 105), Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Taylor Wells (12-6 at 110), Centennial’s Ava Beldo (22-5 at 130), Dwight’s Avery Crouch (4-0 at 135), Bloomington’s Alicia Swank (19-5 at 155) and Clifton Central’s Payton Temple (21-1 at 190).

There was a tie for the lead in most team points for champions with 27.5 between Pontiac teammates Cobix and Mussari while Wells ranked third with 25.5 points. There was a six-way tie for fourth place with 24 team points between Beldo, Milligan, Schlickman, Shelkey, Temple and Vilchis while Crouch finished with 23.5 points.

Also claiming second-place finishes were Oakwood/ Salt Fork’s Lainey Ehler (120) and Taylor Owens (145), Westville’s Kiley Knight (115) and Addison Briggs (190), Unity’s Anna Vasey (155) and Phoenix Molina (235), Olympia’s Mya Downs (100), Clinton’s Bella Villanueva (105), University High’s Hailey Watson (125), St. Joseph-Ogden’s Maddie Wells (140) and Deer Creek-Mackinaw’s Bella Brooks (170).

The closest title matches were at 155, where Swank got past Vasey with a 2-0 decision, and at 235, where Hoselton prevailed 4-0 over Molina in a rematch of the 2024 IHSA Finals at 235.

Additional third-place finishes were Clinton’s Ariana Humes (110) and Diana Naxi (170), 

Mahomet-Seymour’s Sierra Tuttle (100), Clifton Central’s Lilly Plumley (120), Champaign Central’s Londyn Grant (130) and Herscher’s Henna Mullikin (145).

Fourth-place showings were also turned in by Normal West’s Cheyenne Anderson (115), Kitzia Racey (120), Vivian Guither (145) and Cadence Duvall (235), Mahomet-Seymour’s Madilyn Becker (110), Kaisley Shotkoski (140) and Jaycee Weitekamp (190), Clinton’s Sandy Clark (100), Dwight’s Adilyn Avilez (125), Westville’s Laney Cook (130), Bloomington’s Alila Beck (135) and Tremont’s Paytyn Dykes (155).

Clinton’s Ariana Humes led all competitors with 48 total match points while her teammate Sandy Clark was second with 44 points. Thirteen individuals recorded three falls with Prairie Central’s Yuri Vilchis accomplishing that feat in the shortest time, which was 2:30. Eleven competitors got a victory by technical fall with Dwight’s Avery Crouch achieving that in a tourney-best 48 seconds. And Mahomet-Seymour’s Sierra Tuttle had the large seed to place difference, at five positions, after being seeded eighth and placing third at 100.

Here are the champions and their weight classes from the IHSA Pontiac Regional:

100 – Justice Milligan, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher

Justice Milligan got the opportunity to compete at the IHSA Finals last season and won a match there in addition to facing the eventual champion at 100, Glenbard West’s Alycia Perez, and she finished with a 15-12 record. The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher senior hopes to advance from the Highland Sectional and make a second visit to the state finals in Bloomington and also win a few more matches there and she’s now unbeaten in 17 matches following the Pontiac Regional where she won by fall in 1:18 over Olympia senior Mya Downs in the 100 title match.

Milligan, who joined classmate Avery Schlickman as one of two champions among three competitors for coach Josh Carter’s Falcons, also recorded pins in her other two matches, including one in 0:57 in the semifinals over Normal West’s Asa Cedeno. Milligan, who became her program’s first regional champion, tied for fourth place in most team points with 24 along with Schlickman, who added the program’s second regional title with a fall in the 145 finals.

“It’s been super fun,” Milligan said of competing in wrestling. “I played basketball and soccer and this is definitely better. I like the experience that you get, it’s not only physically tough, it’s mentally tough, too, and you have to balance that.”

Downs (9-4), a sectional qualifier last season who was also the lone finalist among the two individuals that were on hand for coach Josh Collins’ Spartans, won her first two matches with falls and advanced to the 100 title match following a pin in 2:32 over Bismarck-Henning Rossville-Alvin/ Armstrong’s Gracie Pattison in the semifinals. Mahomet-Seymour freshman Sierra Tuttle (16-10) and Clinton junior Sandy Clark (7-10) both lost their openers but then won their next two matches to meet up for third place and Tuttle won with a pin in 2:32. Tuttle, who led all competitors with a five-place improvement from her seed to her finish, was one of four qualifiers for the Bulldogs and Clark, who ranked second in match points with 44 behind teammate Ariana Humes (48), also joined her as two of the four qualifiers for the Maroons.

