The excitement around girls wrestling has only grown with each passing year. But what can be expected out of the Herald-News coverage area this season? That’s what the 2024-25 season preview capsules are here for. Check out how your favorite team is slated to do.

Southwest Prairie Conference

Bolingbrook

Coach: Jordan Hovel

Top returners: Alejandra Flores, jr.; Ashley Hobbs, so.; Jordan Rodriguez, so.

Key newcomers: Mikaela Najera, fr.; Adiah Lipscomb, fr.

Worth noting: Flores is a team captain, two-time state alternate and went 27-7 last year. She’s 10 wins away from winning 50 matches and 24 away from breaking the school record. Hobbs was a sectional alternate who went 11-13 last season. Rodriguez went 7-7 as a freshman. Najera is new to wrestling at Bolingbrook while Lipscomb has wrestled for years and will take that experience to the Raiders. The Raiders have more than doubled their roster size from 16 last year to 36 this year.

Minooka

Coach: Paige Schoolman

Top returners: Addison Cailteux, jr.; Sabina Charlebois, jr.; Palmer Calvey, sr.; Ezra Rodriquez, jr.; Holli Coughlen, jr.; Kailey Jefferson, so.; Marian Nordsell, so.; Mia Lemberg, jr.; Keziah Gaston, jr.; Beth Castro, sr.

Worth noting: Cailteux placed fourth at state in the 130-pound division while Charlebois is a three-time national qualifier. Calvey, Rodriquez, Coughlen, Jefferson and Nordsell all qualified for sectionals last year while Lemberg and Gaston were starters. There are 20 new wrestlers on the roster with club experience.

Joliet Central

Coach: Marcus McCullum

Top returners: Izabel Barrera jr.; April Ortiz, sr.; Isabella Sandoval, jr.; Ariadna Arciniega, jr.; Alisa Carter, jr.; Evelyne Perez-Bedolla, so.

Key newcomer: Melissa Aguirre, sr.

Worth noting: It’s an exciting time for the Steelmen as they branch out separately from Joliet West for the first time in girls wrestling. They bring a quality group as well. Barrera is back after qualifying for sectionals last season at 135 pounds. Ortiz was having a solid showing before a leg injury knocked her out much of the later portion of the year. Sandoval, Archinega, Carter and Perez-Bedolla all bring experience while McCullum expressed excitement over Aguirre.

Joliet West

Coach: Erik Murray

Top returners: Chloe Wong, jr.; Natalie Quiroz, jr.; Briana Klobnak, jr.; Veronica Klobnak, jr.; Vanessa O’Connor, jr.; Bianca Campos, jr.;

Key newcomers: Takyla Jonson, fr.; Gabrialla Huerta, sr.; Koral Flamming, jr.; Willow Perruque, so.; Maria Ochoa, so.; Majh Starks, jr.; Trista Pisano, jr.

Worth noting: For the first time ever, Joliet West will have its own team as opposed to sharing a co-op with Joliet Central. Wong should lead the way after placing sixth at state in the 105-pound bracket. The Veronica Klobnak was a sectional qualifier at 140 pounds. O’Connor and Campos also qualified for sectionals at 145 pounds and 170 pounds. The newcomers should provide depth as they learn along the way.

Plainfield East

Coach: Julian Ochoa

Top returners: Mahi Kansagara, sr.; Angie Nettey, so.; Kaitlyn Bucholz, jr.; Jennifer Serna, jr.

Key newcomers: Jennifer Paul, sr.

Worth noting: Bucholz was a 16U national qualifier at 155 pounds. Nettey, Kansagara and Serna are all returning starters. Paul is new to wrestling, but comes from a wrestling background and family. The Bengals are looking to continue the trend of growing girls wrestling programs throughout the state and the country.

Plainfield North

Coach: Michael Parton

Top returners: Viki Rodnikova, so.; Meryn Finnegan, jr.

Key newcomers: Isabella Chavez, fr.; Alexandra Hudson, so.; Siena Hart, so.; Leah Wagner, so.

Worth noting: Rodnikova is looking to make history for the Tigers by becoming the first girls state qualifier in program history. She finished last year as a sectional qualifier and will be hoping to take the next jump. Finnegan brings valuable experience to a team young in age and experience. Parton expressed great excitement over the growth of girls wrestling in general and the direction of the team.

Plainfield South

Coach: Thomas Redmon

Top returners: Teagan Aurich, sr.; Keira Enright, sr.; Amie Fuentes, jr.; Lexi Kachiroubas, jr.

Key newcomers: Layla Spann, fr.; Madi Williams, fr.; Micayla Cory, fr.; Yuli Manrique, fr.

Worth noting: Aurich was a conference champion last year and has twice qualified for state. Enright is also a two-time state qualifier and finished third at state in 2022. Fuentes and Kachiroubas each qualified for sectionals last year.

Plainfield Central

Coach: Terry Kubski

Top returners: Shania Davison, so.; Miah Banda, so.; Alicia Tucker, sr.; Zyon Jordan, sr.

