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Burlington Central
Coach: Andrew Brown (first season)
Last season: Did not compete as team
Top returners: Victoria Macias, sr. (115); Ryann Miller, so. (170); Soraya Walikonis, sr. (135); Ruby Vences, sr. (110)
Key newcomer: Lauren Jalowiecki, fr.
Worth noting: Macias returns as a three-time state placer, the most in the McHenry County area. She placed fifth last season after finishing runner-up at both regionals and sectionals. … Miller placed fifth in her first trip to state. She finished third at regionals and sectionals. … Walikonis will try to return to state after qualifying in 2023. … After placing eighth overall as a team, Brown is excited to watch the Rockets take a big step. “Our athletes have big goals they are looking to achieve, and we are fully confident in their abilities to do so,” Brown said.
Dundee-Crown
Coach: Tim Hayes (second season)
Last season: Did not compete as a team
Top returners: Diamond Rodriguez, sr. (100); Iris Torres, sr. (105); Mackenzie Lessner, sr. (155)
Worth noting: The Chargers head into the season with a mix of experience and new faces. Hayes is excited to see how that comes together. “I am excited to see us have a more complete roster than in years past,” Hayes said. “We have lots of new girls coming out this year. I am also anxious to see how our top returners will compete this season.” ... Rodriguez and Torres both return after qualifying for sectionals last year. Rodriguez won a regional title. … Hayes is hopeful Lessner can return in time for the season after suffering a soccer injury. She came a match short of qualifying for state last year.
Hampshire
Coach: Matthew Todd (second season)
Last season: Did not compete as a team
Top returners: Anneliese Tavira, sr. (170); Gwen Wilds, sr. (135); Madison Minson, so. (140)
Key newcomers: Amelia Nidelea-Polanin, so. (115); Sam Diehl, fr. (190)
Worth noting: The Whip-Purs program continued to grow, and Todd is excited to see offseason work translates to success this year. “They have stepped up in practice and are showing that they want to make a name for themselves,” Todd said. “The girls are competing at a high level and are improving daily to get the first Hampshire girl state qualifier.” … Tavira fell a couple matches shy of advancing to sectionals last year. … Wilds won a match at regionals.
Huntley
Coach: Gannon Kosowski (second season)
Last season: 11-3 overall
Top returners: Janiah Slaughter, jr. (110); Aubrie Rohrbacher, jr. (130); Grecia Garcia, so. (135)
Worth noting: Slaughter returns after two historic seasons for the Red Raiders. She placed third at the state tournament as a freshman and then finished runner-up at last season’s tournament, earning her the Northwest Herald’s Girls Wrestler of the Year. … Rohrbacher had a nice debut at state, placing third. She won a regional title and finished runner-up at sectionals. … Garcia took fifth at regionals and fell a match short of qualifying for state. … After graduating senior experience, Kosowski is excited to see who steps up this year. “I’m looking forward to expanding the program,” Kosowski said. “We lost two of our sectional qualifiers, but there are multiple girls I believe could fill those places and then some.”
McHenry
Coach: James Buss (second season)
Last season: 5-1 overall
Top returners: Natalie Corona, jr. (140); Addison Hodges, sr. (115); Bri Duran, sr. (120); Madalynn Sima, jr. (155)
Key newcomers: Nala Hernandez, fr. (235); Gwen Smith, fr. (130)
Worth noting: Corona comes back after qualifying for state her first two seasons. She placed fifth last season, took fourth at sectionals and finished third at regionals. … Hodges, Duran and Sima all qualified for sectionals last year. Hodges placed third at regionals, while Duran and Sima each took fifth. … Although the Warriors bring back experience, Buss is excited to watch his lineup’s depth. “Our lineup is looking competitive this season,” Buss said. “I think that at any moment anyone on our team can make a splash.”
Harvard
Coach: David Schultz (second season)
Last season: Did not compete as a team
Top returners: Alexa Herrera, jr. (105); Carolina Hernandez, jr. (130); Jarithsie Mercado, jr. (170)
Key newcomers: Khloe Vest, fr. (125); Denise Lopez, fr. (100); Giada Reising, fr. (110); Madelynn Berger, fr. (130)
Worth noting: The Hornets tripled the amount of wrestlers had last season and are looking forward to having enough wrestlers to fill out a full lineup. “We are looking forward to continuing to grow our program and potentially start competing as a team this season,” Schultz said. … Herrera returns after just missing out on qualifying for state by one match. She went 3-2 at both sectionals and regionals each. … Mercado fell short of qualifying for sectionals by one match.
Woodstock co-op
Coach: Eric Hunt (second season)
Last season: Did not compete as a team
Top returners: Eva Hermansson, jr. (110); Danica LaTessa, jr. (120); Brianna Crown, jr. (155); Hannah Olsen, jr. (125)
Key newcomers: Mila Masny, fr. (135); Brianna Pitz, fr. (140); Aubree Hansen, jr. (115)
Worth noting: Woodstock’s co-op with Woodstock North is looking forward to a larger team and more experienced wrestlers,” Hunt said. … Hermansson returns after she qualified for sectionals last season. She didn’t compete in the tournament and took sixth at regionals because of a medical forfeit. ... LaTessa, Crown and Olsen each won matches at regionals last year.