2025 Northwest Herald Girls Wrestler of the Year: Crystal Lake South’s Annalee Aarseth

Annalee Aarseth took a moment to take it all in as she stood on a podium inside Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington at the IHSA state tournament toward the end of February.

Aarseth had just finished runner-up at 110 pounds and couldn’t believe she was there.

It was a moment Aarseth didn’t always think she’d get to experience.

Aarseth impressed last season when she qualified for state as a freshman from Crystal Lake South. But she struggled during her sophomore season, failing to pick up wins as she wrestled with the Gators’ varsity boys team.

Instead of dwelling on the losses, Aarseth started to learn from them. She began winning more and switched over to competing against girls in preparation for the postseason. She brought that momentum into the playoffs, winning a regional title and earning runner-up at sectionals before finishing runner-up at state.

After all seemed lost, there Aarseth stood on the podium, making history.

“It was amazing,” Aarseth said. “It felt amazing to be able to show that all my hard work got me this far. It was just a great experience.”

Aarseth became the first Gators girls wrestler to place at state. She also tied Huntley’s Janiah Slaughter for the highest placement at state by a McHenry County-area girls wrestler.

For her efforts, Aarseth was named the Northwest Herald Girls Wrestler of the Year, as selected by the sports staff with input from area coaches. Huntley’s Aubrie Rohrbacher and Hampshire’s Amelia Nidelea-Polanin also were considered for the honor.

Aarseth answered some questions from sports reporter Michal Dwojak about what she’ll remember most about this season, its hardest moment and where in the world she would travel.

What did it mean to you to finish runner-up at state?

Aareseth: It means a lot. There’s been a lot of hours, a lot of time spent into improving and getting better with wrestling during the offseason too and during the season. So it means a lot that all the hard work has started to pay off. It was really exciting to be in the finals. It’s always been a goal mine, and so that it’s just making my goals even bigger now. I’m reaching to get first next year.

Did getting this far seem attainable to you at the beginning of the season?

Aarseth: I wasn’t really expecting that I was going to get this far in the beginning of the season. As the season progressed, my coaches were always telling me that this was a possibility. They thought I was going to get there, but I didn’t really start believing that I was going to get there until a little bit later in the season.

When did you start believing?

Aarseth: Once regionals hit and I won my regional. I knew I had very good opponents and just my performance there kind of showed me that I could compete against a lot more girls than I thought I could.

What will remember the most about your sophomore season?

Aarseth: I would really feel support from my coaches every single day. My coaches would support me through practice and through all the wins and losses. So I feel like that’s like the biggest thing. They were working on helping me believe in myself.

What was the hardest part of this season?

Aarseth: Competing with the boys varsity team. At the end of it, I started struggling a lot because I was looking a lot more at the wins and losses than the success. At the end, I had a lot of losses, and so I was kind of struggling with that. I didn’t think I was growing as much as I was.

How tough was it to switch from wrestling boys to girls?

Aarseth: It was definitely a big difference that I noticed in my techniques and styles. Then obviously the strength was a big difference, but I think it obviously helps me get a lot better.

What does it mean to be tied for the highest placement at state in McHenry County history?

Aarseth: It means a lot. I always looked up to these girls when I came in last year, and I always looked up to them as so inspirational and someone that I wanted to be like. So now reaching those goals and being at the same level of as those girls, it means a lot to me.

If you could be any animal, which animal would you be and why?

Aarseth: I feel like I’d want to be some sort of bird because flying around seems really fun and cool. You could just kind of fly wherever.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Aarseth: I would probably go to like the Sahara Desert and see all the wildlife there.

If you could have any superpower, which superpower would you want and why?

Aarseth: I would want teleportation because I could go wherever I would at any moment.

What’s your favorite food to eat after a long day of competing?

Aarseth: I always want to go somewhere that would have sweet treats because usually I have to watch my weight to wrestle before, so then just to be able to eat any dessert. So a lot of times any ice cream place or like frozen yogurt is my go-to.

How much do you feel like this year helped you develop?

Aarseth: I learned to keep going and keep pushing and to look past the wins and losses and look at like all the skill that you’ve gained, how much better you and your practice partners have gotten. Then, obviously, the support that I’ve gotten from all my coaches, and the new coaching staff was a big difference.