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Utterback captains All-Union girls wrestling
Mid-Prairie leads 2023-24 list with five total representations
The 2023-24 girls wrestling season brought a plethora of amazing wrestlers to the forefront.
In the Union area, a ton of wrestlers earned a trip to the state tournament. A pair ended up on the podium when all was said and done. One was even crowned state champion.
With the season long closed, it’s time to take a look at this year’s All-Union girls wrestling list.
Mid-Prairie leads the way on this year’s list with five total picks. That includes the coaches honor.
Cardinal, Columbus/WMU and Pekin each have two. Sigourney-Keota, Fairfield, WACO and Highland all have one, with the Cobras taking the captain spot.
Found below is the full All-Union girls wrestling list. A slew of weight classes are doubled up as some picks were too close to judge.
Coach: Randy Billups, Mid-Prairie
Mid-Prairie head coach Randy Billups was of the top lead men in the area this past season.
Billups helped guide three Golden Hawk athletes to state this season, the most in the area, and propelled six wrestlers to over 20 wins.
In all 10 Golden Hawks finished with double digit wins.
Captain: 115: Reanah Utterback, junior, Sigourney-Keota
When it comes to wrestling in Southeast Iowa and across the state, Sigourney-Keota’s Reanah Utterback is one of the best.
Last year, the junior Cobra was just the second girl ever to finish on the podium at the Iowa high school state championships, taking eighth.
This year, Utterback was one of the most dominant wrestlers once again. Finishing at a perfect 49-0, Utterback stood a top of the podium as state champion.
At state, she pinned every opponent on her way to the title.
105: Abigail Durflinger, junior, Cardinal
Cardinal junior Abigail Durflinger gets onto this year’s All-Union list. The Comet was one of two to get to this year’s state tournament.
Durflinger posted the second most wins for Cardinal this season, notching 31. Just two Comets posted more than 30 wins and Durflinger was one of them. She suffered just 12 losses as well.
At state, her season was ended in the second round of consolation. She did grab one state win in the opening round of the tournament.
110: Rylee Rice, junior, WACO
WACO junior Rylee Rice find herself on this year’s list. Rice was the only Warrior to get to the state tournament. She was also one of two to win over 20 matches on the season.
Altogether, Rice finished with a 25-12 record. At state Rice failed to get a state win, but battled in both of her matches.
110: Angelina Roling, senior, Highland
Angelina Roling is the lone Highland Huskie on the All-Union list. Roling was also the lone Huskie to make the state tournament.
She ended the season with a 24-7 record. That was the second most wins for the Huskies, but the largest win to loss margin on the roster.
At state, Roling fell in the consolation second round, but did pick up one win prior.
130 Ashlee Farrier, junior, Mid-Prairie
Mid-Prairie junior Ashlee Farrier was one of three Golden Hawk wrestlers to get to state this season.
Through 36 matches wrestled on the season, Farrier built a 29-7 record. That was the largest win/loss margin for the Golden Hawks this season.
Farrier picked up two wins at state, bowing out in the third round of consolation.
135: Hailey Pedrick, sophomore, Pekin
Pekin sophomore Hailey Pedrick was the sole state tournament qualifier for the Panthers this past season.
She was eliminated from state after back-to-back losses, but it was never the less a fantastic season for the Pekin second year. Pedrick finished with 24 wins, the second most for Pekin, with just 10 losses.
135: Ellie Brenneman, senior, Mid-Prairie
The lone Golden Hawk senior on this year’s list is Ellie Brenneman.
Brenneman had a heck of a final season that ended at the state tournament. She tallied 31 total wins, which was the most by any Golden Hawk in the 2023-24 season.
Brenneman got all the way to the 135 quarterfinals before dropping out in the fourth round of consolation.
140: Lila Miller, sophomore, Pekin
The second of two Pekin Panthers on this year’s list is sophomore Lila Miller. Miller finished with quite the second season, building a 23-7 overall record. That was widest win to loss ratio for the Panthers.
Miller missed out on state after finishing fourth at the IGHSAU Region 3 Qualifier.
140: Josie Nelson, junior, Columbus/WMU
Columbus/WMU junior Josie Nelson had a great start to her wrestling career in 2023-24.
Nelson led the Wildcats in wins and losses and finished her season at state. In all, Nelson carded a 31-9 final record.
Her season ended in the second round of consolation, but not after picking up her first state win.
155: Ajaah Cox, senior, Cardinal
Cardinal senior Ajaah Cox is the second of two Comets to make the list. Cox was one of the top wrestlers in the area, tallying 35 wins and just seven losses. That was the least amount of losses for any Comet wrestler who had above 15 wins.
She was also one of the highest placers at state on this list, finishing sixth to close her career.
Cox was nearly in the state championship, but was defeated in the semifinals. She won three total matches at state.
155: Lecet Quiroz, senior, Columbus/WMU
Another Columbus/WMU wrestler on this year’s list is senior Lecet Quiroz.
Quiroz was the second Wildcats girl to punch her ticket to the state tournament. While she didn’t finish with a win at state, it was a hard fought season for the senior.
She ended with a record of 14-15.
170: Samantha Lyons, freshman, Fairfield
The only freshman on the 2023-24 list is Fairfield’s Samantha Lyons. Lyons put together a stellar first season on the mat.
Not only did she close with a 26-6 record, the most wins and least losses for the Trojans, she earned a spot at state.
Lyons won three total matches, before ending the season in the fourth round of the consolation bracket.
170: Ellie Callahan, sophomore, Mid-Prairie
The third Mid-Prairie wrestler on this years’ list is sophomore Ellie Callahan.
In her second year, Callahan tallied a 27-18 win loss record. That was tied for the third most wins for Mid-Prairie this year.
Her season ended with a state tournament appearance, in which she grabbed one win.
235: Shelby Stacey, senior, Mid-Prairie
Another Mid-Prairie senior to grace the 2023-24 All-Union list is Shelby Stacey.
Stacey finished with an overall record of 22-17. She just missed out on the state tournament after finishing fifth in the IGHSAU Region 4 Qualifier.
