CLASS 5A GIRLS WRESTLERS TO WATCH IN 2025-26
 

 
BAYLEE BARAGARY, LANSING
 
Preseason No. 4 at 105

Baragary returns this winter looking to build on a historic debut season. Competing again at 105 pounds, Baragary made school history last year as Lansing’s first-ever girls state placer, finishing fourth in Class 5A. She posted a strong 22-9 record with 16 pins, highlighted by a United Kansas Conference championship and a fourth-place finish at the 5A East Regional.  
 

 
LEXI BARNETT, HAYS
 
Preseason No. 4 at 155

Barnett was a regional champion at 155 pounds last season and went on to take fourth place at state. Barnett pinned Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Ayva Besco in the quarterfinals before dropping a 7-3 decision to eventual champion Addison Vogel in the semifinals. She finished 17-3 on the season in limited action. Barnett won her weight class at the Valley Center Invitational. She’ll enter her senior season ranked fourth behind Vogel, Eisenhower’s Kyrah Martinez and Shawnee Heights’ Cianna Graves.
 

SOPHIA BAUER, GREAT BEND
 
Preseason No. 2 at 100

Bauer put together a strong finish to her freshman campaign a year ago. She reached the state semifinals at 100 pounds after pinning Eisenhower’s Sadie Kuehn in the quarterfinals. Bauer lost by fall to Basehor-Linwood’s Lainie Galvan in the semis and lost the rematch with Kuehn in the third-place bout to settle for fourth place. She finished with a 25-21 mark. Bauer is set to remain at 100 pounds and is ranked second behind reigning champion Krislynn Martinez from Maize South.
 

OLYVIA BESCO, KAPAUN MT. CARMEL
 
Preseason No. 3 at 170
 
Besco was the lone freshman of Kapaun’s seven state medalists last season, finishing fourth in 5A at 170 pounds. She posted a 34-9 record and qualified for state as the 5A West regional champion. Besco pinned Great Bend’s Kirra Stevens for that title, then won her first state match before getting pinned by Basehor-Linwood’s Kimberlee Scott in the quarterfinals. Scott also won a 7-2 decision in a rematch for third, but Besco’s production helped Kapaun capture its first girls state wrestling team title. Besco also won Greater Wichita Athletic, Junction City and Wichita North tournament titles.
 

RYAH BRISTOL, NEWTON
 
Preseason No. 3 at 140
 
Bristol, a sophomore, wrestled way above her seeding last season in her state debut, finishing fourth in 5A at 140 pounds after taking seventh in the 5A West regional. Bristol helped disrupt her half of the bracket with a tiebreaker victory over No. 2 seed Nevaeh Brown of Bonner Springs in the first round and a pin of Salina South’s Dajah Jenkins in the quarterfinals. She lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Alexis Means of Bishop Carroll, but added a second win over Brown on the way to finishing the season 29-11. Bristol, who won titles at Dodge City, Eureka and Remington, finished her freshman season with 21 pins.
 

 
ISABELLA BROWN, TURNER
 
Preseason No. 1 at 170

Brown enters the new season looking to build on a breakout junior campaign that established her as one of Class 5A’s top upper-weight contenders. Brown put together an impressive run to the 170-pound state finals last winter, opening the tournament with back-to-back pins before outlasting Basehor-Linwood’s Kimberlee Scott in a 13-7 semifinal battle. Though she ultimately fell 8-4 to Piper’s Malia Martin in the championship match, Brown closed the year with a strong 31-11 record and valuable big-stage experience. 
 

RYLEE BURKE, PIPER
 
Preseason No. 2 at 120

Burke enters the new season carrying momentum and confidence after a strong breakout year at 120 pounds. Burke capped her sophomore campaign with a third-place medal at the Class 5A state tournament. She opened last year’s state run with back-to-back first-period pins before falling in the semifinals to Topeka Seaman standout Taylie Heston. Burke responded, pinning Shawnee Heights’ Audrey Hinkley in the third-place match to secure her first state medal. Burke is currently ranked No. 2 at 120 pounds to start this season. 
 

 
MAKAYLA CADET, HIGHLAND PARK
 
Preseason No. 2 at 190

What a birthday present Cadet gave herself a year ago. A state qualifier for the first time in her career last year as a junior, Cadet went into the 5A state meet as a bit of an underdog in the 190-pound bracket despite having recorded pins in each of her 19 wins to that point of the season. But the Scot continued her pinning and winning ways at state and pinned her way into the finals to set up a rematch Basehor-Linwood’s Izzy Renfro, who had beaten her in the regional finals. But on her birthday, Cadet came through, pinning Renfro in the first period to deliver Highland Park its first-ever girls’ state champion. Cadet finished the season 23-4 and is now 50-27 in her career with all 50 of her wins coming via pin.
 