105 – Jasmine Johnson, Rantoul

Jasmine Johnson made history for Rantoul by not only becoming her school’s first regional champion but she also became the first individual to advance to a sectional tournament from a regional when the junior won by fall in 1:25 over Clinton freshman Bella Villanueva in the 105 title match. Johnson (8-7) was the lone competitor for coach Mark Owen’s Eagles while Villanueva joins three other Maroons who qualified for the Highland Sectional.

“I’m by myself, right now,” Johnson said of her girls team. “This is my first year wrestling. It’s very exciting. I actually didn’t think that I was going to like it this much but I like it better than my main sport right now, which is basketball. I love wrestling now, it just makes me happy. I like getting to meet new people and there’s a lot of nice, amazing people in wrestling.”

110 – Taylor Wells, Oakwood/ Salt Fork 

Taylor Wells was not only the lone first-place finisher for Oakwood/ Salt Fork at the Pontiac Regional, the freshman became her program’s first-ever regional champion when she claimed a victory by technical fall in 5:28 over Paris sophomore Kaidence Eveland in the 110 title match. 

Wells (12-6), who was one of three finalists and sectional qualifiers for coach Mike Glosser’s Comets, followed a first-minute pin with an 8-1 decision over Mahomet-Seymour junior Madilyn Becker in the semifinals. Wells was seeded fourth, so her three-place improvement was the best of any of the title winners and it also tied her with two other individuals for second-place in that statistic. She also was one of three freshmen who won championships in the Pontiac Regional.

“My brother, Thomas, was really the one that encouraged me to this first and he wrestles at OSF and he’s a senior right now,” Wells said. “And then some of my friends were deciding to do it so I was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to give it a shot and I think it will be really fun.’ Wrestling with the boys really makes you tougher and it really helps you to get stronger. I like the team bonding and the strength and the courage that it takes to wrestle. It’s just really fun all around.”

Eveland (8-6), one of the three finalists and four sectional qualifiers for coach Seth Rohrbach’s third-place Tigers, followed a first-minute fall in her opener with another pin, that one in 5:30 in the semifinals over Clinton senior Ariana Humes (15-6), who went on to claim third place with a fall in 2:51 over Becker (10-12). Humes, who was a sectional qualifier in 2024, joins three other Maroons at the sectional and Becker will be one of four from her school in Highland. Humes also had the most total match points with 48 while teammate Sandy Clark was second with 44.

115 – Sophia Mussari, Pontiac

Sophia Mussari got things started for the hosts of the Pontiac Regional when the Indians sophomore became the first of two champions for her team after claiming top honors at 115 and was followed two weights later by freshman Jocelyn Cobix with a title at 125 to lead the Indians to a fourth-place finish, which was 29 positions better than how they did last year in the rugged Minooka Regional. As a bonus, Mussari and Cobix led all of the champions for the most team points with 27.5.

Mussari (12-6) became her program’s first regional champion and also first to advance to a sectional from a regional when she won by technical fall in 5:16 over Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm junior Kiley Knight in the 115 finals. She was one of four individuals from coach Vinnie Hobart’s Indians who qualified for the sectional. She opened with two quick pins, earning her spot on the title mat with a fall in 1:19 over Paris sophomore Paisley Reed.

“It feels really exciting,” Mussari said. “This is my first time I got first place and last year was my first year wrestling and before wrestling, I did jiu jitsu. It’s a weird position switching to different sports. Last year I placed at most of my tournaments but two and I went 2-2 at regionals and the two I lost to made it to state and placed at state so my goal is to be better than them now. It teaches me a lot of self-discipline. I just really love the sport.”

Knight (9-3) was one of two finalists and three sectional qualifiers for coach Austin Hedrick’s Tigers. She opened with a first-period pin before claiming a victory by technical fall in 2:07 over Centennial’s Taylor Garner in the semifinals to become her program’s first regional finalist. In the third-place match Reed (10-6) won by technical fall in 4:38 over Normal West sophomore Cheyenne Anderson (4-4), who lost to Mussari in the quarterfinals and got pins in her next three matches to become one of the four qualifiers for the Wildcats. They are coached by Margaret LeGates Lehr, who was the first girl to take part in an IHSA event, competing for IWCOA Hall of Famer Libertyville coach Dale Eggert over 30 years ago and her daughter Sammy was the first girl to win a tourney title as an official IHSA sport in 2021-2022 at the Normal Community Invite.

