Girls recaps: Rickover, Eisenhower, Kaneland, Naperville C
By Gary Larsen
Rickover Rumble
One year after placing second, Kelly snared the team title at this year’s 25-team Rickover Rumble on Jan. 3, out-pointing second-place Taft 133.5-118.5. Maine East (112.5) finished third, followed by Westinghouse (106.5) and host Rickover Naval Academy (104) to round out the top five team finishes.
Kelly coach Jazzmine Seely sent three individual champions to the top of the awards stand in Yazmine Garcia (115), Liana Andrade (155) and Sara Martinez (170).
“We brought eight total wrestlers to the tournament, and seven of the eight scored points for us,” Kelly coach Jazzmine Seely said. “Despite competing with only half of our lineup, the team came in with a strong mindset and determination to place higher than last year’s finish.
“Just days before the Rickover Tournament, we competed at one of the toughest two-day national tournaments in the country during the high school season, Wonder Women in Columbia, Missouri. That experience had our girls more than prepared to compete, stay focused, and handle adversity. Although they were tired from travel and constant wrestling, they never gave up.”
1st- Kelly (133.5)
In addition to titles from Garcia, Andrade, and Martinez, Kelly got a third-place finish from Liliana Monserrat Dimas (135), and a fourth from Destiny Hills (110). Jazmin Andrade also placed fifth in the 155 Beginner competition.
“Overall, their performance was outstanding,” Seely said. “We have several first-year wrestlers in our starting lineup who are already making a huge impact, along with returners who have been looking phenomenal all season.
“At the beginning of the season, we were missing some key returners, which affected the team early on. However, many first-year wrestlers stepped up, made major strides, and filled those roles, while our returners stayed committed from the end of last season through the entire offseason. All the offseason work, early morning practices, and two-a-days are starting to pay off.
“We’re confident, motivated, and ready for anyone and anything moving forward.”
2nd- Taft (118.5)
The Eagles got a runner-up finish from Layla Zbiewc (130), thirds from Alyssa Martel (115) and Evelyn Rodriguez (145), fourths from Jennifer Arenas (125) and Kylie Kowalisyn (135), and a fifth from Kameron Harvey (105).
3rd- Maine East (112.5)
Coach Lizeth Torres got an individual title from Alena Oshana (130), seconds from Evelyn Torres (100) and Eliana Badeen (110), a third from Angie Wszolek (190), and a fourth from Kee’Mora Arterberry (155).
Additional champions
100 Dakota Perez (Rickover)
105 Litzy Estrada-Aguado (Rickover)
110 Ariel Woodfin (Thornton)
120 Demetria Griffin (Hope)
125 Kendra Chatman (Goode)
135 Avery Crouch (Dwight)
140 Adilynn Avilez (Dwight)
145 Neriah Treadway (Hancock)
190 Valerie Franco (Fenwick)
235 Miniyai Adams (Thornton)
Additional runners-up
105 Elizabeth Amaya-Avila (St. Francis De Sales)
115 Emily Mastropaolo (Fremd)
120 Gianna Araujo-Dominguez (Argo)
125 Elena Raymond (Argo)
135 Riley Moore (Highland Park)
