COLUMBIA – The Nixa girls wrestling team seems to be on their way to their first state championship following Day 1 of the Class 2 Missouri State High School Girls Wrestling Championships.
After just losing out on first place last season as they were just .5 points behind Francis Howell for the state championship, the Eagles comfortably in first place with 67.5 points Friday at Mizzou Arena. Troy Buchanan is still in the mix as it is in second with 54 points, Francis Howell Central is third with 42.5 and Lafayette Wildwood is fourth with 40. Belton is just outside the top four as it is fifth with 39 and Liberty is in sixth with 35.5.
Addison Harkins (135), Ava Frye (140), Kamryn Bourbon (145) and Calyese Dupree (170) are all in the semifinals for the Eagles. They also still have five wrestlers who are alive and are in the third round of the consolation bracket.
Below is a summary of the 56 wrestlers who advanced to the semifinals and what the matchups will be on Saturday:
100: Washington sophomore Cydni Buchanan advanced to the first time in her career. She pinned Rolla junior Kiara Sederburg to get one step closer to a state title. She will see former state champion Lilly Breeden of Liberty in the next round. Breeden made quick work of Nixa sophomore Hanna Egley as she got a pin in just 32 seconds.
Defending state champion Zoey Haney will be in the semifinals on the other side of the bracket. She won 16-1 over North Kansas City junior Juliana Tice to advance. She will see Fort Osage senior Mikayla Stickler in the next round. The Fort senior won 11-1 over Belton’s J Colbert.
105: Blue Springs South junior Killian Evans, a two-time state medalist, is look for her first state title. She advanced to the semifinals after pinning Seckman senior Emma Donze in the quarters. Evans will face Francis Howell North senior Isabelle Apple in the next match. Apple won by a 16-1 tech fall against Nixa sophomore Aston Mayes.
“I didn’t wrestle up to my expectations,” Apple said. “I am really hard on myself. I am happy I got the wins, but I have some things I need to sharpen up.”
In the other semifinal, Northwest freshman Brooklyn Robinson will face off against defending state champion Sandy Breeden of Liberty. Robinson won by fall in 3:47 over Lee’s Summit West junior Kinley Harker, while Breeden won by fall in 1:17 over Troy Buchanan senior Madison Haney.
110: Kayleigh Milam of Jackson pinned her way to the quarterfinals, with one of them coming against Springfield Central senior Jaidyn Pohlsander in the quarterfinals. Milam will take on Winnetonka sophomore Annabelle Dunlop in the next round. Dunlop edged Francis Bowell junior Mialee Copeland 8-6 in the quarters to advance.
“I am proud of myself,” Dunlop said. “I tried a new shot and finished it. I am not just using the fireman (carry) anymore.”
On the other side of the bracket, Troy Buchanan freshman Addilyn Amos will face off against Camdenton senior Abigail Fuglsang. Amos won 11-7 against Northtown’s Anh Ngo to advance and Fuglsang took a 16-3 major decision over Marquette junior Ryah Wurman.
115: Platte County junior Charley Sims has had her breakthrough season in 2024-25. After not qualifying for state last season, she has taken the leap to make the state semifinals this season. She won 14-3 over Eureka junior Kirra Dunscombe to advance to the next round. In that match, she will have a tough matchup against two-time state champion Jessa Joiner of Lebanon. Joiner earned a 17-1 tech fall over St. Joseph Central’s Abby Donovan.
“I just prepare for the moves they are going to throw so I know what to do,” Sims said. “Then I used go behinds to get points.”
At the bottom of the bracket, the semifinals will feature Sedalia Smith-Cotton junior Jazlyn Smith-Freeman and Branson freshman Alyssa Salemie. Smith-Freeman pinned Troy Buchanan sophomore Haddley Dale in 3:08 and Salemie took a 17-8 major decision over William Chrisman senior Maya Saldivar.
120: Lafayette Wildwood senior Hannah Henderson is looking for her first state championship and she got one step closer to doing so as she won by fall in 1:31 over Waynesville sophomore Dakota Nix in the quarterfinals. She will face off against Hazelwood Central Carrington Reed, who won 6-3 against Raytown’s Ilaila Butler to advance.
At the bottom of the bracket, Francis Howell sophomore Kenadee Mcdowell will see Belton junior Sydney Stifter. Mcdowell pinned Seckman freshman Abbi Holder in 1:03, while Stifter won by fall in 1:27 over Park Hill South’s Abigail Monaco.
125: Sedalia Smith-Cotton Jasmine Wolfe has won two state medalists in the past, but has not taken first place up to this point. She will have a chance to do that Saturday as she will be in the semifinals against Defending champion Jena Gumahin of Ft. Zumwalt South. Wolfe pinned Northwest’s Millie Robison I just 38 seconds, while Gumahim won 12-0 over Park Hill South’s Termperance Lowe.
“I feel like I wrestled great coming out. It’s go time,” Wolfe said. “On my feet, my double is always there. It’s my main move.”
In the other semifinal match, Addison Harkins of Nixa will go against Fort Osage junior Kylie Dunn. Harkins took a 13-4 major decision over Francis Howell junior Anna Bowles in the quarterfinals. Dunn continued her breakout season as she pinned Francis Howell Central’s Kaitlyn Sparkman to make it to the final four.