120 – Yuri Vilchis, Prairie Central

Yuri Vilchis and Prairie Central have come a long way in one year as she went from five wins in 2023-2024 to 22 this season and became her school’s first regional champion and eventually was joined as a title winner by defending IHSA 235 champ Chloe Hoselton as two of the Hawks’ four qualifiers for the Highland Sectional when she capped a three-fall effort by winning the 120 championship with a pin in 0:27 over Oakwood/ Salt Fork freshman Lainey Ehler. There were 13 individuals who had three falls, but Vilchis did so in the least amount of time, needing just 2:30.

Vilchis (22-10) collected all of her pins in the opening period, needing just 42 seconds to beat Clifton Central junior Lilly Plumley in the semifinals to make her the first-ever regional finalist for coach Scott Ziller’s Hawks. They made a huge regional improvement from 2024, by collecting 83 points to finish in second place, just seven points behind champion Urbana, after scoring only 25 points last season and finishing tied for 26th place at the Minooka Regional with Hoselton their first individual to advance from a regional to a sectional after taking third place.

“It’s been amazing,” Vilchis said. “I mean it’s my second year and I’ve been putting a lot of effort and work in during the summer. It’s great seeing the progress and being able to see what I can accomplish with just putting in the work. (Being around Chloe) It’s great, she’s really fun, I love her. It was really nice being able to go to The Compound, because where she trains. I like being able to see progress with effort. This is a lot better than any other sport that I’ve been in, and even if it’s a small team, it’s really nice.” 

Ehler (11-8) joined champions Taylor Wells (110) and runner-up Taylor Owens (145) as sectional qualifiers for coach Mike Glosser’s Comets, who finished in fifth place after taking 25th a year ago at the Mt. Zion Regional with just one individual competing, who was Owens, who became the program’s first to advance to a sectional. After opening with a first-period fall, Ehler captured a high-scoring 15-14 decision over Deer Creek-Mackinaw’s Madisyn Droege in the semifinals to assure herself of a trip to the Highland Sectional. In the third-place match, Plumley won by fall in 0:37 over Normal West freshman Kitzia Racey to become one of two qualifiers for her team while Racey was one of four Wildcats who took fourth place to earn trips to Highland. It was a rematch of the quarterfinals, where Plumley also got a pin, and Racey responded with two wins.

125 – Jocelyn Cobix, Pontiac

Jocelyn Cobix made it two titles in three weight classes for Pontiac and Livingston County schools completed a 3-0 run on the title mat when the Indians freshman followed teammate Sophia Mussari and Prairie Central’s Yuri Vilchis as champions in the Pontiac Regional when she took first at 125 by getting a pin in 3:01 over University High sophomore Hailey Watson. The local crowd also liked the fact that Cobix and Mussari collected the most team points with 27.5.

Cobix (25-6) became her school’s second regional champion and sectional qualifier and was later joined by Alix Robinson (155) and Olivia Miller (170) as four individuals from their team who earned trips to the Highland Sectional. Pontiac tied for 33rd with 15 points and had no qualifiers a year ago at Minooka and on Saturday, coach Vinnie Hobart’s team made up 29 positions to finish fourth with 77 points. After opening with a quick pin, Cobix won by technical fall in 4:10 over Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington freshman Adilyn Avilez in the semifinals.

“It’s just a great opportunity and I’m super grateful to be even wrestling now,” Cobix said. “Growing up as a girl in a male-dominated sport has definitely been hard and I’ve faced so many things. Finally, winning a big thing like a regional title as a freshman just makes me feel so happy because I’ve worked my butt off all of these years. This is my fourth year. (Working with boys) It’s definitely harder but it makes me feel proud and more overjoyed when I win, and even when I lose, it’s ok because it’s all a learning experience and everything happens for a reason.”

