Schaumburg sectional takes no prisoners
By Gary Larsen for the IWCOA
The girls state finals will take place Feb. 27-28 at Grossinger Arena in Bloomington
How tough was this year’s Schaumburg girls sectional?
For starters, four returning state medal-winners had to fight their way back through the consolation bracket in order to get back downstate this year, and only two of them made it out.
In addition, 12 regional champions didn’t survive the Schaumburg sectional, and won’t advance to the girls state finals in Bloomington on Feb. 27-28.
In all, there were 16 returning state medalists competing in Schaumburg; of the 28 girls who reached the sectional title mat, 12 were returning state medal-winners and two were returning state champions.
Revenge was also on the menu in a big way, with regional runners-up winning their sectional rematches against girls they’d lost to a week prior. At 125, for example, none of the placers finishing first to third were regional champs.
In all, three freshmen, four sophomores, 12 juniors, and nine seniors reached the sectional title mat this year. When the dust finally settled in Schaumburg, the girls from the Lincoln-Way co-op team won the team sectional plaque with 140 team points.
Lincoln-Way senior Zoe Dempsey loved what she saw from her girls in Schaumburg.
“I’m just so proud of all of them,” she said. “They put in so much effort and work into the sport, and it really showed this weekend on the mats. Those blood rounds today, they were some emotional ones, and they pulled off some wins that I bet they didn’t think they could.”
Lincoln-Way had seven state qualifiers on the day, led by sectional champ Dempsey (115), second-placers Caleigh Nicholson (125) and Riley DePolo (170), third-placer Ella Giertuga (145), and fourth-placers McKenzie Steinke (100), Emmy Hoselton (105) and Abby Kunz (140).
Hampshire (95.5) finished second, followed by Lockport (76), Schaumburg (70), and Huntley (54) in the top five.
Four girls emerged as repeat sectional champions in Bartlett’s Lilly White, Hampshire’s Amelia Nidelea-Polanin, Lockport’s Claudia Heeney and Rebekah Ramirez, and South Elgin’s Allison Garbacz. Two-time defending state champion and three-time state medalist Heeney heads downstate as a four-time sectional champion.
100: Janiah Slaughter, Huntley
Huntley senior Janiah Slaughter missed last season after placing third in Illinois in 2023 and second in 2024, and she is back as one hungry wrestler.
“This feels amazing and I’m trying to prove a point, that I know I’m one of the best,” Slaughter said.
Slaughter (33-2) squared off with a three-time state medalist in Batavia senior Lily Enos (37-3) and won by second-period fall for the title. She led 6-1 when she got the pin at 3:25.
“I definitely feel more mentally strong and more confident than I was as a sophomore,” Slaughter said. “I feel like I grew a lot since then, even if a lot of people look at me like I’m still a little sophomore.”
She knows every match will be tough no matter who she wrestles downstate, but Slaughter mentioned DeKalb’s Alex Gregorio-Perez and Oak Forest’s Alex Sebek as wrestlers that are on her radar at the state finals in two weeks.
Sebek also returned to the mats after sitting out last season, and she and Slaughter have a history; Sebek won by major decision at the state finals over Slaughter when the two were both freshmen.
“I’m glad she’s back,” Slaughter said. “I haven’t wrestled her since my freshman year (state) semis, so I’d like to go out there and get that back. I’ve also wrestled (Gregorio-Perez) and we’ve always been competitive.”
Slaughter posted a fall and a tech fall to reach the title mat, and Enos posted two falls to get there.
Also qualifying for state were Woodstock senior Eva Hermansson (39-7) and Lincoln-Way freshman McKenzie Steinke (40-9). Hermansson topped Steinke by 3-0 decision for fourth place.
105: Charlotte Nold, Saint Viator
There is no outstanding wrestler award given at the sectional but if there were, Saint Viator freshman Charlotte Nold would have made a strong case for it.
A trio of freshman became state qualifiers at 105 and none stood taller than Nold, who won her semifinal match by sudden victory against Glenbard East’s three-time state medal-winner Nadiia Shymkiv (35-3) and then won a 10-2 major decision for the title against Hampshire’s stellar freshman, Annabelle Mueller (37-5).
Wheaton Academy coach Peggy Diehl watched Nold throughout her pre-high school career and she sees a star on the rise.
“I’ve had many opportunities to watch her over the past three seasons during IKWF and USA Wrestling Freestyle,” Diehl said. “Her dedication to the sport is impressive and the way she dominated the Schaumburg Sectional is telltale for great things to come for her.”
Nold won by fall and major decision before winning 9-6 in overtime against Shymkiv in their semifinal. Mueller posted a pair of falls to reach the finals.