ALEXA CASTILLO, EMPORIA
 
Preseason No. 1 at 190

Coming off a sixth-place finish at 235 pounds at the 2024 Class 6-5A state meet, Castillo perhaps was still flying a bit under the radar for the title last year with 5A getting its own state meet for the first time. Castillo had finished runner-up at both the Centennial League meet and her 5A regional, the latter tourney falling to undefeated Gianna Redcorn of Kapaun Mt. Carmel in the finals. But at state, Castillo delivered the performance of her career. After needing just 30 seconds to pin her quarterfinal foe, Castillo knocked off regional champion Saryja Nelson of Leavenworth with a second-period pin. That set up a rematch with Redcorn in the finals and Castillo got her revenge, denying Redcorn the undefeated season with a thrilling 3-2 win to finish off a 29-6 season. Now 70-27 in her career with 60 career pins, Castillo will drop to 190 this year, a weight class that will feature returning state champion Makayla Cadet of Highland Park.
 
 

MAIA DOLINAR, PIPER
 
Preseason No. 1 at 140

Dolinar is coming off a special junior campaign in which she stormed through the 135-pound bracket and pinned her way to the Class 5A state title, finishing with a 38-1 record. She recorded four pins at state, including a second-period fall against Hays’ Tionna Napue in the semifinals and another second-period pin over Spring Hill’s Ellie Ruffin in the championship match. A state runner-up as a sophomore at 125 pounds, Dolinar will move up to 140 this winter, where she’ll look to defend her crown as the No. 1-ranked wrestler in all classes. 
 

MAKAYLA FAULKNER, BASEHOR-LINWOOD
 
Preseason No. 1 at 145

Faulkner enters the season with unfinished business after a runner-up finish at 145 pounds in last year’s 5A state tournament. Faulkner dominated her way to the finals with three convincing wins before dropping a tight 4-3 championship match to Spring Hill’s Campbell Mermis. Now a seasoned veteran with a 93-35 career record and 63 career falls, she returns as a two-time state medalist (5th in 2024) and the defending league and regional champion. After a 29-8 campaign last winter, Faulkner looks poised to make another deep postseason run as one of the Bobcats’ anchors in their push for more hardware. 
 

LAINIE GALVAN, BASEHOR-LINWOOD
 
Preseason No. 3 at 105

Coming off a standout 37-5 campaign, Galvan surged to a 5A state runner-up finish at 100 pounds, reaching the finals with two pins and a technical fall before falling to Maize South’s Krislynn Martinez. Now up at 105, she returns with an impressive 78-10 career record and 67 career falls, along with a résumé that includes being both a league and regional champion. A two-time state medalist—finishing fifth as a freshman—Galvan is one of seven returning medalists for a Basehor-Linwood team poised to contend again after taking state runner-up honors last season. 
 

CIANNA GRAVES, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS
 
Preseason No. 3 at 155

One of the more decorated wrestlers in T-Bird girls’ program history, Graves already is a three-time United Kansas Conference champion and three-time state placer. She finished sixth at state as a freshman in 2023 and then took fourth in 2024 as a sophomore. Last year, she continued her climb up the medal stand, placing third at 155 pounds. Graves won a regional title and then took her first two matches at state before losing to Great Bend’s Kyrah Martinez in the semifinals. She bounced back with two straight consolation wins to earn the third-place finish and finish the season 39-3 with 33 of those wins via pin. She’s 90-19 in her career with 78 career pins.
 

BELLA GREEN, KAPAUN MT. CARMEL
 
Preseason No. 2 at 140

Green was a huge difference maker for Kapaun in its state championship run last season. After finishing third at regionals, Green took second at state to unbeaten Bishop Carroll champion Alexis Means at 140 pounds, helping the Crusaders edge runner-up Basehor-Linwood by seven points. Along the way, Green pinned Andover’s Olivia Randle, who had pinned her three times during the season, and defeated 5A East regional champion Madison Freeland of Shawnee Heights 12-3 in the semifinals. Green also won the Junction City Invitational and had four other runner-up finishes in her 32-11 season. 
 

GRACE HARE, KAPAUN MT. CARMEL
 
Preseason No. 1 at 135
 
Hare is slotted to start the season at 135 pounds, where she ended her sophomore season with a 36-13 record and fourth-place finish in 5A. Hare pinned all four of her regional opponents to advance to state, then pinned her first-round state opponent before Spring Hill’s Ellie Ruffin pinned her in the first period of the quarterfinals. Hare added three consolation bracket victories before ending her season with a loss to De Soto’s Ava Taylor. As a freshman, Hare posted a 22-15 record, falling one regional victory shy of a state berth.
 

