The rise of women’s wrestling in Missouri is no longer a story about potential. It is a story about arrival.
On March 15, 2026, the Missouri USA Girls State Championship returns to Wilson Logistics Arena in Springfield, and it will do so in historic fashion. With 820 entries representing 162 teams, the tournament has shattered every previous participation record, a staggering number that reflects not just growth, but a full-scale movement that continues to gain momentum every single year.
What began as a bold step forward just five years ago has become one of the premier youth girls wrestling events in the country. The athletes are stronger. The brackets are deeper. The margin between good and great continues to narrow, and Missouri has quickly become one of the states helping lead the national charge in the explosion of women’s wrestling.
From 291 to 820: The Numbers Tell the Story
The Girls division was introduced by Missouri USA Wrestling in 2021, beginning with 291 entries. At the time, it felt like the start of something important. Looking back now, it was the spark that ignited one of the fastest growing movements in the sport.
Those first wrestlers helped build the foundation for what Missouri girls wrestling has become today.
Some of the earliest brackets featured names that would soon become legends within the state. At the 14U level, wrestlers like Jayden Keller, who would go on to capture four high school state titles, were already establishing themselves. Alongside her was Breanna Gibbs, another early standout who would eventually finish her high school career with three state championships.
Meanwhile in the younger divisions, the future of Missouri wrestling was quietly forming.
The 10U bracket in 2021 produced three wrestlers who would later become freshman high school state champions. Lexi Wolk, Scout Puryear, and Jauzlyean Gray all captured youth state titles the moment the opportunity existed. The Breeden sisters also made their mark at 12U, both standing atop the podium together, something fans would later get to witness again during their high school careers.
And like every great story in wrestling, the early years were full of twists.
Future high school champion Addison Harkins finished third, while Carli Vargas earned runner-up honors behind future champion Breanna Gibbs. Even in year one, the talent pool ran deep. What those early results proved was simple: Missouri already had the athletes. They just needed the stage. And once that stage was built, the growth became impossible to ignore.
Missouri USA Girls State Entries by Year
- 2021 – 291 wrestlers
- 2022 – 315 wrestlers
- 2023 – 430 wrestlers
- 2024 – 516 wrestlers
- 2025 – 695 wrestlers
- 2026 – 820 wrestlers
In just five years, the tournament has nearly tripled in size.
That kind of growth mirrors what is happening across the entire United States.
Girls wrestling is now one of the fastest-growing high school sports in the country. Participation nationwide has exploded from fewer than 5,000 girls in the early 2000s to well over 60,000 athletes competing in high school programs today, with 47 states now sanctioning girls wrestling at the high school level. College programs continue to emerge every year, and the NCAA recently moved toward officially recognizing women’s wrestling as a championship sport.
Within that national surge, Missouri has firmly planted itself as one of the leaders of the movement.
Humble Beginnings
The beginning wasn’t glamorous.
Early Missouri girls tournaments were run with Madison brackets, without clearly defined weight divisions, and took place in the tightly packed Hy-Vee Arena in Kansas City. The demand for mat space, seating, and scheduling was overwhelming.
But even through those challenges, the girls showed up, year after year. Eventually, the tournament evolved into the massive event it is today.
After several years at Hy-Vee Arena, Missouri USA Wrestling made the decision to move the event to Springfield, Missouri, giving the girls a venue capable of handling the explosive growth of the sport.
The move also came with a difficult change in its first year: the girls tournament would now have to take place on a separate weekend, Easter weekend. Many wondered if that decision might slow the momentum. Instead, the exact opposite happened.
A Tournament of Their Own
In 2024, the Missouri girls finally had something that symbolized just how far they had come. Their own day. Their own stage.
The result?
516 entries, nearly 100 more wrestlers than the previous year. It was the moment the girls truly claimed the spotlight. While this tournament was housed next door to the Wilson Logistics Arena, the girls were still given their own stage, on their own day; showing a win towards the growth of women’s wrestling in Missouri.
The Next Step: Districts
Growth brings new challenges.
In 2025, Missouri introduced district tournaments for the girls division. While the sport has not yet reached the point of limiting state qualifiers strictly to top finishers, districts provided something the girls had never experienced before: true seeding through competition.
For the first time, athletes battled through their district brackets to earn positioning at the state tournament. It was another step forward. Another piece of structure in a sport rapidly evolving.
Fast Forward to 2026
Now we arrive at the present.
820 wrestlers.
162 teams.
The 2026 Missouri USA Girls State Championship represents the largest girls wrestling event in state history.
And this year, the spotlight belongs entirely to them.
With their own district system, their own tournament weekend, and the deepest talent pool Missouri has ever seen, the stage is set for one of the most exciting youth wrestling tournaments the state has ever witnessed.
Competition begins Sunday, March 15th at 9:00 a.m. sharp inside Wilson Logistics Arena in Springfield.
And the brackets are absolutely stacked.
Brackets to Watch
Some divisions are bursting with talent.
- 8U 55 lbs – 23 entries
- 8U 60 lbs – 24 entries
- 10U 70 lbs – 24 entries
- 10U 75 lbs – 25 entries
- 12U 105 lbs – 25 entries
- 12U 110 lbs – 25 entries
But the real fireworks may come in the 14U division, where participation has reached incredible levels.
Two brackets stand above the rest:
- 14U 140 lbs – 30 entries
- 14U 110 lbs – 29 entries
These divisions feature elite talent, returning medalists, and several athletes with national experience.
At 110 pounds, National Team member Farynn Rhees enters the tournament looking to repeat as champion. Wrestling out of Greater Heights, Rhees has compiled an impressive youth resume that includes multiple state titles and national team appearances.
Meanwhile, the largest bracket in the entire tournament,14U 140, features returning champions, rising contenders, and depth from top to bottom.
Returning 12U 140 champion Kinley Huskey moves up in age looking to continue her dominance.
Emma Evanhoff, fresh off a Rookie State Championship, enters the bracket with serious momentum.