Shymkiv became a four-time state qualifier with a 12-0 major decision on the fourth-place mat against Lincoln-Way freshman Emmy Hoselton (40-9), who won three consolation matches to advance downstate for the first time in her career.
110 Zoey Dodgers, Leyden
Junior Zoey Dodgers (29-0) placed 5th in state last year and she’d likely love nothing more than to become the first Leyden wrestler to win a state title since Jim Farina did so for East Leyden back in 1979.
On the boys’ side, Leyden senior Erick Worwa (190) is chasing the same dream, having qualified for this week’s boys state finals in Champaign.
The pursuit of history aside, Dodgers’ goal at this year’s state finals is more simple and grounded.
“I just want do better than I did last year,” she said. “I put in a lot of work over the summer. I bumped it up a lot. I wanted to improve at everything. I’ve definitely improved defensively, and I just want to keep getting better.”
Dodgers won her first sectional title with a first-period fall against Plainfield East’s Angelina Nettey (20-7). She placed second at the Schaumburg sectional last year and lost in a sectional blood round as a freshman.
Dodgers won by fall in her quarterfinal match before winning 8-0 in her semifinal against Romeoville’s Daniela Santander (8-3). Nettey won 10-8 over Elk Grove’s Valeria Pesantes (23-3) and then 5-3 in her semifinal win against East Aurora’s Joselyn Llanos (32-9).
Pessantes went on to place third via tech fall against Bartlett’s Norah Cwik (35-10) who won three consolation matches to punch her ticket downstate.
Dodgers isn’t about to go into extensive scouting mode to prepare for the state finals.
“I don’t really think too much about who I’m wrestling because that can just get in my head too much,” she said. “I’d rather just go out there and wrestle my match.”
115: Zoe Dempsey, Lincoln-Way
Lincoln-Way senior Zoe Dempsey placed third at the Geneseo sectional two years ago and second last year. She also placed fifth and third at the state finals the past two seasons.
And now she gets to enter her final state finals tournament as a sectional champion.
Dempsey (45-2) first handed a tough freshman in Hampshire’s Stella Piazza (25-1) her first loss of the year by fall in their semifinal match. Then she did the same in the title match against another top-shelf wrestler in Crystal Lake South’s Annalee Aarseth (26-3), who placed second in state at 110 last year.
And Dempsey owed her one.
“My final, that was a really big match for me just mentally,” Dempsey said. “It was a big hurdle for me to overcome because I lost to (Aarseth) last year at the semifinals at state.
“I got stuck in the first period, and honestly, that hasn’t left my mind since. It’s really motivated me to work ten times harder, not rest on anything, and always look to improve.”
Add a tough sectional semifinal match against Piazza, and Dempsey feels battle-tested heading to Bloomington.
“I knew (Piazza) was pretty good. She had that Wonder Woman title, so I knew it was going to be a tough one, and it was a tough one,” she said. “But that’s exactly what I want. I want these matches right before state. It’s only going to make me better.”
Aarseth opened with a 3-1 decision win over Metea Valley’s Janiya Moore (47-6) and then posted a 12-5 win in her semifinal against Willowbrook’s Angelina Manlapaz (17-4).
Piazza went on to place third by fall against Manlapaz.
120: Amelia Nidelea-Polanin, Hampshire
The Hampshire junior won her second straight sectional title and will be chasing a second straight state medal after placing third in Illinois last year.
Nidelea-Polanin (22-0) won by major decision on the title mat against Glenbard West’s Karolina Konopka (41-3), after posting a tech fall and then a semifinal fall to reach the finals.
She feels even more ready for the state finals, having been there and done that last year.
“I’ve worked hard since last year on my setups and shots, and just keeping pace,” Nidelea-Polanin said. “I was a little bit nervous last year since it was my first time (downstate) but now I’m not.”
Hampshire coach Matt Todd appreciates the work his junior has put in, and he now relies on her for more than just wins.
“Amelia has been improving every chance she has gotten on the mat, and she has continued to improve on her positioning and scramble positions,” Todd said. “Sam (Diehl) and Amelia have been showing leadership from being in this position, and our younger wrestlers are looking to them for guidance on chasing and reaching the highest level.”
Konopka posted a pair of falls to reach the finals and heads downstate for her second consecutive season.
Metea Valley’s Ashley Basmajian (8-1) finished third to advance downstate for her second time, thanks to a second-period fall over West Aurora’s Aiyanah Sylvester (31-4), who heads downstate for her first time.
