Free State takes 8th, Lawrence 16th at RavenMania girls wrestling tournament

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State's Delaney Earl celebrates a win with Free State coach Melle Dye during the RavenMania girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Olathe.

Olathe — The Lawrence and Free State girls wrestling teams competed in their second tournament of the season on Saturday, with the Firebirds placing eighth and the Lions 16th.

Free State scored 113.5 points in the tournament with Firebirds winning the 120-pound weight class and the 120-pound B weight class. The Lions got a bracket win in the 145-pound B weight class and scored 64.0 points.

“The competition was a step up this week, and I thought we were in some tough matches,” Free State coach Melle Dye said. “We fought hard. We still have a lot to work on… but we wrestled a lot better on our feet today.”

Jessica Berg was the 120-pound winner in the tournament. She advanced with a win and a bye in the first two rounds before being pinned in the third round by Wellsville’s Brinlee Hartman. Berg bounced back with a 17-2 technical fall win that set Berg up for a rematch with Hartman in the first-place match. There, Berg got the better of Hartman with a pin in just over a minute and a half.

Ester Bigirimana won the B bracket of the 120-pound weight class, going 5-0 in the tournament. She started with two quick pins, including a 21-second pin in her second match. Bigirimana pinned her third opponent in just under three minutes, which put her in the championship bracket. She got a 34-second pin, which sent her to the first-place match that she won with a pin in 57 seconds.

Delaney Earl was the runner-up of the 125-pound weight class with a 3-1 record. She pinned her first two opponents, including an 18-second pin in the third round. She lost from a pin in the fourth round but bounced back with a 3-0 decision win in her final bout.

Earl and Berg are practice partners, and the two have had intense competitions early in the season. Dye said that the atmosphere in practice between those two wrestlers has helped them “level of their game” and made a difference in this tournament.

AJ Collins placed third in the 235-pound weight class with a 3-2 record. After a pin in under 40 seconds, Collins won her second match with a late pin with 12 seconds on the clock. She lost her next two matches but won with a medical forfeit in the third-place match.

Three Firebirds placed fifth in the tournament. Madilyn Pierson lost four matches in the 190-pound bracket, but her win in the third round put her in fifth place in her bracket. Kendahl Fell was fifth in the 235-pound bracket with two wins after losing her first two matches. Her two pins in the consolation bracket got her the fifth-place medal. Brooklynn Parish finished fifth in the 135-pound B weight class. She pinned her consolation bracket opponent in 43 seconds and got a win via forfeit in the fifth-place match.

In the 135-pound bracket, Presley White finished sixth. She lost her first two bouts but bounced back with two wins in the next two rounds. White ultimately lost the fifth-place match by a pin.

Danica Sledd, Lily Evans and Laila Reetz each placed eighth in their respective weight classes, and Rachell Gibbs took ninth in the 115-pound B weight class.

Dye was pleased with how his team battled throughout the tournament, regardless of the situation each wrestler was in. Dye credited the support from the team in those tough situations for helping the Firebirds wrestle hard.

“That gives them an extra spark to go out and fight,” Dye said.

Lawrence brought a smaller group to the tournament, as the team has dealt with illnesses. Some of the wrestlers at the tournament got their first varsity experience.

“We only brought four varsity girls and three JV girls,” coach Carl Springer said. “We just had about five girls get sick this week… Everybody wrestled tough.”

Imogen Matter won the 145-pound B weight class with a 4-0 record. She started with a 24-second pin and ended with a 39-second pin in the first-place match to secure her tournament win.

“She didn’t wrestle last year, made the jump up to high school varsity this year and won the 145,” Springer said.

Goldy Stephens was the runner-up of the 235-pound weight class. She won her first three matches but lost with a 7-4 decision in the first-place match. Springer blamed himself for the championship loss, which could have been Stephens’s 100th win. In the final minute, when Stephens was down three points, Springer believed she was leading by that margin, and told Stephens to lay on top of her opponent for the final seconds.

“I’ll apologize about a thousand times until she gets mad at me,” Springer said. “She wrestled her heart out. If I had known we were down, I would’ve played out that final minute differently.”

Annabelle Ackerman placed fifth in the 115-pound bracket with three wins in the tournament. She lost her first two matches but bounced back with three pins to take fifth. Ivy Ford took sixth in the 130-pound weight class with a 1-4 record. She lost in the fifth-place match by a major decision and won her second-round match with a pin.

Juliana Hout and Elizabeth Mock each finished eighth in the 135 and 155-pound weight classes, respectively.

“It was good to see (Mock) come out and get some confidence,” Springer said. “She wasn’t able to wrestle in regionals last year, and we felt she had a good chance at going to state. So we’re hoping to keep her healthy.”

Free State and Lawrence will see each other on Wednesday for a wrestling quad at Free State High School.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State’s Danica Sledd fights to escape during the RavenMania girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence’s Imogen Matter gets on top of an opponent during the RavenMania girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State’s Lily Evans grabs her opponent during the RavenMania girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State’s Jessica Berg moves around in a match during the RavenMania girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence coach Carl Springer, left, and Goldy Stephens speak during a break during the RavenMania girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State’s Madilyn Pierson fights for positioning during the RavenMania girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence’s Juliana Hout wrestles during the RavenMania girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence’s Goldy Stephens gets on top of her opponent during the RavenMania girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State’s Presley White fights to stand up during the RavenMania girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawarence’s Goldy Stephens smiles after winning a match during the RavenMania girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State’s Delaney Earl gets on top of an opponent during the RavenMania girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State coach Melle Dye, left, coaches on a wrestler during the RavenMania girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence’s Goldy Stephens, left, and Free State’s AJ Collins wrestle during the RavenMania girls wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Olathe.