140 Lexie Hoobler (Highland Park)
145 Jordan Scroggins (Durand)
155 Talifa Khamreava (Niles W)
170 Midna Lozoya (Rickover)
190 Vargas Belen (Fenwick)
235 Sky Vazquez (Elmwood Park)
Team scores
Kelly 133.5, Taft 118.5, Maine East 112.5, Westinghouse 106.5, Rickover Naval Academy 104, Thornton 98, Lockport 77, Dwight 69, Highland Park 65.5, Mundelein 62, Chicago Hope Academy 60.5, Niles North 60, Niles West 55, Argo 44, Fenwick 41, Fremd 39.5, Durand 37, Elmwood Park 34, Sarah Goode 27.5, Hancock 25.5, St. Francis De Sales 21, Chicago Academy 20, Proviso East 16, Mansueto 9, Hubbard 4, Stillman Valley 4
With 10-match minimums:
Unbeaten
135 Dwight’s Avery Crouch (16-0)
Once-Beaten
110 Thornton’s Ariel Woodfin (10-1), 140 Dwight’s Adilynn Avilez (13-1)
15-plus match winners
100 Rickover’s Dakota Perez (15-3), 100 Maine East’s Evelyn Torres (15-4), 105 Rickover’s Litzy Estrada-Aguado (18-5), 110 Maine East’s Eliana Badeen (16-8), 125 Sarah Goode’s Kendra Chatman (11-2), 170 Rickover’s Midna Lozoya (17-3)
20-plus match winners
130 Maine East’s Alena Oshana (26-3)
Championship match results
100 Dakota Perez (Rickover) F 3:07 Evelyn Torres (Maine E)
105 Litzy Estrada-Aguado (Rickover) F 1:33 Elizabeth Amaya-Avila (SFDSales)
110 Ariel Woodfin (Thornton) D 19-14 Eliana Badeen (Maine E)
115 Yazmine Garcia (Kelly) F 2:20 Emily Mastropaolo (Fremd)
120 Demetria Griffin (Hope) TF 3:54 Gianna Araujo-Dominguez (Argo)
125 Kendra Chatman (Goode) F 0:35 Elena Raymond (Argo)
130 Alena Oshana (Maine E) F 3:42 Layla Zbiec (Taft)
135 Avery Crouch (Dwight) F 3:35 Riley Moore (Highland Park)
140 Adilynn Avilez (Dwight) F 0:41 Lexie Hoobler (Highland Park)
145 Neriah Treadway (Hancock) F 0:33 Jordan Scroggins (Durand)
155 Liana Andrade (Kelly) F 1:16 Talifa Khamreava (Niles W)
170 Sara Martinez Lopera (Kelly) F 0:31 Midna Lozoya (Rickover)
190 Valerie Franco (Fenwick) F 3:31 Vargas Belen (Fenwick)
235 Miniyai Adams (Thornton) F 0:29 Sky Vazquez (Elmwood Park)
Third-place results
100 Karyme Estrada (Maine E) TF 5:06 Mia Castillo (Rickover)
105 Jaden Concepcion (Chicago Ac) F 4:27 Brooklin Scott (Westinghouse)
110 Italia Cernas (Mundelein) F 2:38 Destiny Hills (Kelly)
115 Alyssa Martel (Taft) F 1:37 Nour Al Radi (Niles W)
120 Paige Finnegan (Rickover) F 3:15 Isabella Rojas (Lockport)
125 Grace Eiland (Hope) F 2:49 Jennifer Arenas (Taft)
130 Kamara Hill (Thornton) F 2:51 Aubrey Walton (Westinghouse)
135 Liliana Monserrat Dimas (Kelly) F 1:45 Kylie Kowalisyn (Taft)
140 Khloe Heerdegen (Mundelein) F 1:08 Heaven Rodriguez (Hancock)
145 Evelyn Rodriguez (Taft) F 1:45 Kimberlyn Diaz (Mundelein)
155 Liya Sandor (Niles N) F 1:00 Kee’Mora Arterberry (Maine E)
170 Lexi Rosenthal (Highland Park) D 5-3 Nii’Lah Wilson-Smith (Westinghouse)
190 Angie Wszolek (Maine E) F 0:30 Emma Wilson (Niles W)
235 Jessica Ahn (Niles N) F 3:20 Nia Smith (Thornton)
Eisenhower duals
Plainfield South coach Tom Redmond’s girls snatched the title at this year’s 11-team Eisenhower Girls Mega Dual tournament, going 5-0 in duals capped by a 47-29 win over Marist in the championship round.