125: Charlie Dolan, York
Now in its second season as a sport at York, girls wrestling couldn’t have a better poster child for recruitment than Charlie Dolan. Positive energy just seems to emanate from the kid.
The Dukes’ junior improved to 30-2 and became the first sectional champion and first-ever state qualifier for York, winning her title by tech fall against Lincoln-Way freshman Caleigh Nicholson (37-12).
fterwards, Dolan described how she feels about the sport in only her second full season as a wrestler.
“I’m obsessed with it. It’s all I think about,” Dolan said. “Its just so much fun. I try not to focus on wins and losses but man, when you win, you win, and it’s all on you. I want to be an example to show how fun wrestling can be.
“And now I’m ready for the next challenge. I can’t wait to see the girls downstate.”
Dolan was one of three sectional qualifiers for York, along with teammates Andie Brown and Tiana Fraser. Dolan was also one of three wrestlers in the entire sectional to post two tech falls.
“I’m less worried about winning and more worried about scoring points,” she said. “That’s all I think about, is that I need to score. If I can’t get a turn on this girl, I’m cutting her and I’m taking her down. So I try to score no matter what. If I’m on bottom, I’ve to get right back up and score.”
Winning a sectional title after only a single season of experience in the sport is a rare feat.
“I’ve just I worked really hard and I like what I do,” Dolan said. “I’m going to accept this win, but I’m going to get over it and move on to the next thing. Just because I won sectionals doesn’t guarantee me anything at state. I’ll train hard for the next two weeks and see where it goes from there.”
Nicholson posted two falls before winning a 5-4 semifinal decision over Lemont senior Molly O’Connor (41-9), who went on to place third via third-period fall against Schaumburg senior Isabella Rivas (40-5). Both Rivas and O’Connor are first-time state qualifiers.
130: Lily White, Bartlett
Whatever happens downstate, Bartlett senior Lily White (36-3) is going out on top.
Winning a state medal would of course be nice, but upon stepping down from the awards stand after winning her second sectional title, White was engulfed by friends and family members, where she was perfectly happy to stay in the deliriously happy present moment.
“Oh my gosh, this is so much fun,” White said. “It’s my senior year, so it’s a good way to get my senior year to continue and I’ve just had so much fun. My family, my friends — I mean, they’re all here and I’m so glad I get to share this with them.”
White will head to the state finals as a two-time sectional champ, having won her first sectional title two years ago at 125 pounds. She was a runner-up at 125 last year.
She’ll also go downstate battle-tested. White opened with a 6-4 quarterfinal decision before winning a 2-1 overtime decision in her semifinal against one of the future stars of Illinois girls wrestling in Wheaton Academy freshman Catherine Diehl (36-4). White won 8-1 over Diehl in a regional semifinal one week earlier but the freshman was a different wrestler in Schaumburg.
“She’s really good, and that match really got me ready,” White said of Diehl, who went on to win a consolation semifinal against a three-time state placer in Huntley’s Aubrie Rohrbacher (38-6), and then place third to advance.
Next up for White was Glenbard North’s Keagan Edwards (47-4), with White winning a hard-fought 4-0 decision.
“I expect this to be hard and now I’m back on the mat in two weeks. I’m ready,” White said. “I hope it’s hard because it’s better when it’s hard. And I’m just ready to go, match by match, one at a time.”
135: Claudia Heeney, Lockport
After you’ve been perched on top of the mountain for a while, perspective comes more easily.
After pinning Schaumburg’s regional champion Sharon Olorunfemi to win her fourth sectional title, Lockport’s Claudia Heeney — a two-time defending state champ and three-time state finalist — marched off the mat nearly without a whiff of celebration.
No, she’s not tired of winning. More likely, she seemed slightly rankled by the fact that she gave up a takedown early in the match, before attacking and pinning Olorunfemi at the 1:46 mark.
As it turns out, Heeney wasn’t all that irritated by being taken down. She just knew what she had to do, and she did it.
“Some people may view it as I got really mad and, you know, wanted to beat her up,” Heeney said. “But really, you just get after it. It’s wrestling, so it’s just where the next point is. And I feel like when I’m under pressure, I perform a little bit better.
“I still have a lot to work on and whatnot. Now I have a couple of weeks and I have some things to tweak. There’s obviously still a lot to go and I’m not counting anybody out, but I feel pretty confident about things.”
“Going into the state series, I always feel a little bit nervous but this year I also feel a little sentimental about it because it’s the last one. But I’m still just going to go out there and shake the other person’s hand and go.”
Heeney pinned her way to the finals. Olorunfemi opened with a pin before winning a 4-1 semifinal decision over Joliet Central’s Izabel Barrera (34-4).