Watson (15-5), the lone sectional qualifier for coach Caleb Phillips’ Pioneers, only won four matches a year ago but now is her school’s first regional finalist after getting pins in the initial period of her first two matches, winning in 1:05 over Urbana Randi Campe in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Prairie Central junior Makiya Baker (21-16) won by fall in 5:58 over Avilez (4-3) in a  rematch of the quarterfinals where Avilez won an 8-7 decision. Baker bounced back with four-consecutive wins, with three being falls, to become one of the Hawks’ four qualifiers.

130 – Ava Beldo, Centennial

Ava Beldo stood out at the 130 weight class where each of the top three individuals were quite familiar with one another since they’re all sophomores and are all from Champaign and Urbana. And a year after being the first individual from Centennial to qualify from a regional to a sectional, Beldo became the first Charger to win a regional championship when she was a winner by fall in 1:06 over Urbana sophomore Tauhnisjha Hart to improve to 22-5 on the season. Champaign Central sophomore Londyn Grant took third place to give the school district two of the top three at 130.

Beldo, who went 32-12 last season and fell one win shy of advancing to the IHSA Finals from the Richwoods Sectional, was the lone qualifier for coach Ron Beldo’s Chargers, who only had two individuals in the competition. She also recorded falls in the opening period of her first two matches, with the longest of those coming in 1:17 over Westville co-op junior Laney Cook in the semifinals. Her three falls in 2:52 ranked her second for the most pins in the least amount of time with Prairie Central’s Yuri Vilchis being the only one to record three pins in a quicker fashion. She also finished in a six-way tie for fourth place for the most team points with 24. 

“I love the sport,” Beldo said. “It takes dedication and it takes mental strength. And I think that was the biggest part for me, being able to push through no matter what. It doesn’t matter the ranking, it doesn’t matter the name, it just matters if you get on the mat and you give it 100 percent, it doesn’t matter the outcome, whatsoever, win, lose, you learn. I drill a lot with the boys. Last year I was the only girl on my wrestling team, so it’s just amazing to open up the environment for more girls. I just love the environment that I’m around when I wrestle.”

Hart (21-14) was one of the two finalists, with 140 champion Rickasia Ivy the other, as well as five qualifiers for the Highland Sectional for coach Phil Sexton’s Tigers on an historic day when Urbana captured the regional championship by a 90-83 margin over Prairie Central. It ended a long drought for the school in winning a wrestling regional title, with that last coming in 1990. Hart, who also was a sectional qualifier last season, recorded pins in her other two matches and earned her spot in the 130 finals by recording a fall in 2:57 in the semifinals over Grant (11-2), who also qualified for the sectional for the second year in a row. She hopes to advance to the IHSA Finals after falling one win shy of achieving that at last year’s Richwoods Sectional. For third place, Grant won by fall in 5:11 over Cook (10-9), one of three qualifiers for the Tigers.

135 – Avery Crouch, Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington

Avery Crouch not only was the third of three freshmen who won a title at the Pontiac Regional but more importantly for the Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilington co-op, she was the Lady Trojans’ first regional champion and one of its initial two sectional qualifiers after the freshman captured the championship at 135 by recording a fall in 3:48 over Paris senior Emerson Barrett.

Crouch will be joined at the Highland Sectional by another freshman at her school, Adilyn Avilez, who took fourth place at 125. They were the only two individuals in the regional for coach Jim Gussman’s Lady Trojans. Crouch opened with a win by technical fall in a tournament-best 48 seconds before getting a pin in 1:27 over Bloomington senior Alila Beck in the semifinals. Although Crouch is listed with a 4-0 record, she has also competed against boys this season, and boys are what she has mainly faced during her career, which has spanned nine years.

“This is my ninth year wrestling, so I’m pretty used to it,” Crouch said. “I just came from wrestling boys for all nine years till now and switching to girls. It’s not different and it’s cool that the sport is getting a lot bigger. My determination has been my mindset mostly. You have to stay confident through the hard times, even if you’re losing, because losing makes you better and that’s why I’m here.”

Barrett (13-2), one of four sectional qualifiers for coach Seth Rohrbach’s third-place Tigers, also was a sectional qualifier a year ago and then fell one win shy of qualifying for the IHSA Finals from the Richwoods Sectional to cap a 10-4 season. She only had to compete in one match to reach the 135 finals and that was in the semifinals where she won a 9-5 decision over Urbana junior Tamya Terry (20-10), who went on to claim third place with a fall in 2:00 over Beck (10-6). Terry was one of five sectional qualifiers for the first-place Tigers while Beck joined 155 champ Alicia Swank as qualifiers for the Purple Raiders.

