8 wrestlers who stood out at the Iowa Girls Freestyle State Championships

Have you ever wondered what girls high school wrestling would look like if they wrestled freestyle, as college women's wrestlers do?

On Sunday we got a taste of that at the Iowa Freestyle State Championships at Southeast Polk High School, with some of the elite talent in Iowa competing to qualify for the USMC Junior and 16U Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota. Top-four finishers in each weight class qualified for one of the nation's premier wrestling tournaments.

For us, it was a great chance to evaluate not only the talent that we've seen at the girls state wrestling tournament in February, but also some elite talent that's on the rise.

Here are eight wrestlers who stood out on the girls side of the field over the weekend:

Katie Biscoglia, Raccoon River Wrestling

Biscoglia was featured in the highlight match of the weekend, facing Denver's Violet Diaz in the first-place match of the 16U 100-pound class. Biscoglia and Diaz squared off twice during the high school season, including in the 100-pound state semifinals. Biscoglia had her hand raised for a victory each time, but the matches were always down to the wire.

This one was no different, as Diaz blitzed out to a 6-2 lead off of a four-point action followed by an exposure. In the second, Biscoglia secured a takedown and three leg laces to take the lead and create a gap before eventually earning a 14-6 victory.

As an undefeated wrestler on the high school circuit, there's never been a doubt of Biscoglia's talents, but this was a special show put on by two very talented wrestlers.

Hayden Bratland, Ankeny

Bratland, a freshman, took third at the girls state wrestling championships last winter. The three wrestlers she lost to during the season were Kiara Djoumessi (Hawkeye commit, two-time state champion), Maeley Elsbury (William Penn commit, 2023 state champion) and Shaylee Sutherland (state finalist).

Bratland shined in the 16U division. She was 4-0 with a pair of technical falls on her way to taking first place at 142 pounds. She outscored her opponents 35-5. That included an 11-0 technical fall over Saydel's Colbie Tenborg, the 130-pound state champion in 2024.

Bratland should enter Fargo as one to watch in the 16U division. She showed here that she's going to be a state title contender in 2025.

Amalia Djoumessi, Waverly-Shell Rock

Djoumessi, an eighth-grader, was one of the tournament's most dominant wrestlers.

She opened her tournament with back-to-back pins in the 155-pound 16U bracket, one taking less than 40 seconds and another in 1:06. She capped off her day with back-to-back technical falls as well to take first place in her weight class.

Djoumessi is the younger sister of Kiara Djoumessi, an Iowa Hawkeye commit and two-time state champion for Waverly-Shell Rock. Kiara also went on to win a freestyle state title. She said her younger sister is set for greatness.

"She is going to be a machine next year," Kiara Djoumessi said in February. "She takes me down in practice. She has a mean single. She is going to be better than me. She's a 6-foot-3 eighth-grader; you better watch out for her next year."

As her sister notes, Amalia Djoumessi is very tall for a wrestler. Regardless, she was tough to score on and can put points on the board at will. She will make a splash in high school.

Apryl Halsor, Cedar Falls

Halsor put herself on the map in this year's state tournament by taking third, upsetting No. 1 seed Abigail Meyrer of Pleasant Valley in the quarterfinal and eventually taking third. At Southeast Polk, she took down yet another high-profile athlete.

After opening her day with back-to-back technical falls to reach the final, the Cedar Falls product drew Chariton's Leah Chandler, a multi-time state medalist and a state finalist this past season. Trailing 10-8 with under a minute and a half to go, Halsor tallied five unanswered points to rally and take a 13-10 victory over the Wartburg commit.

Halsor will be a senior next season, leading what should be a talented and deep Cedar Falls team that will return two state medalists and 11 qualifiers.

Gable Hemann, Osage

Hemann has been so close to being a state champion, taking second on three different occasions at the IGHSAU and IWCOA state tournaments. Hemann has dominated her competition but has faced brutal opponents in the finals (such as Ottumwa's Jasmine Luedtke or Union's Jillian Worthen) that has prevented her from taking first.

Hemann, a 105-pounder, beat her first two opponents in a 10-0 technical fall in under a minute and a half and a pin in 35 seconds. In the final match, she drew reigning state champion Layla Phillips of Mason City. Tied at two apiece entering the second period, Hemann finished off a takedown and recorded a pair of leg laces to eventually defeat Phillips, giving Hemann her second freestyle title here in Iowa.

Hemann stands out on the wrestling mat for her physical strength, with her execution of those leg laces late in the match showcasing her power.

Bella Miller, Dubuque Wahlert

Miller wrestled four matches. She won all of them in the first period. She outscored her opponents 34-0 and ended up pinning two of them, including in the 16U 136-pound final when she pinned Brielle Parks in 1:25.

Miller is an explosive athlete, taking wrestlers into the air for feet-to-back four-point takedowns on a couple of occasions, including in her first match when she pinned her opponent in 35 seconds off of a feet-to-back takedown. She's not only one of the best wrestlers in Iowa, winning a state title this past winter as a freshman, she has potential to win a Fargo title with this type of talent.

Calista Rodish, Raccoon River Wrestling

A two-time state medalist as a sophomore, Rodish has been on an upward trajectory for a while. She broke out in a big way here at the freestyle state tournament.

After winning by technical fall and pin to reach the finals, Rodish faced one of Iowa's best in Cedar Rapids Prairie's Mackenzie Childers. Childers, a former state champion, was the No. 1 seed at the state tournament this past winter, but had to injury default. At the freestyle tournament, she looked healthy on her way to three 10-0 technical falls to reach the finals.

Rodish, however, was unfazed as she got off to a blistering 7-0 start and never looked back as she took a 13-6 victory over Childers.

A healthy Childers is one of the state's best, but Rodish looks to be putting the pieces together and could be a breakout talent next season as a junior.

Tayla Stiefel, East Buchanan

How does back-to-back 16U freestyle state titles sound?

Stiefel, an East Buchanan product, didn't have an easy draw, having to face Decorah's Anastasia Simon (sister of Naomi Simon) in the finals. Regardless, after conceding a four-point takedown, Stiefel continued to fight hard and worked her way into a pin as time expired in the first period.

Stiefel took fourth at the IGHSAU state championships last winter, but if she continues to wrestle like that, East Buchanan is going to be in a great spot after tying to take second last season.

Full results for the Iowa Freestyle and Greco-Roman State championships can be found on trackwresting.com

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Girls Freestyle Wrestling State Championships takeaways