 |
|
North Cedar’s Ashlynn Miller, top, turns Hayley Bowman from Missouri Valley on her way to a pin in 3:17 in the 120-pound quarterfinals. Miller would fall in the semifinals, but pin her opponent in the third place match to place third at the first ever girls state wrestling tournament last Saturday. Photo by Corey Meints, Ackley World Journal.
|
Sports Editor
WAVERLY — History was made last Saturday at Waverly-Shell Rock High School as the first ever Girls State Wrestling tournament was held. There, nearly 100 girls participated in the inaugural event. There, North Cedar freshman Ashlynn Miller was among the competitors. Miller was one of nine wrestlers at the 120-pound weight class. Miller finished third after winning two of the three matches she was in.
“It was a great feeling to be on the podium at the first state tournament,” said Miller. “My dream though is to be on the top of the podium. I’m going to have to work hard to get there, as there is tough competition,” she said.
Waverly-Shell Rock won the team title at the meet with 144 points. Colfax-Mingo was second with 78 team points and Charles City was third with 73 points. Each team received a trophy. The rest of the top-10 went like this - Waukon 4th, Osage 5th, Denver 6th, LeMars 7th, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 8th, Davenport Central and Pleasantville tied for 9th.
Miller has been wrestling for about nine years. She wrestled for Lisbon for three years and then North Cedar after that. She came up through the North Cedar middle school program. She has wrestled both junior varsity and varsity this season with a combined record of 9 wins against 15 losses in 24 combined matches going into last weekends state tournament.
Miller said that she wasn’t nervous at the meet and said North Cedar head coach Darrell Long told her before the meet, “Once you’ve wrestled, everything in life is easier.”
“I’m glad they finally have a Girl’s State Tournament,” said Miller.
“The next thing I hope is that they move it to Des Moines as the boys do,” she said.
Miller was seeded fifth at the state tournament and opened with a pin over fourth-seeded Hayley Bowman from Missouri Valley in 3:17. Miller trailed 3-2 after the first period, but really got things going in the second. There, Miller started down and took a 4-3 lead after getting a reversal 15 seconds into the period. She then scored a 3-point near fall to extend her lead to 7-3 six seconds later. She would add another 3-point near fall later and used an 8-1 run to take a 10-4 lead before getting the pin.
In the semifinals, Miller faced top-seeded Chloe Clemons from Cedar Rapids Jefferson. Clemons came into the state meet ranked No. 1 at 126 and was wrestling down a class at state. In the match, Miller fought very hard, however, fell by a major decision to Clemons. Clemons would go onto win the 120-pound weight class pinning Jacey Meier from Waverly-Shell Rock in 3:51. Meier dropped two weight classes as she was ranked No. 2 at the 132-pound weight class.
Miller wasn’t done though, she got to wrestle for third place. There, Miller would score her second pin on the day, pinning sixth-seeded Brynn Miller from Pleasantville in 2:25 to capture third place. Miller led 5-1 after the first period and 7-1 before scoring the pin. Miller scored a takedown, 3-point near fall and caution in the first minute of the match to set the tone.
North Cedar wrestling coach Darrell Long said that early Miller may have had jitters, but she settled in.
“I think she had first match jitters, but then she settled in and took control after she realized that she belonged at the meet,” said Long.
“She knew Chloe would be tough, but we went into the match with a good game plan and it almost worked. She gave her a very tough match and the score was a lot closer than the final,” he said.
Long said that the state girls meet is a long time coming and in past years at coaches and officials conventions, that they were trying to get the tournament going. He said that he was able to deliver the news to the Miller family about the tournament coming this year.
“I told her and her family together. They were super excited about the opportunity, and the opportunity to win a state title. It was special,” he said.
The Iowa wrestling coaches and officials association put the state meet on. The championship event marks the end of the second season in which Iowa High Schools have offered females the opportunity to compete in girl divisions. Girls wrestling has exploded in recent years. Nationally, 16,562 girls are wrestled in the 2017-18 season representing 2,351 high schools across the country. It was the third straight season with over 10,000 girls in participation. The 1995-96 school year was the first to top 1,000 participants and the 2006-07 school year was the first to top 5,000 participants.