130: North Point junior Ayamba Abunaw will get a chance to win a state title as she will face Cathage freshman Kaylee James in the semifinals. Abunaw won 13-9 against Eureka junior Mira Richardson in the quarters, while James won by fall in 1:09 against St. Joseph Central senior Madelynn Hughes.
Defending state champion Kailey Benson of Francis Howell Central is looking for her second consecutive state championship. She improved to 46-0 following her pin in 1:50 over Lafayette Wildwood junior Layla Gardner. She will see Lee’s Summit West sophomore Dailyn George in the next round. George advance after a 16-10 victory over Park Hill sophomore Reilly Kastner.
135: Parkway Central freshman Erin Delling has had a great first state tournament as she has pinned her way to the semifinals, including one in 1:18 against Francis Howell North junior Aubrey Peterson in the quarterfinals. Delling will see Francis Howell Central senior Neveah Smith, who pinned Platte County junior Glada Cucchiara in 1:50 to make it to the final four.
Rock Bridge senior Jacinda Espinosa continued her stellar season as she improved to 32-3 after an 18-3 win by tech fall against St. Joseph Central’s Ashley Slade. Espinosa will have to get past defending state champion and Belton senior Savanna Franklin, who pinned Northwest senior Colin Yurid Fajardo to move on.
“I feel good, two techs are pretty nice,” Espinosa said. “I think I wrestled good. I think I will wrestle even better tomorrow. I am not worried about my competition at all.”
140: Troy Buchanan senior Brooke Dollard came into the tournament with a 34-16 record but has looked much better than that mark may indicate normally. She pinned Parkway West senior Lucy Moore to make it to the semifinals, where she will face Belton senior Louise Juitt, who is looking for her first state title. She won by fall over North Point’s Katherine Tyson in the quarterfinals.
Capital City sophomore Athena Anderson will get a crack at a state championship as she will see Frye in the semifinals. Anderson won by fall in the third period over Seckman’s Caroline Owens and Frye pinned Fort Osage sophomore Madison Lightner in 1:49 to secure her spot in the penultimate round.
145: Rockwood Summit senior Madeline Hayes has been a runner up the last two seasons and is looking to break through this time around. She will take on North Kansas City senior Kamahni Jackson, who earned a 15-0 tech fall over Belton’s Aryana Roberts in the quarterfinals.
“Today was such an amazing day honestly,” Jackson said. “I feel like everything was really sharp for me today. It’s really cool to see all of my hard work paying off.”
On the other side of the bracket, Jefferson City senior Alexis Dunwiddie will have a bout with Bourbon. Dunwiddie won by an 18-1 tech fall over Park Hill South senior Lucia Hernandez, while Bourbon had a tech fall of her own, winning 16-1 against St. Joseph Central sophomore Elle Mae Cready in the quarterfinals.
155: Washington senior Maggie Ortmann will aim for a state championship after finishing as a runner-up last season. She made it to the semifinals following a pin over Rolla senior Serenity Tilford. In the next round, she will see Francis Howell Central senior Dana Thee Sanchez, who took a 10-0 major decision over Grain Valley senior Adalia Del Real.
At the bottom of the bracket, Willard sophomore Ellie Higginbotham will take on Northtown senior Paige Strauch. Higginbotham won by fall in 2:47 over Troy Buchanan sophomore Molly Marischen. Strauch took a 7-1 victory over Mya Willis of Eureka.
“My first-round match didn’t go how I expected it to go,” Higginbotham said. “But I got more comfortable (in the quarterfinals match) and I was able to get into my rhythm.”
170: Francis Howell sophomore Emma Faszold will advance to the semifinals for the first time. She made it there after pinning Oakville senior Talia Reed in the quarterfinals. She will see Dupree, a defending state champion. Dupree punched her ticket to the final four after winning by fall in 1:34 against Francis Howell North sophomore Ashlynn Alexander.
On the other side of the bracket, Willard sophomore Emily Brixey will face defending state champion Autumn Calvert of Winnetonka. Brixey made it after taking a 7-0 decision against Francis Howell Central’s Makenzie Solis. Calvert won 9-0 against Kirkwood senior Josie Hosea to advance.
190: After wrestling in the heavyweight division last year, Aaliyah Grammer of Lafayette Wildwood dropped down a weight class and it’s appeared to pay off. She took down Lee’s Summit senior Mia Gutierrez by pin in 42 seconds to make her way to the final four. She will compete against Willard junior Harmony Moore in the next round. Moore pinned Staley sophomore Alayna Leslie in 5:47 in the quarters.
At the bottom of the bracket, Waynesville senior Yisel Perez will clash with Oak Park junior Kendall Angelo. Perez pinned Columbia Battle junior Synaya Lewis in 1:40, while Angelo won by pin in 5:24 over Nixa senior Jessie Nelson.
235: Lafayette Wildwood junior Ella Kimbrough clinched her spot in the semifinals after she won 9-3 against Fort Osage freshman Hali Windes. She will see Grain Valley junior Jayden Moehle in the next round. Moehle got a takedown in overtime to defeat Troy Buchanan sophomore Jeralyn Spear 7-4.
The other semifinal will have Lebanon junior Sopheia Quinn is taking on Liberty junior Alexis Stinston. Quinn pinned Battle sophomore Yanni Collier in the quarterfinals, and Stinson won by fall in 3:10 over Jefferson City senior Kyla Finney.