Plainfield South won 53-21 over host Eisenhower, 54-24 over Fenton, 47-36 over Oak Forest, and 66-18 over Prospect to reach the title dual against Marist.
“Overall, I was thrilled with a strong day of wrestling against quality competition across the entire lineup,” Redmond said. “We saw standout individual performances from Amie Fuentes (100), Kayla Ochotorena (115), Lexi Kachiroubas (120), Zola Estes (140), Layla Spann (170), and Myra Patrick (190).
“Just as importantly, there were noticeable improvements throughout the lineup in technique, confidence, and aggression. The performance provides a strong platform to build from in the final stretch of the season as we prepare for the Conference Tournament and the State Series.”
Marist went 5-1 in duals and reached the championship dual with wins over Richards (78-6), Hoffman Estates (51-30), Shepard (54-30), Lemont (72-12) and De La Salle (36-35).
Hoffman Estates placed third and Fenton took fourth at Eisenhower.
Unbeaten in matches wrestled (4-match minimum)
100 Oak Forest’s Alexandra Sebek (5-0), Plainfield South’s Amie Fuentes (4-0)
110 Fenton’s Kai Zamora (4-0)
115 Shepard’s Alyshae Martinez (4-0)
120 Plainfield South’s Alexia Kachiroubas (4-0)
130 Fenton’s Giselle Castillo (4-0)
135 De La Salle’s Mercedes Carrasco (4-0)
155 Hoffman Estates’ Sydnee Allen (5-0)
170 Plainfield South’s Layla Spann (5-0)
Final results
1st- Plainfield South 47, Marist 29
3rd- Hoffman Estates 47, Fenton 30
5th- Shepard 42, Oak Forest 35
7th- De La Salle 33, Eisenhower 18
9th- Prospect 24, Lemont 18
Championship dual
Plainfield South 47, Marist 29
125 – Ava Enright ((Marist) over Yuliana Manrique (Plainfield S) TF 17-0
130 – Samantha Durbin ((Marist) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
135 – Talea Ferguson (Marist) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
140 – Zola Estes (Plainfield S) over Elora Hiatt ((Marist) Fall 0:28
145 – Jordan Hozzian ((Marist) over Liliana Kenost (Plainfield S) Fall 5:28
155 – Samantha Fontaine ((Marist) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
170 – Layla Spann (Plainfield S) over Sarah Parker ((Marist) TF 18-3
190 – Kimyra Patrick (Plainfield S) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
235 – Tashi Wilson (Plainfield S) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
100 – Amie Fuentes (Plainfield S) over Shae Halleran ((Marist) Fall 1:00
105 – Sophia Zuno (Plainfield S) over Carmella Ramirez ((Marist) Dec 11-6
110 – Na`Ryah Figueroa (Plainfield S) over Katelyn Drzayich ((Marist) Dec 12-11
115 – Kayla Ochotorena (Plainfield S) over Meghan Ciukaj ((Marist) Fall 1:40
120 – Alexia Kachiroubas (Plainfield S) over Abby Woods ((Marist) Fall 1:11
Statistics
Hoffman Estates finished with the most pins in the tournament with 23, followed by Plainfield South with 22 and Shepard with 19. De La Salle had the most tech falls in the least time, with four in 15:51. Plainfield South had three tech falls in 12:53.
Marist scored the most team points with 320; Plainfield South had 267; and Hoffman Estates had 253.
Individually, Marist’s Sarah Parker posted with the most pins in the least time, with five in 3:07, while Eisenhower’s Isabella Haro and Plainfield South’s Layla Spann tied for the fastest fall, in 15 seconds.
De La Salle’s Mercedes Carrasco had the most tech falls in the least time with three in 10:06, followed by Plainfield South’s Spann with three techs in 12:53. Oak Forest’s Iyobosa Odiase had the fastest tech fall in 1:06.
Fenton’s Giselle Castillo scored the most team points with 42, and De La Salle’s Carrasco had the most single-match points with 24 and the most total match points with 79.