140 – Rickasia Ivy, Urbana

Rickasia Ivy experienced a memorable day for Urbana at last year’s Mt. Zion Regional where she was one of five sectional qualifiers and her team had one champ to take seventh place. But what a difference a year made at the Pontiac Regional, where the Tigers again had one title winner and five sectional qualifiers but there was a much bigger payoff as her program won its first regional title 90-83 over runner-up Prairie Central with the sophomore leading the way with a title win at 140 by claiming a 15-6 major decision over St. Joseph-Ogden junior Maddie Wells.

Ivy (26-4), who went 24-13 last season and qualified for the IHSA Finals with third-place finisher Jurdan Tyler, was one of two finalists for coach Phil Sexton’s Tigers, who won their program’s first regional title and this also marked the first time since 1990 that a wrestling team from the school took first place in a regional. Ivy only had to win one match in order to reach the 140 title mat and she won that with a fall in 0:38 over Prairie Central sophomore Victoria Vadeboncoeur. 

“It’s really nice to compete for Urbana,” Ivy said. “There’s a lot of girls wrestlers and they’re helping me out and they cheer for me, especially in this first-place match where I was really worried, but all of my teammates were cheering for me. My season has been pretty good for my second year. It makes me feel good that in my second year, I’ve been improving since last year. It’s really about how much you want it and if you really want it, you’ll get after it. The fact that this is my second year and I’ve placed first at two tournaments, I feel like it shows that as long as you really want it and you really push yourself throughout the match, that you’ll really get it.” 

Wells (13-5), the lone individual competing in the regional for coach Bill Gallo’s Spartans, won by fall in 1:55 over Mahomet-Seymour freshman Kaisley Shotkoski in the semifinals to advance to the 140 finals. She also qualified for the Richwoods Sectional last season and fell one win shy of a trip to the IHSA Finals to conclude a 25-win season. For third place, Vadeboncoeur won a 15-6 major decision over Shotkoski, who was one of four sectional qualifiers for the Bulldogs while Vadeboncoeur will join three others from the runner-up Hawks at the Highland Sectional. 

145 – Avery Schlickman, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher

Avery Schlickman has been wrestling for most of her life but the senior says that when this season is over, she will conclude her 14 years on the mat. After competing in each of the first three IHSA Finals, the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley /Fisher senior hopes that she can not only become one of the few four-time qualifiers but also the first girl from her school to place at state. She’s off to a good start toward achieving that goal after she improved to 18-5 on the season by  recording a fall in 3:01 over Oakwood/ Salt Fork junior Taylor Owens in the 145 title match. It was one of just two finals in the Pontiac Regional which featured two returning state qualifiers.

Schlickman joined classmate Justice Milligan (100) as a champion for coach Josh Carter’s Falcons and the two will now compete in the Highland Sectional. She recorded falls in her first two matches and her quickest pin came in 0:52 over Normal West senior Vivian Guither in the semifinals. She tied six others, including Milligan, for fourth place for most team points with 24.

“Wrestling the guys and the girls is a complete difference,” Schlickman said. “So when they split it up, it was like a whole new wrestling style, and it’s just something that you have to get used to. All four of my brothers wrestled. In the state series, it’s a lot more fun now. When I was little, there was no girls state series so now we have our own opportunity for ourselves. I think that’s why so many of us knew each other because there once was a time when we didn’t have this opportunity.”

Owens (6-3) also recorded pins in her first two matches and needed to go into overtime in order to win by fall in 6:37 over Herscher junior Henna Mullikin (18-4), who went on to claim third place after getting a win by technical fall in 2:30 over Guither (24-13). Mullikin was the lone sectional qualifier for the Tigers while Guither was one of four Wildcats who advanced. Mullikin competed in the Geneseo Sectional in 2024 and fell one win shy of a trip to the IHSA Finals.

155 – Alicia Swank, Bloomington

Alicia Swank won 19 matches and got close to advancing to state from the Geneseo Sectional last season so now the Bloomington junior wants to take the next step and qualify for the IHSA Finals. She seems to be headed in the right path toward that goal as she’s already equaled her win total from a year ago and claimed a big victory over another junior who hopes to get to state this season, Unity’s Anna Vasey, when she prevailed with a 2-0 decision in the 155 title match.

