HIGH SCHOOL

Girls wrestling: McQueen's Ward excels in school and on the mat; Reed girls win Regional

Jim Krajewski
Reno Gazette Journal
McQueen’s Katie Ward pins Douglas’ Bliss Moody at the 1:46 mark of the 120-pound division’s championship at Saturday’s All-Girls Northern Region tournament at McQueen High School.

Katie Ward made it look easy in winning the girls 120-pound weight class at the first-ever girls wrestling regional tournament.

Reed won the team title, McQueen was second and Elko finished third in the team standings. The Raiders had seven girls in the finals and four champions crowned on Saturday.

The top four finishers in each weight class from Saturday's tournament advance to the state wrestling championships on Feb. 10-11 at the Winnemucca Events Center. Reed will send 10 girl wrestlers to state. McQueen will send five.

The sport officially was recognized by the NIAA last fall, although there were some all-girls wrestling tournaments held before that recognition.

Donnie Nelson, the executive director of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, said having a girls wrestling division is a part of the existing state wrestling format.

McQueen's Katie Ward won the 120-pound class at the girls wrestling regional on Saturday at McQueen.

Katie Ward

Ward, who already has won two unofficial state championships in girls wrestling, has her mind set on winning a third, as well as proving she is a better wrestler than her older brother.

Ward, a senior at McQueen, started wrestling eight years ago, following in the footsteps of her older brother, Kai.

"I started (wrestling) because I wanted to be better than him," Ward said.

She is currently No. 30 in the national rankings for high school girls wrestling, and has been as high as No. 14.

She has no game plan on the mat, although she does outside of the gym. Ward said she never tries to learn anything about her opponents on the mat and never looks at the bracket ahead of time.

"I don't look at how good they are or what they've done, I just go out there and wrestle," she said. "I feel if I look at that too much, and focus on it, I just get in my head and it's not worth it. My game plan is go out on the mat and have fun."

She has straight A's in the classroom and wants to be a doctor. She is receiving some college wrestling offers from schools that have the sport, but wrestling is secondary to her academics.

Ward said when her grandfather died several years ago; that inspired her to want to try to help people.

"Ever since then, I've wanted to give back and go into the medical field," Ward said.

She also loves working with younger children, especially those in less than ideal circumstances, and volunteers with the Northern Nevada Rave Family Foundation, which helps families with young and adult children with special needs.

McQueen wrestling coach Jeromy Mumm said Ward can sometimes push herself too hard.

"She's a heck of a student and a heck of a wrestler," Mumm said. "She works hard at everything she does, sometimes to a fault. She works to a point where she pressures herself too much, but she's diverse in the things she enjoys. She's a wrestler and she also loves to do the culinary (program) here at McQueen."

He said Ward was a strong natural wrestler from the beginning, and when she faced adversity, such as injuries, she persevered through them.

At a national tournament last year she wrestled in both freestyle and folkstyle brackets, taking third in one and fourth in the other, which elevated her national profile.

Bishop Manogue’s Whitney Heit, right, reacts after pinning Hug’s Maria Delpalacio with five seconds left in the opening period of the 145-pound division championship at Saturday’s All-Girls Northern Region tournament at McQueen High School.

Boys' regional

The boys wrestling North 5A regional is set for Friday-Saturday at Carson, with championship matches set for 1:30 on Saturday, Feb. 4.

The 3A North Regional is Friday-Saturday at Wooster. The 2A North Regional is Saturday at Pershing County.

The state tournament for all classes, boys and girls, is Feb. 10-11 at the Winnemucca Events Center.

Girls wrestling state qualifier

Jan. 28 at McQueen

100 pounds

  • 1. Sophie Workman, Fernley
  • 2. Ella Kavanagh, Douglas
  • 3. Viviana Zavala, Spanish Springs
  • 4. Vanessa Romero, Elko

107 pounds

  • 1. Shaylee Gavin, Fernley
  • 2. Bella Coronado, McQueen
  • 3. Jasmine Tamondong, Douglas
  • 4. Natalia Hernandez, Elko

114 pounds

  • 1. Amber Perkins, Carson
  • 2. Emily Smith, Reed
  • 3. Ella Parker, Spanish Springs
  • 4. Anastasia Curitti, Coral Academy - North
Reed’s Maria Aiono faces the crowd after pinning Battle Mountain’s Jennifer Galvan in the second period of the 185-pound divisios championship at Saturday’s All-Girls Northern Region tournament at McQueen High School.

