SANCTIONED!

Peiffer, Kelly and other seniors pave way for wrestling to become IGHSAU's 11th sport

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When seniors Maddie Peiffer and Madison Kelly made the decision to go out for wrestling as sophomores, they had no idea what they were in for. 

They couldn’t have anticipated the personal growth that they would experience, the friendships they would form, or the legacies they would leave.

On Saturday, the IWCOA crowned 15 state champions at the third girls wrestling state championships at the Xtream Arena in Coralville, and the IGHSAU announced that girls wrestling would become its 11th sanctioned sport. 

“When they announced that it was sanctioned, some of us girls had a huddle and we just started crying because we knew that we were part of the push that got it to where it is today,” Kelly said. 

Kelly won her first match with a 38-second pin. She bounced back from a second-round loss to win the next four matches. She pinned Shyann Steck of Colfax-Mingo in the second period to come within one win of a place on the podium. She finished the season with a record of 19-7.

“Today it didn’t end how I wanted it to, but I’m grateful for every moment I’ve had in the wrestling room and in tournaments,” Kelly said. “It’s changed the person that I am. The difference it’s made in my life has been huge.”

Kelly said the wrestling experience helped prepare her for basic training over the past summer. 

“It’s impacted every aspect of my life — social, emotional, and physical. I’m a better person because of wrestling.”

Mid-Prairie coach Justin Garvey said that Kelly’s contributions to the team have been much more than just a winning record. 

“She’s kind of been the wrestling cheerleader throughout the school,” he said. “She’s been responsible for recruiting a lot of the girls that we have. She’s been a very upbeat and positive influence on the entire team and her influence is going to be really missed next year. 

“To watch where she came from to where she finished, she’s come a hundred miles.”

Peiffer became the first girl to wrestle at Highland in 2019, and became the first to win a match at state last year. 

“Two years ago Maddie made a choice to wrestle when it probably wasn’t the cool thing to do,” Highland coach Nick Cole said. “She was the only girl on the team and trained with the boys everyday. She took some beatings but never backed away.” 

Peiffer went 5-7 last year with two wins in the state tournament. She was 7-4 this season and added another state tournament victory to her accomplishments. She had the Huskies’ only wins at state last year. This year, five Huskies collected eight wins in Coralville. 

“Without her stepping out of her comfort zone and not caring what her peers thought of her, I am not sure we are having this conversation right now about six girls wrestling and competing at the girls state tournament,” Cole said. “We aren’t having the conversation about Highland High School being part of history in Iowa and changing the stigma that girls can’t wrestle. She will forever be able to say that she started wrestling at Highland. I don’t know if the impact that she leaves can be put into words.”

Mid-Prairie senior Emil Harmston joined the wrestling team last year. Harmston was timid and after one practice, Garvey wasn’t sure if she would come back. 

“But she did and she stuck it out,” he said. “And she battled through a lot of adversity, and she came back this year. And it was another tough season for her, but she started getting some wins and having some success.”

In a preseason interview, Harmston said her goal for the season was to get just one win after going 0-20 as a junior. She ended up with three victories, including a second-period pin in the first round of the state tournament. 

“It felt really good, because I was a lot more prepared and it gave me a sense of just a tangible reward for all the hard work I put into the season,” Harmston explained. 

Bronwyn Brenneman placed fourth at 126 pounds in 2021 and finished her career with a win in the fifth place match at 130 this year. 

Brenneman wrestled for the first time in 2020. 

“At the beginning of November that year I was just thinking that I’d be driving my sister to practices, I didn’t think I’d be doing myself,” she said. “Looking back, it’s just crazy, all the growth and change that’s happened to me throughout the years. And now to end up here on the podium wrestling at state — I just never would have imagined it.”

Senior Ainsley Lueck was a first-year wrestler who finished the season with just one win, but told Garvey that she wanted to get in better shape for soccer season. 

“I think she did that,” he said. “She’s brought a lot of heart to the team. She didn’t always have the most success on the mat. But she learned a lot and she grew a lot.”

The IGHSAU’s announcement before the finals on Saturday prompted an enthusiastic reaction from the crowd in Coralville. 

“It was a great tournament and having the Iowa Girls Union sanction the sport was just icing on the cake,” Cole said. “What this means for Highland is that it’s going to help us continue to move in the right direction of building our program and giving girls the opportunity to wrestle and compete. 

“I think the timing couldn’t have been more perfect for the news to come out.  I think there are some girls in the school who may have been on the fence in the past that now may make the jump but to me it’s another opportunity or avenue for girls to make an impact in their school and be role models for the little girls who look up to them. I am super excited to see where this goes moving forward.”