Swank (19-5) became her program’s first regional champion and was one of its two sectional qualifiers who were also the only two individuals who competed in the tournament for coach Shawn Safford’s Purple Raiders. She opened with a pin before securing her spot in the 155 finals with an 8-0 major decision over Tremont sophomore Paytyn Dykes in the semifinals. 

“I’m really happy with how the season is going,” Swank said. “I know that I have next year, as well, but I’m happy with my junior year still going on. It’s nice to see how big it is in our area (her sport), our school still has a small team, but to be able to see all of the West girls, the U-High girls and the Community girls and seeing them and their teams everywhere is really fun. And seeing the little schools get teams is really nice because they have small athletics in general so it’s good to see them add another sport, and it’s still growing. I like just how close we are with each other. You’ll go to one tournament and see one girl for the rest of the season and become friends with her. It’s getting big now and you might be one of the first ones to set the tone for your school and your team.”

Vasey (28-4), one of two finalists and qualifiers for coach Logan Patton’s Rockets, with 235 runner-up Phoenix Molina the other, only had to compete in one match in order to advance to the finals and she won that one with a 9-3 decision in the semifinals over Pontiac senior Alix Robinson (9-5), who went to take third by getting a fall in 2:40 over Dykes. Robinson was one of four sectional qualifiers for Pontiac and Dykes was the only one from her team to advance.

170 – Emma Shelkey, Paris

Emma Shelkey and her Paris teammates have a lot to be proud of after they were in the mix for the title at the Pontiac Regional throughout much of the competition before Urbana and Prairie Central passed them in the late stages as the Tigers wound up taking third place. But with junior Shelkey claiming first at 170, two others advancing to the title mat and another giving them four qualifiers for the Highland Sectional, the program hopes to not only have at least one individual advance to the IHSA Finals but perhaps even have their first state medalist this season.

Shelkey, who improved to 10-0 on the season, became the first regional champion for coach Seth Rohrbach’s Tigers when she won by fall in 0:33 over Deer Creek-Mackinaw junior Bella Brooks in the 170 title match. Shelkey only had to compete in one other match in order to reach the finals and she won it with a pin in 3:34 over Pontiac freshman Olivia Miller in the semifinals. She finished tied with five other champions for fourth place for the most team points with 24.

“Our team has progressed a lot, and this is our third year as a program,” Shelkey said. “I think our team just wants it more than a lot of people and we work really hard outside of practice and in practice and we wrestle with boys a lot, too, so that helps. And our boys are doing really good, too, and next year I think we’ll be super solid with a really good lineup. Overall and honestly, it’s just really fun. The pride that we feel when we win is never matched to anything that I’ve done before.”

Brooks (9-9) became the only finalist and was the lone sectional qualifier for coach Tim Thomas’ Chiefs. She also only had to compete in the semifinals and she claimed a victory with a pin in 4:45 over Clinton sophomore Diana Naxi (8-9), who went to claim third place by capturing a 13-10 decision over Miller (8-10), as both were one of four sectional qualifiers for their teams.

190 – Payton Temple, Clifton Central

Payton Temple kicked off her season in impressive fashion when she defeated a two-time IHSA finalist and 2023 state champion, Plainfield Central’s Alicia Tucker, to hand the senior her only loss of the season in the finals at Minooka’s Thanksgiving Throwdown. The Clifton Central sophomore has also only suffered one defeat this season, to Prairie Central’s Chloe Hoselton, the 2024 IHSA champion at 235, and she improved to 21-1 after claiming a win by fall in 0:48 over Westville co-op sophomore Addison Briggs in the 190 title match at the Pontiac Regional.

Temple, the lone champion and one of two sectional qualifiers for coach Travis Williams’ Comets, only had to compete in a semifinal match in order to reach the 190 finals and she won it by recording a fall in 1:12 over Mahomet-Seymour freshman Jaycee Weitekamp. Temple was one of six individuals who tied for fourth place for the most team points with 24. She took sixth place in the IHSA Finals at 155 last season and hopes to become a two-time medalist this year.