Barrera went on to place third. She topped Conant senior Eva Krupa (27-5) by fall and then won on the third-place mat against Huntley’s Grecia Garcia (36-12). Grecia beat a tough freshman in Grant’s Abby Quirk (25-7) by 8-5 decision in their consolation semifinal match.
140: Nicole Dziura, Barrington
Barrington’s Nicole Dziura (32-4) trailed Glenbard East’s Maria Green (42-2) 3-1 after one period of their sectional title match.
That’s when Dziura simply took a step back.
“Just stay calm,” she said. “I knew I could take her down again, and I know I can get the escape. So I just have to keep pushing, stay calm, and wrestle my match. I’ve kind of learned to, you know, keep my mind in the right place.”
Mission accomplished. Dziura chose down to start the second period, earned a penalty point that made it 3-2, then escaped to tie the score. She countered a Green shot for a takedown to grab a 6-3 lead. From there another takedown and a slew of near-fall points built the sophomore Dziura a big lead into the third period, when she posted a pin at 5:08 to win her first sectional title.
“Last year I went 0-2 here,” Dziura said. “It was my first year wrestling, so I’m happy with my growth and I’m super excited with how I did today. I’m very proud of myself.
Dziura also won a regional title this year.
“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better with my conditioning and with my technique. I really focused on getting better at those. Now I definitely want to heal up and get my body ready, but I just want to focus on getting a little bit better, working on my mistakes that I’ve been making. That will help me succeed at state.”
Green won a regional title this year and will head downstate for the second straight season. She reached the title mat by fall against a fellow regional champ in Metea Valley’s Alketa Picari (47-5), and by semifinal tech fall. Dziura won by major decision in her semifinal against Lincoln-Way’s Abby Kunz (41-8).
Picari won by medical forfeit for third place over Kunz as both advanced downstate.
145: Natalie Corona, McHenry
McHenry senior Natalie Corona (35-0) remained unbeaten in dominant fashion to win the first sectional title of her career. Corona placed fifth in Illinois at last year’s state finals after a third-place sectional finish. She is now a three-time state qualifier.
Corona won her first two matches by falls in the first minute of both, sending her to a sectional final against Oswego East’s Ella Cooper (24-19). Corona won by 11-1 decision to earn her sectional crown.
Cooper reached the title mat by semifinal fall over Wheaton Warrenville South’s Louisa Enslen (31-7).
Lincoln-Way regional champion Ella Giertuga (36-7) bounced back from her semifinal loss to Corona with a pair of falls of her own to place third, topping Enslen to become a two-time state qualifier. The freshman Enslen earned the first trip of her career to the state finals.
The junior Cooper also became a state qualifier for her first time.
155: Allison Garbacz, South Elgin
Of the marquee matchups in Schaumburg, only one featured two unbeaten returning state medal winners, one of which was a returning state champion.
Fans got to enjoy the match between Hinsdale South’s Callie Carr and South Elgin’s Allison Garbacz for exactly 5:02; that’s when Garbacz (38-0) took down Carr (35-1) to win by fall against the defending state champ at 155 pounds.
“It feels good,” Garbacz said. “She got an early takedown and I couldn’t let that define the match. I couldn’t get nervous over one takedown. As long as I stayed in it, and kept going at her, I knew it would pay off.”
Carr led 3-1 on a first-period takedown. Garbacz chose down to start the second and one penalty point each way had Carr holding a 4-2 lead mid-way through the period.
A Garbacz reversal tied the score and a Carr escape gave her a 5-4 lead heading into the third. Carr led 6-4 on an escape to start the final period.
The match was decided near the edge on a Garbacz takedown and pin, midway through the final period.
“She’s so strong,” Garbacz said of Carr. “And she’s very quick — kind of the opposite of me. I like to stay tied up. She likes to shoot from a distance. But as soon as I got her in my ties, I knew I was in a good spot.
Garbacz placed fourth at 145 last year as a freshman. One year later, she feels like a different wrestler.
“It’s just I’ve really learned how to stay in a match under pressure,” she said. “Even if I’m losing, now I know I can keep wrestling through it.”
Garbacz reached the finals via two pins and Carr got there with a tech fall and a pin.
Carr’s quarterfinal opponent, Crystal Lake Central senior Cait Jones (20-4), reeled off four wins in the consolation bracket to place third, capped by a fall against Glenbard North sophomore Suzanne Stalley (40-9) — Carr’s semifinal opponent.
Both Jones and Stalley will be making their first appearances at the state finals.
170: Layla Spann, Plainfield South
Plainfield South’s Layla Spann went 29-9 and was a state qualifier last year as a freshman. She went 2-2 downstate and did not place.