2026 Kaneland Knights Girls’ Invite
Host Kaneland stretched the field at this year’s 12-team Invite, winning 166-98 over second-place Belvidere North thanks to 11 girls placing in the top six of their weight classes, led by returning state champion Angelina Gochis (120).
Sycamore (95) finished a close third followed by Newman Central Catholic (54) and Morris (53) among the top five teams.
“The team wrestled well today and I believe are finally starting to round into form,” Kaneland coach Josh West said. “We have been battling some injuries and sickness like most teams, but the team battled today — fought in and out of positions and overall wrestled a great tournament.”
1st- Kaneland (166)
Knights coach Josh West sent six girls to the title mat, with Gochis dominating the field at 120. Kaneland also got second-place finishes from Amadahy Torres (100), Giselle Havron (105), Chloe Cervantes (130), Madison Manier (135), Alexis Zahlit (170) and Sadie Kinsella (190), thirds from Thalia Paton (110), Alena Padavana (125) and Caitlyn Manier (145), and fourths from Bella Gruber (130) and Kara Colles (235).
2nd- Belvidere North (98)
The Blue Thunder got an individual title from Addison Ramirez (115) for coach Justin Barber, plus runner-up finishes from Lillian Davis (110) and Emily Taylor (145), a third from Jillian Moore (155), and fourths from Edith Stark (105), Kaylee Snow (120) and Samantha Garnhart (135).
3rd- Sycamore (95)
Spartans coach Randy Culton entered five girls in the tournament and four of them won individual titles in Winter Beard (135), Ema Durst (145), Frankie McMurtry (170) and Jasmine Enriquez (235). Ella West (105) added a third-place medal for Sycamore.
Team scores
Kaneland 166, Belvidere North 98, Sycamore 95, Newman Central Catholc 54, Morris 53, Princeton 46.5, Olympia 45, Crete-Monee 44, Guilford 34, Coal City 30.5, St. Charles North 26, Taylorville 7
Close calls
The finals match at 190 between Guilford’s returning state qualifier Anjanne Haywood (16-4) and another returning state qualifier in Kaneland’s Sadie Kinsella (10-5) was a doozy, with Haywood winning a sudden victory decision 6-3.
With a 10-match minimum:
Unbeaten
110 Newman Central Catholic’s returning state qualifier Blair Grennan (11-0), 145 Sycamore’s returning state medal-winner Ema Durst (18-0)
Once-beaten
235 Sycamore’s Jasmine Enriquez (19-1)
15-plus match winners
120 Kaneland’s returning state champion Angelina Gochis (16-2), 170 Sycamore’s Frankie McMurtry (18-5), 190 Guilford’s Anjanne Haywood (16-4)
Statistics
Kaneland led all teams present with 16 pins in the tournament, followed by Sycamore with 11 and Belvidere North with 10. Kaneland also scored the most total match points with 162, followed by Belvidere North with 84 and Sycamore with 72.
Individually, Crete-Monee’s Dimond Calvin-Bowsky had the most pins in the least time, with five falls posted in 7:59, while Sycamore’s Ella West had the fastest pin in 0:21. Princeton’s Rylee Backes posted the fastest tech fall in 3:31.
Kaneland’s returning state champion Angelina Gochis scored the most team points with 24, followed by Coal City’s Riley Kuder with 23.5, whose 22 single-match points also led the field. Kaneland’s Thalia Paton scored the most total match points with 40, followed by Kuder with 35.
Crete-Monee’s Calvin-Bowsky also provided the largest seed-place difference, as the No. 8 seed placed third at 120 pounds.