“My one loss was to Chloe,” Temple said. “I think that I’ve been shooting a lot more this year and that’s been helping with winning and I’ve been more aggressive. I like this regional since there were a lot of people and teams that I knew here. I like more competition and it is getting bigger and bigger.”

Briggs (7-7), one of two finalists and three qualifiers for the Highland Sectional for coach Austin Hedrick’s Tigers, earned her spot in the 190 finals after winning an 8-7 decision in the semifinals over Urbana senior Franciana Kalanga (25-6), who claimed third place by capturing an 11-4 decision over Weitekamp (16-12). Kalanga advanced from a regional to a sectional for the second year in a row and is one of five sectional qualifiers for coach Phil Sexton’s champion Tigers. Weitekamp is one of four Bulldogs who will also compete in the Highland Sectional.

235 – Chloe Hoselton, Prairie Central

Chloe Hoselton and Phoenix Molina met up for the final title match at 235, providing those in attendance with a rare sight for a regional, which is the rematch of a state championship match from the previous year. And in a similar fashion to that title showdown where Prairie Central’s Hoselton edged Unity’s Molina 2-1 by ultimate breaker, the regional final was very suspenseful with the the senior defending state champion only leading by one point in the late going before she got a late takedown after the junior runner-up attempted to make one final move to pull out a victory and Hoselton captured a 4-0 decision to improve her record to 20-0 on the season.

Hoselton was one of two champions, with Yuri Vilchis the other one at 120, as well as two other sectional qualifiers for coach Scott Ziller’s Hawks, who put up a great fight to claim top honors in the Pontiac Regional before Urbana prevailed by a 90-83 margin. The runner-up finish was even more impressive since Prairie Central finished in 26th place at the Minooka Regional in 2024. Hoselton, who became the program’s first medalist last season, only had to compete in one other match, where she was a winner by fall in 1:14 over Urbana junior Lillian Disanto.

“I know that Phoenix is one of the best opponents I have,” Hoselton said. “She pushes me and she knows me in and out and it’s just really good to have her as an opponent, it challenges me. I’m so excited for our team. Last year, I was the only person that qualified for sectionals and then for this year to have four people, and two of them being brand new, it’s awesome to watch their development and everything they’ve done for our team and how much work they’ve put in. And Yuri Vilchis is a two-year, and to see her come back and not even placing at regionals last year to coming here this year and winning, it was awesome to see her get that achievement. I feel good about where I’m at. I have practice partners that push me and I’ve been working with my brother Drew and I practice with my head coach, Scott Ziller, and they push me and they know what I need to work on. And that’s what we work on and today I came out and showed it.”

Molina (25-4), who joined runner-up Anna Vasey (155) as a finalist and one of two sectional qualifiers for coach Logan Patton’s Rockets, also only had to compete in the semifinals prior to the title match and she won that with a pin in 3:03 over Normal West senior Cadence Duvall. The two individuals who fell in the semifinals met for third place with Disanto (31-7) recording a fall in 1:08 over Duvall (22-5). Didanto was one of five sectional qualifiers for the champion Tigers while Duvall was one of the four Wildcats who will advance to the Highland Sectional. 

Pontiac Regional Tournament

Team Scores

1. Urbana 90, 2. Prairie Central 83, 3. Paris 79.5, 4. Pontiac 77, 5. Oakwood/ Salt Fork co-op 59.5, 6. Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm  co-op 56.5, 7. Mahomet-Seymour 54.5, 8. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher co-op 54, 9. Clinton 51.5, 10. Clifton Central 46, 11. Normal West 45, 12. Deer Creek-Mackinaw 39.5, 13. Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington co-op (36.5), 14. Unity 35.5, 15. Bloomington 32, 15. Centennial 32, 1. University High 25, 18. Olympia 21, 19. Rantoul 20, 20. Champaign Central 16, 21. Herscher 15.5, 22. St. Joseph-Ogden 14, 23. Tremont 11, 24. Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin 4, 25. Heyworth 2, 26. Monticello 0.