AUDREY HINKLY, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS
 
Preseason No. 3 at 120

After going just 12-8 in limited action her freshman season, Hinkly became a full-timer in the Heights lineup last year and delivered a big sophomore season. She finished third at her regional at 120 pounds to earn her first state berth and then won her first two matches at state to secure her first state medal. Hinkly was pinned in the semifinals by eventual champion Kensley Medrano of Emporia, but came back to finish fourth and end the season with a 27-13 mark.
 

AVERY HINOJOS, NEWTON
 
Preseason No. 1 at 115
 
Hinojos, a senior, was one of two first-time girls state champions along with Brookelyn Treaster last season for Newton, winning the 5A 115-pound title with a 5-1 decision over Emporia’s Heily Batres. That capped a 32-3 season for Hinojos, who made her second consecutive appearance in the state finals. Hinojos also pinned Batres to win her second straight regional title. She won tournament titles last season at Douglass, Dodge City, Eureka and Remington. As a sophomore, Hinojos went 35-4 and finished second in 6-5A at 110, losing 7-2 to Dodge City’s Ashley Alonso in the finals. Hinojos also qualified for 6-5A state as a freshman, finishing with a 29-13 record and a 2-2 mark in her state debut.
 

 
JAEANN JAMES, NEWTON
 
Preseason No. 1 at 130
 
One of five Railers in the KWCA’s 5A preseason rankings, James, a senior, earned her second straight state medal last season when she finished fourth at 130 pounds. The 5A West regional champion pinned her first two state opponents to reach the semifinals before losing a 13-11 heartbreaker to Shawnee Heights’ Isabel Reyes. James worked her way back into the third-place match, where she dropped a 3-0 decision to Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Aalyra Arguelles, her regional final opponent. James’ 26-11 season included a Eureka Invitational title, and followed a 34-12 sophomore campaign in which she finished fifth in 5A at 130.
 

SADIE KUEHN, EISENHOWER
 
Preseason No. 5 at 105
 
Kuehn, a sophomore, concluded her first high school season with a runner-up finish at regionals and third-place finish at state at 100 pounds. After finishing second to eventual state champion Krislynn Martinez of Maize South at regionals, Kuehn took the long road through the consolation bracket at state. Her final victory, a 20-9 major decision, came against Great Bend’s Sophia Bauer, who pinned Kuehn in the third period of their quarterfinal match. Kuehn finished the season at 25-5, winning Wichita North’s tournament in January.
 

MILEY LOCKE, BASEHOR-LINWOOD
 
Preseason No. 4 at 110

Wrestling this season at 110 pounds, Locke is coming off a 36-7 year that saw her win a regional title, finish second in league, and place third at state—her second straight state medal after taking fifth in 2024. Last season, Locke battled her way to the 105-pound semifinals before falling to Great Bend’s Camdyn Post. She regrouped on the back side, closing out her tournament with an impressive 4-1 win over Lansing’s Baylee Baragary in the third-place match. Now 68-16 for her career, Locke will try and help the Bobcats improve on their state runner-up finish.  
 

TIMBER LOVEWELL, HAYS
 
Preseason No. 2 at 145

Lovewell secured a spot in the 145 state semifinals last season with a major decision over Arkansas City’s Jeselyn Swanson. She then ran into state champion Campbell Mermis from Spring Hill, losing by fall. Lovewell won the third-place match with a 7-0 decision over Shawnee Heights’ Olivia Stevens for her first state medal, closing her sophomore season with a 31-8 record. Other highlights for Lovewell were winning a regional title and taking first at the Valley Center Invitational. Lovewell is ranked second behind Basehor-Linwood’s Makayla Faulkner.

 

KRISLYNN MARTINEZ, MAIZE SOUTH
 
Preseason No. 1 at 100
 
One of two unbeaten champions in Class 5A last season, Martinez finished her 37-0 freshman campaign by pinning all eight of her postseason opponents to win 100-pound regional and state titles. At state, Martinez needed only 1:42 of combined mat time in her first three matches to reach the finals, where she pinned Basehor-Linwood’s Lainie Galvan in the third period. Galvan entered state No. 1 in the KWCA’s 5A rankings. Martinez did not allow a takedown all season.
 

