North Mahaska girls will once again wrestle in the Super Regional state qualifying wrestling tournament on Friday, Jan. 26. They will wrestle in the Region 3 tourney at Hy-Vee Hall. The top four winners in each weight class will advance to the state tournament at Xtream Arena in Coralville on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 1-2.
Iowa girls wrestling is a single class event. There will be girls from 25 schools competing for spots in the state tournament. This is the second year of sanctioned wrestling by the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union. Last season an estimated 2,300 junior and senior high girls competed. This year 240 schools, some in cooperative programs, are competing.
Among the 25 schools competing at the Region 3 site are Ankeny, Ames. Chariton, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, English Valleys, Iowa Valley, Johnston, Newton, Ottumwa, Pekin and Sigourney-Keota.
Freshman Macie Little is pacing the North Mahaska team with a 12-1 mark while wrestling at 125 pounds. She has already posted a pair of tournament titles, most recently at Eddyville. Freshman 120 pounder Kaylia Shipman and sophomore Kiren Perez at 140 have each posted an 8-5 mark. Sophomore Amara Edwards-Hinton at 170 is 2-10 on the season.
North Mahaska wrestlers have met competitors from at least a dozen of the schools in the regional. The goal will be to ensure each reaches the podium in the top four to secure a berth at the state meet.