Place Matches

100

1st Place Match

Justice Milligan (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher) 17-0, Sr. over Mya Downs (Olympia) 9-4, Sr. (Fall 1:18)

3rd Place Match

Sierra Tuttle (Mahomet-Seymour) 16-10, Fr. over Sandy Clark (Clinton) 7-10, Jr. (Fall 2:32)

105

1st Place Match

Jasmine Johnson (Rantoul) 8-7, Jr. over Bella Villanueva (Clinton) 2-10, Fr. (Fall 1:25)

110

1st Place Match

Taylor Wells (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 12-6, Fr. over Kaidence Eveland (Paris) 8-6, So. (TF-1.5 5:28 (19-3))

3rd Place Match

Ariana Humes (Clinton) 15-6, Sr. over Madilyn Becker (Mahomet-Seymour) 10-12, Jr. (Fall 2:51)

115

1st Place Match

Sophia Mussari (Pontiac) 12-6, So. over Kiley Knight (Westville/ Georgetown-Ridge Farm) 9-3, Jr. (TF-1.5 5:16 (22-3))

3rd Place Match

Paisley Reed (Paris) 10-6, So. over Cheyenne Anderson (Normal West) 4-4, So. (TF-1.5 4:38 (16-0))

120

1st Place Match

Yuri Vilchis (Prairie Central) 22-10, Jr. over Lainey Ehler (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 11-8, Fr. (Fall 0:27)

3rd Place Match

Lilly Plumley (Clifton Central) 10-19, Jr. over Kitzia Racey (Normal West) 6-12, Fr. (Fall 0:37)

125

Jocelyn Cobix (Pontiac) 25-6, Fr. over Hailey Watson (University High) 15-5, So. (Fall 3:01)

3rd Place Match

Makiya Baker (Prairie Central) 21-16, Jr. over Adilyn Avilez (Dwight/ Gardner-South Wilmington) 4-3, Fr. (Fall 5:58)

130

1st Place Match

Ava Beldo (Centennial) 22-5, So. over Tauhnisjha Hart (Urbana) 21-14, So. (Fall 1:06)

3rd Place Match

Londyn Grant (Champaign Central) 11-2, So. over Laney Cook (Westville co-op) 10-9, Jr. (Fall 5:11)

135

1st Place Match

Avery Crouch (Dwight co-op) 4-0, Fr. over Emerson Barrett (Paris) 13-2, Sr. (Fall 3:48)

3rd Place Match

Tamya Terry (Urbana) 20-10, Jr. over Alila Beck (Bloomington) 10-6, Sr. (Fall 2:00)

140

1st Place Match

Rickasia Ivy (Urbana) 26-4, So. over Maddie Wells (St. Joseph-Ogden) 13-5, Jr. (MD 15-6)

3rd Place Match

Victoria Vadeboncoeur (Prairie Central) 2-4, So. over Kaisley Shotkoski (Mahomet-Seymour) 5-16, Fr. (MD 15-6)

145

1st Place Match

Avery Schlickman (Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/ Fisher) 18-5, Sr. over Taylor Owens (Oakwood/ Salt Fork) 6-3, Jr. (Fall 3:01)

3rd Place Match

Henna Mullikin (Herscher) 18-4, Jr. over Vivian Guither (Normal West) 24-13, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:30 (17-1))

155

1st Place Match

Alicia Swank (Bloomington) 19-5, Jr. over Anna Vasey (Unity) 28-4, Jr. (Dec 2-0)

3rd Place Match

Alix Robinson (Pontiac) 9-5, Sr. over Paytyn Dykes (Tremont) 4-6, So. (Fall 2:40)

170

1st Place Match

Emma Shelkey (Paris) 10-0, Jr. over Bella Brooks (Deer Creek-Mackinaw) 9-9, Jr. (Fall 0:33)

3rd Place Match

Diana Naxi (Clinton) 8-9, So. over Olivia Miller (Pontiac) 8-10, Fr. (Dec 13-10)

190

Payton Temple (Clifton Central) 21-1, So. over Addison Briggs (Westville co-op) 7-7, So. (Fall 0:48)

3rd Place Match

Franciana Kalanga (Urbana) 25-6, Sr. over Jaycee Weitekamp (Mahomet-Seymour) 16-12, Fr. (Dec 11-4)

235

1st Place Match

Chloe Hoselton (Prairie Central) 20-0, Sr. over Phoenix Molina (Unity) 25-4, Jr. (Dec 4-0)

3rd Place Match

Lillian Disanto (Urbana) 31-7, Jr. over Cadence Duvall (Normal West) 22-5, Sr. (Fall 1:08)