Championship match results
100 Chloe Collins (Olympia) d. Amadahy Torres (Kaneland) (F 1:15)
105 Rylee Backes (Princeton) d. Giselle Havron (Kaneland) (F 2:34)
110 Blair Grennan (Newman CC) d. Lillian Davis (Belvidere N) (F 1:14)
115 Addison Ramirez (Belvidere N) d. Natalie Petri (Olympia) (F 2:25)
120 Angelina Gochis (Kaneland) d. Kaylee Benyo (Newman CC) (F 1:43)
125 Zara Lugo (Morris) d. Jadeyn Klingenberg (Princeton) (MD 14-4)
130 Riley Kuder (Coal City) d. Chloe Cervantes (Kaneland) (TF 4:24)
135 Winter Beard (Sycamore) d. Madison Manier (Kaneland) (F 1:04)
140 BYE
145 Ema Durst (Sycamore) d. Emily Taylor (Belvidere N) (F 4:36)
155 Nicolette Boelman (Morris) d. Evalyn Sheahan (Morris) (F 2:32)
170 Frankie McMurtry (Sycamore) d. Alexis Zahlit (Kaneland) (F 3:12)
190 Anjanne Haywood (Guilford) d. Sadie Kinsella (Kaneland) SV-1 6-3
235 Jasmine Enriquez (Sycamore)d. Savanna Trevino (Belvidere N) (F 1:56)
Third-place match results
100 Lynorah Hansen(Newman CC) d. Jaylynn Devore (Taylorville) F 1:06)
105 Ella West (Sycamore) d. Edith Stark (Belvidere N) (MD 9-1)
110 Thalia Paton (Kaneland) d. Norah Minuth (Coal City) (MD 11-0)
115 lily Robinson (Olympia) d. Arianna Farb (Guilford) (F 3:18)
120 Dimond Calvin-Bowsky (C.-Monee) d. Kaylee Snow (Belvidere N) (F 1:08)
125 Alena Padavana (Kaneland) d. Salam Al Bathmah (Guilford) (F 5:36)
130 Tiara Ching (St. Charles N) d. Bella Gruber (Kaneland) F 1:08)
135 Brynn Dergo (Morris) d. Samantha Garnhart (Belvidere N) (F 2:54)
140 BYE
145 Caitlyn Manier (Kaneland) d. Leah Brammeier (Olympia) (MD 12-4)
155 Jillian Moore (Belvidere N) d. Dailyn Pruitt (C.-Monee) (F 5:18)
170 Avalena Wunderlich (Princeton)d. Sydney Beard (C.-Monee) (F 1:18)
190 Julissa Rendon (St. Charles N)d. Kaylee Slattery (C.-Monee) (F 4:58)
235 Jaelin Brown (C.-Monee)d. kara colles (Kaneland) (F 1:19)
Naperville Central Girls Invitational
No team scoring took place at the Naperville Central Girls Invitational on Jan. 2, but more than 110 girls from 20 teams put in a solid day’s work in Naperville.
When it was over, Lane Tech and Maine South each had three champions and Leyden had two
Lane had nine girls who finished in the top four of their weight classes, followed by Willowbrook with seven, Downers Grove North with six, and Addison Trail and Wheaton Warrenville South with five apiece.
Maine South, Lyons Township and host Naperville Central each had four wrestlers finish in the top four, while Leyden and Naperville North had three apiece.
A pair of champions in Naperville were returning state medal-winners. Leyden’s Zoey Dodgers won the title at 110, after going 26-3 and placing fifth in Illinois at 105 last season. Crystal Lake South’s Annalee Aarseth won the title at 115, after going 17-3 and placing second at 110 last season.
Statistics
Lane led all teams with 21 pins, followed by Maine South and Leyden with 19 apiece. Lane also had the most tech falls with three, followed by Addison Trail with two. Lane scored the most team points with 201, followed by Willowbrook with 178 and Leyden with 152 points.
Individually, Newman Central Catholic’s Kaylee Benyo had the most pins in the least time with four in 1:57. Addison Trail’s Madeline Beltran posted the fastest fall in 10 seconds, and Montini’s Sarah Bell had the fastest tech fall in 0:47.
Willowbrook’s Kaya Lindegren finished with the most single-match points with 19, while Crystal Lake South’s Annalee Aarseth scored the most total match points with 52.
Lane’s Eila Barbour provided the largest seed-place difference, as the No. 13 seed won the title at 155 pounds.
With a 10-match minimum:
Unbeaten
135 Lane’s Zabby Badru (15-0)
Once-beaten
100 Lane’s Sofia Guerrero (13-1)
105 Maine South’s Katelin Gallegos (9-1)
110 Newman Central Catholic’s Blair Grennan (11-1)
135 Lyons’ Sofia Turek (12-1)
235 Maine South’s Sophia Fortis (12-1)
15-plus wins
110 Willowbrook’s Nayeli Salgado (16-4)
120 Naperville Central’s Gracie Meluch (26-8), WW South’s Sommer Kibbe (16-3)
130 DG North’s Jahdi’yah Hibbler (18-4)
135 WW South’s Heidi Bourne (15-5)
140 DG North’s Valentina Gonzalez (16-6)
170 Addison Trail’s Sylvia Lupa (15-2)
Championship match results
100 Sofia Guerrero (Lane) F 0:16 Kendall Niday (Naperville N)
105 Katelyn Gallegos (Maine S) F 1:03 Valeria Hernandez (Lane)
110 Zoey Dodgers (Leyden) F 1:56 Blair Grennan (Newman CC)
115 Annalee Aarseth (Crystal Lake S) F 6:00 Annika Lee (Maine S)
120 Sarah Bell (Montini) F 1:23 Angelina Manlapaz (Willowbrook)
125 Sabrina Bono (Leyden) F 2:33 Zoe Connelly (Lyons)
130 Jahdi’yah Hibbler (DG North) F 3:04 Drea Lazzara (Addison Trail)
135 Zabby Badru (Lane) F 3:04 Sofia Turek (Lyons)
140 Addison Barnes (Maine S) F 5:10 Valentina Gonzalez (DG North)
145 Louisa Enslen (WW South) F 2:33 August Pulli (Lyons)
155 Eila Barbour (Lane) F 4:00 Samantha Stillo (DG North)
170 Sylvia Lupa (Addison Trail) F 1:57 Kenaiece Barrett (Lane)
190 Jimena Saenz (Willowbrook) F 5:11 Hannah Long (DG North)
235 Sophia Fortis (Maine S) F 3:30 Mayes Jynelle (WW South)
Third-place match results
100 Melina Valdez (Addison Trail) F 1:47 Lynorah Hansen (Newman CC)
105 Jocelyn Seludo (Naperville C) F 1:11 Lena Vigue (Naperville N)
110 Nayeli Salgado (Willowbrook) F 3:55 Estrella Jaimes (WW South)
115 Lauren Guerrero (Lane) F 0:30 Maria Villegas De Avila (Willowbrook)
120 Gracie Meluch (Naperville C) D 13-11 Sommer Kibbe (WW South)
125 Evolet Mata (Addison Trail) F 2:25 Avery Kinley (Naperville N)
130 Imyah Jackson (Lane) TF 4:41 Melva Gallego-Sugar (Naperville C)
135 Brithany Mondragon (Addison Trail) TF 3:29 Natalia Cordova (Lane)
140 Caroline Ratliff (WW South) inj.dft. Katilyn Kapral (DG North)
145 Ashlyn Fargher (Rock Falls) F 2:53 Rose Zimmer (Lyons)
155 Layla Moreland (Lane) F 0:58 Arianna Rico (Naperville C)
170 Jazilah Gatlin (Willowbrook) F 2:57 Anne Desruisseaux (DG North)
190 Minallely Medina (Leyden) F 5:40 Ema Hulin (Willowbrook)
235 Maryorith Huertas (Willowbrook) inj.dft. Olivia Ramirez (Proviso E)