In Iowa, 36 wrestlers suited up in the first year of keeping track of numbers in the 2013-14 year. It
increased to 41 the following year followed by 67, back-to-back years of 93 and then a high of 187 this season (2018-19). There are currently 14 states with sanctioned girls wrestling. They are Hawaii, Texas, Washington, California, Alaska, and Tennessee. The following states became sanctioned in 2018 - Arizona, Georgia, Maine, Missouri, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, and Colorado. Hawaii was first in 1998.
At the college level, one D1, 9 D2, and 6 D3 schools have college women’s wrestling teams. The NAIA level has the most schools with 24, including Grand View University in Des Moines starting in 2019 or 2020. Some community colleges also offer wrestling as a sport. Currently 20 former Iowa High School Girl’s wrestle in college.
This season there were 12 varsity girl’s divisions at tournaments across the state and two junior varsity divisions at tournaments including one at Wilton back on December 15.
Of the 187 certified female wrestlers in Iowa this year, 36 are seniors, 46 juniors, 48 are sophomores and 57 are freshmen. Class breakdown is 56 in Class 3A, 63 in Class 2A and 68 in Class 1A. Denver has the most participants with 17 while Osage had 13 and Waverly-Shell Rock has 11.
Miller is the only female wrestler at the high school level at North Cedar. There is another female wrestler at the middle school level.
“I’ve been around wrestling in so many parts for 45 years. This is so cool! We (Iowa), are so far behind the times in girls wrestling. I’m glad that the coaches and officials association stepped up to make this happen,” said Long.
North Cedar, like schools across the state, are working now for their conference and then sectional meets. A few will advance each week as the postseason hits its crescendo at the 2019 State wrestling meet next month.
Miller will be back in action on January 21 at the River Valley Conference junior varsity tournament and at this Saturday’s Varsity River Valley Conference tournament. The Knights wrestle at West Branch on Saturday, February 2.
“I am preparing for JV at Monticello and Varsity Conference at North Cedar. Just hoping I do well. RVC will be fun and a learning experience,” she said.
WAVERLY — History was made last Saturday at Waverly-Shell Rock High School as the first ever Girls State Wrestling tournament was held. There, nearly 100 girls participated in the inaugural event. There, North Cedar freshman Ashlynn Miller was among the competitors. Miller was one of nine wrestlers at the 120-pound weight class. Miller finished third after winning two of the three matches she was in.
“It was a great feeling to be on the podium at the first state tournament,” said Miller. “My dream though is to be on the top of the podium. I’m going to have to work hard to get there, as there is tough competition,” she said.
Waverly-Shell Rock won the team title at the meet with 144 points. Colfax-Mingo was second with 78 team points and Charles City was third with 73 points. Each team received a trophy. The rest of the top-10 went like this - Waukon 4th, Osage 5th, Denver 6th, LeMars 7th, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 8th, Davenport Central and Pleasantville tied for 9th.
Miller has been wrestling for about nine years. She wrestled for Lisbon for three years and then North Cedar after that. She came up through the North Cedar middle school program. She has wrestled both junior varsity and varsity this season with a combined record of 9 wins against 15 losses in 24 combined matches going into last weekends state tournament.
Miller said that she wasn’t nervous at the meet and said North Cedar head coach Darrell Long told her before the meet, “Once you’ve wrestled, everything in life is easier.”
“I’m glad they finally have a Girl’s State Tournament,” said Miller.
 |
|
North Cedar’s Ashlynn Miller grapples
with Chloe Clemons from Cedar Rapids
Jefferson in the 120-pound semifinals.
Clemons won the 120 title.
Photo by Corey Meints, Ackley World Journal.
|
“The next thing I hope is that they move it to Des Moines as the boys do,” she said.
Miller was seeded fifth at the state tournament and opened with a pin over fourth-seeded Hayley Bowman from Missouri Valley in 3:17. Miller trailed 3-2 after the first period, but really got things going in the second. There, Miller started down and took a 4-3 lead after getting a reversal 15 seconds into the period. She then scored a 3-point near fall to extend her lead to 7-3 six seconds later. She would add another 3-point near fall later and used an 8-1 run to take a 10-4 lead before getting the pin.