 
KYRAH MARTINEZ, EISENHOWER
 
Preseason No. 2 at 155
 
After losing by technical fall to Hays’ Lexi Barnett in the 5A West regional semifinals and finishing third, Martinez made a strong run to the 155-pound championship match at state last season. She pinned regional runner-up Kylie Hallacy of Bishop Carroll in the quarterfinals, then pinned East regional champ Cianna Graves in the semis. Bonner Springs’ Addison Vogel spoiled Martinez’s title bid with a third-period pin in the finals, but she still earned her first state medal with a 19-10 record. Martinez opens her junior season ranked No. 2 in 5A behind Vogel.
 

KENSLEY MEDRANO, EMPORIA
 
Preseason No. 1 at 120

A two-time state qualifier going into last season, Medrano had yet to make it to the medal podium, going 0-2 at 125 pounds her freshman season and 2-2 at 130 pounds as a sophomore in 2024, one match away from earning a medal. Last year, the Spartan broke through in big way after dropping down to 120 pounds. Not only did Medrano secure her first state medal, she leapt right to the top. Riding the momentum of a regional title, Medrano handily made her way to the state finals where she got a rematch with Seaman’s Taylie Heston, whom she had beaten in the regional finals. It was a nail-biter again as Medrano pulled out a 3-2 victory for the state title. She finished the season with a 31-13 record and now has 77 career wins and 44 career pins.
 

ANGIE MENSAH, SUMNER ACADEMY
 
Preseason No. 1 at 110

Mensah returns as one of the top lightweights in Class 5A after a breakout sophomore campaign. The Sumner Academy junior earned her first state medal in memorable fashion last season, surging all the way to the 110-pound state championship match. She opened the tournament with a pair of dominant pins and advanced to the finals after an injury-default win over Kapaun’s Taylor Barringer. Mensah ultimately finished as the 5A state runner-up, falling to Pittsburg standout Harper Holmes—now competing for Frontenac—but her 20-4 season firmly established her as a contender. She also has a 42-15 career record with 30 pins. 
 

SARYJA NELSON, LEAVENWORTH
 
Preseason No. 1 at 235

Nelson is coming off a breakthrough junior campaign in which she claimed her first state medal, finishing third at 235 pounds at the Class 5A state tournament. Nelson opened her state run with two dominant victories before falling to eventual champion Alexa Castillo of Emporia in the semifinals. She rebounded with poise, securing a second-period pin over Bonner Springs’ Aaryn Krebs to lock up the third-place finish. Now ranked No. 1 at 235 pounds, the Leavenworth senior looks poised to contend for a state title as she leads a Pioneers lineup into the new season. 
 

COURTNEY NYE, KAPAUN MT. CARMEL
 
Preseason No. 1 at 125
 
Nye, a senior, was one of the feel-good stories of the 2024-25 wrestling season, overcoming her early struggles as a first-year competitor to win the Class 5A 125-pound title. A third-place regional finisher, Nye ended as Kapaun’s lone individual state champion and boosted the Crusaders to their first state team title. Nye, who finished with a 37-10 record, pinned Shawnee Heights’ regional champion Reece Taylor in the semifinals before rallying past Seaman’s Koti Best for an 11-10 sudden victory in the title match. Nye trailed 10-4 late in the third period before scoring a reversal and four near-fall points to get to overtime. She’s one of two Crusaders who will open the season No. 1 in their respective 5A weight classes. 
 

CAMDYN POST, GREAT BEND
 
Preseason No. 2 at 105

Post made a strong bid for a 105-pound state title last season, reaching the final before losing a 5-0 decision to Newton’s Brookelyn Treaster. Post earned her title shot by pinning Basehor-Linwood’s Miley Locke in the semifinals. She is a two-time state placer after taking sixth as a freshman. Post starts her junior season ranked No. 2 behind Treaster in the 105 rankings.
 

IZZY RENFRO, BASEHOR-LINWOOD
 
Preseason No. 3 at 190

Renfro broke through in a big way last season at 190 pounds, rolling to the state finals before finishing as the 5A runner-up after a hard-fought championship bout against Highland Park’s Makayla Cadet. She had a 33-6 record last year and a 103-40 career mark that includes an impressive 90 career falls. Renfro  swept both the league and regional titles a season ago and is coming off back-to-back state medals, placing fifth in 2024 before last year’s run to the finals. 
 

KIMBERLEE SCOTT, BASEHOR-LINWOOD
 
Preseason No. 2 at 170

Scott returns as a proven force in the upper weights after breaking through for a third-place finish at 170 pounds at last season’s 5A state tournament. Scott powered her way to the semifinals before falling to Turner’s Isabella Brown, but she showcased her resilience on the back side, closing out her run with a strong 7-2 win over Kapaun’s Olyvia Besco to secure third. Coming off a 21-12 season and her first state medal, Scott enters her final year with valuable postseason experience as she is one of seven returning state medalists for the Bobcats who finished as the state runner-up last season.  
 