120 pounds

  • 1. Katie Ward, McQueen
  • 2. Bliss Moody, Douglas
  • 3. Ava Parker, Spanish Springs
  • 4. Ekko Kosturos, Reno

126 pounds

  • 1. Meredith Nash, Reed
  • 2. Nadera Muhammad, Fernley
  • 3. Maria Mendoza-Flores, Fernley
  • 4. Keyona Apodaca, Elko

132 pounds

  • 1. Aneka Mathews, Reed
  • 2. Penelope Ruiz, Elko
  • 3. Maliyah Moore, Sparks
  • 4. Ruby Barrett-Reese, Fernley

138 pounds

  • 1. Ainsley Gordon, Reed
  • 2. Alyssa Winters, Reed
  • 3. Kaytlynn Sibrian, McQueen
  • 4. Kylee Hamilton, Elko
McQueen’s Jasmine Morales defeats Sparks’ Camila Martinez with a takedown in overtime in the 165-pound division championship at Saturday’s All-Girls Northern Region wrestling tournament at McQueen High School.

145 pounds

  • 1. Whitney Heit, Bishop Manogue
  • 2. Maria Delpalacio, Hug
  • 3. TeTiare Pedro-Cabanoda, Reed
  • 4. Mulania Jones, Elko

152 pounds

  • 1. Ellah Olson, Carson
  • 2. Hannah Montoya, Spring Creek
  • 3. Jaclyn Daley, McQueen
  • 4. Elece Baron, Reed

165 pounds

  • 1. Jasmine Morales, McQueen
  • 2. Camila Martinez, Sparks
  • 3. Simaima Masi, Wooster
  • 4. Ella Enangelista, Reed
Galena’s Olivia Jenkins pins Reed’s Ellie Smith in the first period of the 235-pound division championship at Saturday’s All-Girls Northern Region wrestling tournament at McQueen High School

185 pounds

  • 1. Maria Aiono, Reed
  • 2. Jennifer Galvan, Battle Mountain
  • 3. Avianna Robles, Elko
  • 4. Anete Chavarin, South Tahoe

235 pounds

  • 1. Olivia Jenkins, Galena
  • 2. Ellie Smith, Reed

Individual results

100 pounds

Championship match: Sophie Workman (Fernley) p. Ella Kavanagh (Douglas), 5:46

107 pounds

Championship match: Shaylee Gavin (Fernley) p. Bella Coronado (McQueen), 3:04

114 pounds

Championship match: Amber Perkins (Carson) p. Emily Smith (Reed), 1:58

120 pounds

Championship match: Katie Ward (McQueen) p. Bliss Moody (Douglas), 1:46

126 pounds

Championship match: Meredith Nash (Reed) p. Nadera Muhammad (Fernley), 2:40

132 pounds

Championship match: Aneka Mathews (Reed) p. Penelope Ruiz (Elko), 3:37

138 pounds

Championship match: Ainsley Gordon (Reed) p. Alyssa Winters (Reed), 3:46

145 pounds

Championship match: Whitney Heit (Bishop Manogue) p. Maria Delpalacio (Hug), 1:55

152 pounds

Championship match: Ellah Olson (Carson), p. Hannah Montoya (Spring Creek), 4:45

165 pounds

Championship match: Jasmine Morales (McQueen) d. Camila Martinez (Sparks), 6-4 SV

185 pounds

Championship match: Maria Aiono (Reed) p. Jennifer Galvan (Battle Mountain), 4:52

235 pounds

Championship match: Olivia Jenkins (Galena) p. Ellie Smith (Reed), 1:34

The Reed girls won the team title at the girls wrestling regional on Saturday at McQueen.

Jim Krajewski covers college, high school and youth sports for the Reno Gazette Journal. Follow him on Twitter @RGJPreps. Support his work by subscribing to RGJ.com.