Bloomington is getting a whole different Layla Spann this year.
The Plainfield South sophomore improved to 44-0 and pinned her way to a sectional title in Schaumburg. No opponent was able to take her into the third period.
“Layla is having a very special season this year, for sure,” Plainfield South coach Tom Redmon said. “We were all expecting Layla to build upon her impressive freshman year, but the level of her improvement in such a short amount of time has really blown everyone away. As a wrestler, her technical skill and situational intelligence has markedly improved to complement her incredible athleticism and has quickly elevated Layla into the conversation of the state’s very best at 170 pounds.”
Spann won a regional title at East Aurora a week prior by tech fall over Lincoln-Way’s Riley DePolo (37-7). The two met again in the sectional finals at Schaumburg, with DePolo turning the tables through one period, building a 7-2 lead heading into the second.
Spann chose down to start the period and 53 seconds later, a reversal to a pin gave Spann the first sectional title of her career.
DePolo also pinned her way into the title match and the junior will make her first appearance at the state finals.
Woodstock senior Brianna Crown (40-10) won four matches in the back draw and became a state qualifier for her first time, winning her third-place match by fall against Schaumburg’s Maja Brzosko (36-14).
Brzosko will also be making her first downstate appearance. Both Brzosko and Crown beat regional champions in their respective consolation semifinal matches to clinch their spots downstate.
190: Samantha Diehl, Hampshire
Hampshire sits in a unique position, with four bona fide threats to win state medals in Bloomington — a feat that would put them smack in the middle of the race for an Illinois team state title.
Sophomore Samantha Diehl sits right in the thick of things if that possibility has a chance at reality.
Diehl improved to 36-3 and won her first sectional title Saturday, pinning a fellow state medal winner in Schaumburg senior Nadia Razzak (42-2).
Razzak led 3-0 after two periods before Diehl turned and pinned her at 4:51.
“Sam wrestled a great tournament, avenging a loss against Nadia,” Hampshire coach Matt Todd said.
As a freshman last year, Diehl placed third at the Schaumburg sectional and followed that two weeks later with a third-place state finish, going 31-6 on the season.
The foursome of Diehl, Amelia Nidelea-Polanin, Annabelle Mueller, and Stella Piazza all advanced. Nidelea-Polanin was first at 120, Mueller was second at 105, and Piazza placed third at 115.
“Sam and Amelia had a great tournament this weekend,” Todd said. “Both of them, along with Stella and Annabelle, have been wrestling our boys at practice, and it has helped them to improve in every facet of their wrestling.”
Both Razzak and Diehl pinned their way to the sectional final. Razzak earned her second downstate berth, after winning a sectional title last season.
Lockport’s Sophie Kelner (40-10) placed third with a 2-0 decision over Plainfield South’s Kimyra Patrick (43-5).
235: Rebekah Ramirez, Lockport
Now a three-time state qualifier and two-time sectional champion, Lockport junior Rebekah Ramirez (39-5) exacted some revenge at this year’s tournament.
One week prior, Romeoville junior Henessis Villagrana (38-4) beat Ramirez by 7-5 decision on a regional title mat. In Saturday’s rematch, Ramirez jumped out to a 5-0 lead after one period. She chose down to start the second and Villagrana fought for the turn to no avail.
Villagrana reversed Ramirez to start the third and a Ramirez escape ended the scoring at 6-2.
“It feels great,” Ramirez said. “She beat me last week, but I got it where it mattered. I just kind of needed to be more aware of where I was on the mat. If I was close to the edge, getting my hips in. Just some little things I had to clean up.”
Ramirez wasn’t able to get on the awards stand downstate in her first two trips to Bloomington. She’s aiming for more now that she’s an upperclassmen.
“I didn’t do much the last two years, but I’m a junior now,” Ramirez said. “I feel like I’m better prepared and I see myself going far in that tournament. I feel like I’ve kind of proved myself this year.”
Ramirez proved herself in her sectional semifinal, winning by fall against a three-time state medal winner in Wheeling’s Jasmine Rene, and handing Rene (34-1) her first loss of the season.
“I’ve worked with all my coaches, they’re all setting me up to be in the right place, and I hope I’m able to do something special this year,” Ramirez said.
Villagrana also became a three-time state qualifier for Romeoville on Saturday.
Rene posted two falls in the consolation bracket to place third and become a four-time state qualifier. She placed third once and fourth twice at 190 pounds at the state finals.
Rene capped her day by fall against Glenbard North junior Asreilla Wallace (40-8), who will head downstate for the first time.