CORALVILLE — The Ames area had a total of six athletes from three different schools earn a spot on the podium at the 2026 Iowa high school girls state wrestling tournament at the Xtream Arena.
All three Ames wrestlers earned a medal during the tournament.
“We could not be more proud of our three state placewinners,” said Ames assistant coach Josh Greenlee. “They wrestled the best competition in the state and performed very well. To compete in a meet of this caliber and come out 3-for-3 in placewinners is a great accomplishment.”
Gilbert had two wrestlers place and one Nevada wrestler earned a spot on the podium at the conclusion of the two-day competition.
Three other wrestlers from the area also competed at state. Here are three takeaways from how high school girls wrestlers performed at the IGHSAU state wrestling tournament.
Each Ames wrestler earns a spot on the podium
Ames seniors Lexa Rozevink and Lauryn Metcalf finished their careers by placing at state.
Rozevink fell short of her state championship goals after taking second at last year’s state meet, but she still turned in an impressive performance in placing third in 2026 to end her career with 154 wins and 104 pins.
Rozevink pinned Iowa City Liberty’s Acasia Lukalaba Ndomba in the first round and Cedar Rapids Jefferson’s Josephine Budederi in the quarterfinals before losing by an 11-1 major decision to Southeast Polk’s Addie Nelson. She came back to pin Oskaloosa’s Mia Luck in the consolation semifinals and then down Fort Dodge’s Mariaha Benedict by fall in the third-place match.
“Lexa cruised through the first two rounds and then she had a tough match in the semifinals,” Greenlee said. “We know this is not the finish she wanted, but she showed the heart of a warrior in battling back and finishing third.”
Metcalf ended her career as a three-time state qualifier and two-time placewinner. After taking eighth at 140 a year ago, she finished fourth at 140 in 2026.
She was 4-2 during the 2026 tournament. She totaled three pins and one victory by decision to end the season with a 45-7 record.
“Lauryn battled through a tough bracket, and she did a great job of staying composed when matches got tough,” Greenlee said. “She’s really improved her ability to work through positions and not give up big moves. When there is time on the clock, Lauryn is always dangerous.”
Sophomore Jaya Theilen placed at state for the first time.
She took eighth at 125, going 2-3 at the tournament, with one win by decision and one by fall, to finish the season at 39-15.
“Jaya wrestled the best she has all season,” Greenlee said. “She was locked in, and she won some tough matches by wrestling smart and controlling the pace on her feet.”
Two Tigers and one Cub medal at IGHSAU state tournament
Gilbert had two wrestlers end up on the stand in seniors Kate Melody and Tatum Heaberlin.
Melody placed at state for the first time after taking seventh at 125 in Class 2A. She went 1-2 at 135 last season.
This season, she went 4-2 at the state meet. She bounced back from an opening-round loss to Cedar Falls’ Jobie Conway by scoring two falls before losing to Ankeny’s Karlie Kruse by an 8-1 decision in the consolation third round.
Melody then defeated Theilen by fall in the seventh-place match.
Heaberlin placed eighth at 130 for the second year in a row. She was 2-3, finishing with a 3-1 win over Mason City’s Carleigh Arjes in the first round and a 5-4 victory over Marion’s Josie Logan in the consolation third round.
Melody ended her season at 38-11 and Heaberlin finished 46-6.
Nevada sophomore Allison Houston showed she has a bright future by taking seventh at 105 in 2A by going 3-2 during the tournament.
Houston scored falls in the first round, consolation second round and seventh-place match. Her losses came by technical fall to Indianola’s Sierra Becker in the quarterfinals and by fall to Southeast Polk’s London Vermillion in the consolation third round.
Houston ended the season with a 40-11 record.
Ashlyn Leslie finishes her career with 103 wins
Nevada senior Ashlyn Leslie was unable to repeat as a state champion, thanks in large part to an ACL injury she suffered in July.
Leslie was only able to return to the mat the week of the IGHSAU regional meets. She won a conference championship and reached her 100th-career victory before taking second at the regional meet to qualify for state.
At state, Leslie pinned Cedar Rapids Jefferson’s Amiyah Burdin in the first round, but she lost by fall to Ankeny’s Nora Bockes in the quarterfinals and Iowa City West’s Brianna Lucero in the consolation second round to end her career with 103 victories.
Ballard’s Evelyn Faubus, Gilbert’s Cece Wagner and Nevada’s Grayce Coree all went 0-2 at state.
Faubus finished 39-10 at 120 and Wagner 36-11 at 155. Both wrestlers are juniors, so they will get another run at making state in 2026-2027.
Coree concluded her senior year with a 30-15 record at 235.
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Six from Ames area place at Iowa girls state wrestling tournament
Reporting by Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