Worth noting: Davison was the conference champion in her weight class last year while Tucker was state runner-up at 170 after winning state the year before. Jordan was conference runner-up and Kubski is excited about Banda this season. Those four make up a team with six returners and Kubski expressed excitement over the growth of the sport and the team.

Romeoville

Coach: John Arlis

Top returners: Daniela Santander, jr.; Jesslynne Ochoa, sr.; Henessis Villagrana, so.

Worth noting: Santander went 31-10, qualified for sectionals and was IWCOA state champ. Ochoa was 20-10 while Villagrana went 22-10, placed fourth at sectionals and qualified for state. The Spartans have tripled their roster since last season and will have many newcomers helping out.

East Suburban Catholic Conference

Joliet Catholic

Coach: Rebecca Cumbee

Top returner: Grace Laird, sr.

Worth noting: Laird is the only member of the girls team for JCA. She finished second in sectionals last year and qualified for state. She lost in the blood round and missed out on placing. Cumbee said the expectation is that she’ll place at state this year, saying, “She’s going to give it all she’s got and feels like she has something to prove. The expectation is nothing less than a state placement.”

Southwest Suburban Conference

Lincoln-Way Co-op

Coach: Joshua Napier

Top returner: Zoe Dempsey, jr.; Emily Peyton, sr.; Ella Giertug, so.

Key newcomers: Aubrey Barnes, fr.; Dani Schedin, fr.; Riley Depolo, so.

Worth noting: Last year was a banner one for the Lincoln-Way co-op. They sent 12 girls to regionals, seven to sectionals and two to state. One of those two state qualifiers is back in Dempsey, who finished fifth after qualifying for state the year before. Peyton missed out last season, but qualified for state her freshman and sophomore years. Giertug is expected to take a big step forward this season while guiding a trio of newcomers. Napier listed six different goals and expectations for the year, including qualifying over half the team for sectionals, multiple state qualifiers and hopefully get some girls on the podium.

Lockport

Coach: Nate Roth

Top returners: Claudia Heeney, jr.; Averi Colella, sr. Claudia Heeney, jr.; Rebekah Ramirez, so.

Key newcomers: Veronica Skibiki, so.; Lucy Madrigal, jr; Sophie Kelner, jr.

Worth noting: Heeney is one of the biggest returning names in the state as she went 21-1 and won state at 135 last year. Colella was a state qualifier who went 43-13 and Ramirez qualified for state after going 36-15. Skibiki started wrestling last year and has been working all summer to take the next step. Roth believes Madrigal would have qualified for state had she not been dealing with a minor injury late in the year. Kelner had an outstanding sectional, but was outdone by stiff competition.

South Suburban Conference

Lemont

Coach: Rob Hammerschmidt

Top returner: Molly O’Connor, jr.

Worth noting: O’Connor leads a group of seven wrestlers returning for Lemont and has been the best on the team the past two years. She qualified for state at 120 last season and went 27-12. There are no newcomers this season so Lemont will make due with a small roster.

Illinois Central Eight Conference

Morris

Coach: Lenny Tryner

Top returner: Morgan Congo, sr.

Worth noting: Congo qualified for state at 190 last season and will look to move up the ladder in her final season. In a statewide trend, the program is growing as there will be seven wrestlers on the roster this year, six of them learning under Congo.

Peotone

Coach: Greg Goberville

Top returners: Natalie Bonick, so.; Annie Bergeron, jr.

Key newcomers: Kennedy Moit, fr.; Kaylee Boudreau, fr.; Isabel Cortes, fr.; Alexis Villalobos, fr.; and Lilly Robinson, fr.

Worth noting: Bonick was a sectional qualifier last year while Bergeron is continuing to grow as a wrestler after gaining valuable experience last season. Moit and Boudreau are Manteno students who will wrestle with Peotone as a co-op. Goberville expressed excitement about all of them along with Cortes, Villalobos and Robinson.

Reed-Custer

Coach: Yale Davis

Top returners: Madysen Meyer, jr.

Worth noting: Meyer is the lone girls wrestler for the Comets this year. She competes at 120 and is in her third year with the program. She was a training partner with former fifth Place finisher Judith Gamboa and will look to make a postseason run this year.

Tri-County Conference

Seneca

Coach: Todd Yegge

Top returners: Sammie Griesen, jr.; Kyra Wood, jr.; Brooklyn Hart, so.

Key newcomers: Catalina Pacheco, jr.; Haiden Lavarier, so.; Emma Spittle, so.; Haven Nicolaides , fr.; Lilly Rademacher, fr.

Worth noting: The Irish have seen their program grow from one girl, to three girls, to seven as the enthusiasm is rolling. Griesen qualified for state and finished sixth at 130 after going 31-11. She’ll move up to 135-140 this year. Wood went 13-17 at 190 while Hart went 19-12 at 110. The roster expands this year as they aim to continue growing the sport.