SAVANNAH SHIRES, PITTSBURG
 
Preseason No. 2 at 115

Expected to compete again at 115 or possibly bump to 120, Shires is coming off a breakout junior campaign in which she went 28-9, won a regional title, finished runner-up in the SEK League, and battled her way to a third-place medal at the 5A state tournament. Shires reached the state semifinals for the second straight year, ultimately dropping a 12-9 thriller to Emporia’s Heily Batres before storming back to pin Maize South’s Celina Urusquieta for third. She racked up 24 falls last season and now carries a 53-23 career record with 48 pins. 
 

BROOKLYN SIMPSON, GODDARD
 
Preseason No. 4 at 120
 
Simpson finished fourth in 5A at 110 pounds in her first state appearance last winter, posting a 33-14 record. She pinned Shawnee Heights’ Halle Hill in her first state match before losing to Salina Central’s Abbie Slothower in the quarterfinals. The two met again in the third-place match, where Slothower won a 9-0 major decision. But Simpson collected three pins and a forfeit victory in her state debut after finishing third at the 5A West regional. She moves up two weight classes for her sophomore season and is one of two Lions in the 5A preseason rankings.
 

 
ABBY SLOTHOWER, SALINA CENTRAL
 
Preseason No. 2 at 110
 
Slothower is slated to remain at 110 pounds for her sophomore season after finishing third in 5A last season. She posted a 28-4 record, qualifying for state with a regional runner-up finish to Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Taylor Barringer. Slothower finished 4-1 in her state debut, pinning her first two opponents before dropping a 9-1 major decision to eventual champion Harper Holmes in the semifinals. Slothower notched her third pin of the tournament against Basehor-Linwood’s Delaney Locke in the consolation semifinals before defeating Goddard’s Brooklyn Simpson 9-0 in the third-place match. Slothower won tournament titles at Newton and De Soto last season.
 

OLIVIA STEVENS, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS
 
Preseason No. 3 at 145
 
A United Kansas Conference champion in 2024, Stevens wound up runner-up last year. But she also flipped her success at the Class 5A state meet, going from just being a qualifier in 2024 when she went 2-2, to being a state placer last year. For the second straight year at state Stevens fell in the quarterfinals, this time to eventual champion Campbell Mermis of Spring Hill. But this time she was able to come back and get three straight wins on the backside to reach the consolation finals where she took fourth. Stevens finished with a 35-10 record with 34 of those wins coming by pin. Of her 73 career wins, 70 are via pin.
 

BROOKELYN TREASTER, NEWTON
 
Preseason No. 1 at 105
 
Treaster, a junior, joined her dad, Matt, and brothers Logan, Grant and Nick as a state wrestling champion last season, defeating Great Bend’s Camdyn Post 5-0 for the Class 5A 105-pound title. That completed a 28-5 season for Treaster, who entered the winter ranked No. 1 in the KWCA’s 5A rankings after she finished third in 6-5A as a freshman with a 27-9 mark. Treaster pinned all four of her regional opponents, including Post, to win her first postseason title. She joined Avery Hinojos (115) as individual champs for Newton, helping the Railers finish fourth in the team race. Treaster is coming off a 12^th-place finish at the Class 5A state cross country meet.

 

CELINA URUSQUIETA, MAIZE SOUTH
 
Preseason No. 3 at 115
 
After a rough start to her Class 5A state tournament last winter, Urusquieta worked her way through the consolation bracket to finish fourth at 115 pounds. Now a junior, Urusquieta is coming off a 27-16 season that included a fourth-place regional at finish and the fourth at state, where she won four matches on the backside before losing by pin to regional champion Savannah Shires of Pittsburg in the third-place match. Urusquieta finished second at the Wichita Heights Invitational and third at the Bishop Carroll Invitational.
 

ADDISON VOGEL, BONNER SPRINGS
 
Preseason No. 1 at 155

The defending state champion at 155 pounds is coming off a dominant 33-3 campaign in which she powered her way back to the finals and capped it with a third-period pin over Eisenhower’s Kyrah Martinez. Vogel also impressed in the semifinals, grinding out a 7-3 win against Hays standout Lexi Barnett. A sixth-place finisher as a sophomore, Vogel has steadily climbed to the top of the weight class and now opens her senior year as the No. 1-ranked wrestler in 5A at 155.