Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The third edition of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union girls wrestling tournament will be slightly different than the first two.

For the first time the two-day event scheduled for Thursday and Friday at Xtream Arena in Coralville will be divided into two classes.

There are 11 Your Prep Sports area wrestlers that will be competing at the tournament across Classes 1A and 2A.

Opening-round matches get underway at 10 a.m. on Thursday in Class 2A with the Class 1A opening session set to begin at 4:30 p.m.

Before the action gets rolling Your Prep Sports provides a quick breakdown of the Class 1A state tournament highlight area competitors.

The Wrestlers

Area qualifiers/Opening round opponents

105 – No. 1 Kara VeDepo (36-3) Sr., Solon vs. Kylie Belinsky (24-15) Soph., Sumner-Fredericksburg

110 – No. 4 McKenna Rogers (27-6) Jr., Solon vs. No. 12 Kambry Gordon (41-9) Jr., Clarinda

115 – Tess Richards (13-6) Soph., Solon vs. No. 8 Macy Rasmussen (36-0) Fr., Audubon

140 – No. 10 Olivia Bonnema (22-6) Sr., Solon vs. Katelyn Brandhorst (22-8) Jr., Woodward-Granger

190 – No. 7 Teagyn Hartz (33-3) Sr., West Branch vs. No. 8 Mary Bowman (45-9) Jr., Logan-Magnolia-Woodbine

Undefeated Wrestlers

100 – Kenadee Helscher (32-0) Jr., Wapello

105 – Violet Diaz (27-0) Soph., Denver

115 – Macy Rasmussen (36-0) Fr., Audubon

115 – Reanah Utterback (51-0) Sr., Sigourney-Keota

125 – Molly Allen (27-0) Sr., Riverside

130 – Jullian Worthen (20-0) Sr., Union

130 – Kaydence Boorn (36-0) Sr., Wilton

170 – Briar Blake (25-0) Sr., North Tama

190 – Libby Dix (41-0) Sr., Mount Vernon

Returning State Champions

Current weight class, Wrestler, School, 2023 championship weight class

115 – Reanah Utterback, Sigourney-Keota, 115

125 – Molly Allen, Riverside, 125

135 – Colbie Tenborg, Saydel, 130

190 – Libby Dix, Mount Vernon, 190

What to Watch

First Round Match to Watch

One of the better opening-round matches in 1A comes at 190 pounds where seventh-ranked West Branch senior Teagyn Hartz (33-3) faces eighth-ranked Mary Bowman (45-9) of Logan-Magnolia.

Hartz is a three-time state qualifier that has gone 1-2 in each of her previous two state tournament appearances at 170-pounds giving her the experience edge in the opening-round contest.

All three losses this season for Hartz have come to top-five ranked wrestlers including a loss to top-ranked defending 190-pound champion Libby Dix of Mount Vernon in the regional final last week.

Wrestler to Watch

Solon senior Kara VeDepo is making her third consecutive state tournament appearance and is seeking a strong finish to a brilliant career.

VeDepo went 0-2 in her state meet debut as a sophomore before placing fourth at 100 pounds last season.

VeDepo (36-3) enters the state tournament top-ranked at 105 pounds and is the second in a strong 105-pound bracket.

All three losses for VeDepo this season came in succession at the Donnybrook at Xtream Arena back on December 6.

VeDepo has won 21 consecutive matches since and has 14 pins during that stretch.

Weight Class to Watch

The Class 1A 110-pound bracket possesses the potential for one of the most intriguing semifinals in the Class.

Returning state medalists Solon junior McKenna Rogers (27-6) and Mount Vernon junior Kiersten Swart (39-4) are on a collision course for a fourth meeting in a little more than two weeks.

Rogers is a two-time medalist placing fifth each of the past two seasons, including last year at 105 pounds, while Swart finished third at 110 pounds last season.

The two WAMAC Conference rivals have gotten quite familiar with one another over the past month.

Swart won the first meeting by fall on January 23, won a 1-0 decision a day later in the finals of the WAMAC tournament and added a 7-4 win in the regional final last Friday.

A fourth meeting between the two this week would be for a spot in the 110-pound title match.

Two-time state runner-up Gable Hemann (46-1) of Osage is the top seed at 110 pounds.

The Teams

Regional champions (State Qualifiers)

Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (8); Vinton-Shellsburg (4); East Buchanan (7); Osage (6); Logan-Magnolia-Woodbine (4); Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (4); Mount Vernon (6); Williamsburg (4)

What to watch in team race

The top two finishers from last seasons one-class tournament are both in Class 1A and both will be in title contention once again.

Decorah ran away from the field last season to win its first state title with 141 points while East Buchanan was runner-up with 96 points.

East Buchanan was runner-up and Decorah was third in the inaugural IGHSAU tournament in 2023.

Top-ranked Decorah and second-ranked East Buchanan again expect to battle for the top spot in Class 1A this week along with a couple of teams looking for a breakthrough.

Third-ranked Osage finish ahead of Decorah at the regional meet and has six state qualifiers and fifth-ranked Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont has a 1A-leading eight state qualifiers.

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