In the semifinals, Miller faced top-seeded Chloe Clemons from Cedar Rapids Jefferson. Clemons came into the state meet ranked No. 1 at 126 and was wrestling down a class at state. In the match, Miller fought very hard, however, fell by a major decision to Clemons. Clemons would go onto win the 120-pound weight class pinning Jacey Meier from Waverly-Shell Rock in 3:51. Meier dropped two weight classes as she was ranked No. 2 at the 132-pound weight class.
Miller wasn’t done though, she got to wrestle for third place. There, Miller would score her second pin on the day, pinning sixth-seeded Brynn Miller from Pleasantville in 2:25 to capture third place. Miller led 5-1 after the first period and 7-1 before scoring the pin. Miller scored a takedown, 3-point near fall and caution in the first minute of the match to set the tone.
North Cedar wrestling coach Darrell Long said that early Miller may have had jitters, but she settled in.
“I think she had first match jitters, but then she settled in and took control after she realized that she belonged at the meet,” said Long.
“She knew Chloe would be tough, but we went into the match with a good game plan and it almost worked. She gave her a very tough match and the score was a lot closer than the final,” he said.
Long said that the state girls meet is a long time coming and in past years at coaches and officials conventions, that they were trying to get the tournament going. He said that he was able to deliver the news to the Miller family about the tournament coming this year.
“I told her and her family together. They were super excited about the opportunity, and the opportunity to win a state title. It was special,” he said.
The Iowa wrestling coaches and officials association put the state meet on. The championship event marks the end of the second season in which Iowa High Schools have offered females the opportunity to compete in girl divisions. Girls wrestling has exploded in recent years. Nationally, 16,562 girls are wrestled in the 2017-18 season representing 2,351 high schools across the country. It was the third straight season with over 10,000 girls in participation. The 1995-96 school year was the first to top 1,000 participants and the 2006-07 school year was the first to top 5,000 participants.
In Iowa, 36 wrestlers suited up in the first year of keeping track of numbers in the 2013-14 year. It
 |
|
Noth Cedar freshman Ashlynn Miller,
right, grapples with Hayley Bowman
from Missouri Valley in the quarterfinals
of the 120-pound weight class at last
week’s state tournament in Waverly.
Miller pinned Bowman in 3:17 to
advance. Photo by Corey Meints, Ackley World Journal.
|
At the college level, one D1, 9 D2, and 6 D3 schools have college women’s wrestling teams. The NAIA level has the most schools with 24, including Grand View University in Des Moines starting in 2019 or 2020. Some community colleges also offer wrestling as a sport. Currently 20 former Iowa High School Girl’s wrestle in college.
This season there were 12 varsity girl’s divisions at tournaments across the state and two junior varsity divisions at tournaments including one at Wilton back on December 15.
Of the 187 certified female wrestlers in Iowa this year, 36 are seniors, 46 juniors, 48 are sophomores and 57 are freshmen. Class breakdown is 56 in Class 3A, 63 in Class 2A and 68 in Class 1A. Denver has the most participants with 17 while Osage had 13 and Waverly-Shell Rock has 11.
Miller is the only female wrestler at the high school level at North Cedar. There is another female wrestler at the middle school level.
“I’ve been around wrestling in so many parts for 45 years. This is so cool! We (Iowa), are so far behind the times in girls wrestling. I’m glad that the coaches and officials association stepped up to make this happen,” said Long.
North Cedar, like schools across the state, are working now for their conference and then sectional meets. A few will advance each week as the postseason hits its crescendo at the 2019 State wrestling meet next month.
Miller will be back in action on January 21 at the River Valley Conference junior varsity tournament and at this Saturday’s Varsity River Valley Conference tournament. The Knights wrestle at West Branch on Saturday, February 2.
“I am preparing for JV at Monticello and Varsity Conference at North Cedar. Just hoping I do well. RVC will be fun and a learning experience,” she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment