There has to be first for everything, and why not be now to establish a new bar for girls wrestling at Wawasee.

Just quietly going about her business Friday night, Alex Garcia became the first girl at Wawasee to reach the state finals. Garcia won the 160-pound bracket in emphatic fashion at the IHSGW Penn Girls Wrestling Regional, scoring pins in all three of her matches. Garcia opened with a pin of Andrean’s Jackson Grubbs, then punched her ticket to the regional finals with a very sound pin of Penn’s Morgan Mendlikowski, patiently waiting for the Penn standout to leave an opening on a shot attempt and getting the quick response and cover.

In the finals, Garcia got a takedown in the first period and took the top on the restart. From there, she worked Tri-County’s Lilly Sterk around into a cover and got the pinfall at 2:30, locking up the first state trip in school history.

“She wrestled great, especially for a freshman, and that’s the beauty of this sport is that you don’t have to have a huge background to make yourself successful,” said Wawasee girls coach Miguel Rodriguez. “Everybody is still learning. She is still learning. The coaches are still learning. The administration is still learning. She is just making some huge strides, and that showed Friday night.”

Garcia will know this week whether she makes the work trip alone or has a partner in Kenidi Nine. A 6-3 loss to John Glenn in the 145 quarters sent Nine to the consolation bracket, but a pair of pins, including her second of the night over Penn’s Morgan Xouris, put her in the fifth/sixth match. Merrillville’s Folasade Zannou would pin Nine to claim fifth and the first option for a state call, but Nine is still alive if a spot opens up.

Brooke Catron, fighting through a shoulder injury, was one win short of also sitting in the gray area of call-ups for 132, but was pinned by Pioneer in the getback match of the consolations. Catron had pins over Portage and Chesterton opponents, but a stick by Attica’s Joslyn Barnett in the quarters put Catron’s hopes in peril.

“Even if you don’t get the opportunity to continue, you still come to the room and work and help your sister as she prepares for state,” Rodriguez said of the remainder of the Iron Seven. “At the same time, you prepare yourself to get better, and if you get a call and are lucky enough to get another day, then be ready. You still have next year. We have everyone coming back, no seniors.”

Ciarra Rodriguez won her first two matches, but couldn’t solve the top seed of the 120 bracket in Rose Kaplan of West Lafayette in a pin loss. A sudden victory and pin ended Rodriguez’s tough night at 2-3 overall.

Olivia Hill willed herself to an exasperated 4-2 decision over equally gassed Na’Shun Reeves of West Lafayette, but otherwise lost her other two matches in the 250 rounds.

Dez Vetor and Rylin Vanlaningham both went 0-2 in their matches in 138 and 152-pound action.

Information for the IHSGW State Final at Mooresville, which takes place this Friday, Jan. 13, will be made available later this week via Track Wrestling.

Penn Girls Wrestling Regional

120 (A Bracket)

Ciarra Rodriguez’s place is 6th and has scored 10.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Ciarra Rodriguez (Wawasee) won by major decision over Lily Culbreth (Kankakee Valley High School) (Maj 14-5)
• Quarterfinal – Ciarra Rodriguez (Wawasee) won by fall over Breyanna Moreno (Mishawaka) (Fall 2:48)
• Semifinal – Rose Kaplan (West Lafayette) won by fall over Ciarra Rodriguez (Wawasee) (Fall 1:41)
• Cons. Semi – Lily Culbreth (Kankakee Valley High School) won in sudden victory – 1 over Ciarra Rodriguez (Wawasee) (SV-1 4-2)
• 5th Place Match (A bracket) – Rheannon Pinkerman (Rensselaer Central) won by fall over Ciarra Rodriguez (Wawasee) (Fall 0:40)

132 (A Bracket)

Brooke Catron’s place is 4th and has scored 16.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Brooke Catron (Wawasee) received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Brooke Catron (Wawasee) won by fall over Ja Lynn Parker (Portage High School) (Fall 2:35)
• Semifinal – Joslyn Barnett (Attica) won by fall over Brooke Catron (Wawasee) (Fall 5:26)
• Cons. Semi – Brooke Catron (Wawasee) won by fall over Abigail Dennington (Chesterton) (Fall 1:58)
• 3rd Place Match – Ali Hoffman (Pioneer) won by fall over Brooke Catron (Wawasee) (Fall 0:15)

138

Annabelle Vetor’s place is unknown and has scored 0.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Annabelle Vetor (Wawasee) received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Sincere Peterson (Merrillville) won by fall over Annabelle Vetor (Wawasee) (Fall 2:20)
• Cons. Round 2 – Alyssa Adams (Hobart) won by fall over Annabelle Vetor (Wawasee) (Fall 2:13)

145 (A Bracket)

Kenidi Nine’s place is 3rd and has scored 20.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Kenidi Nine (Wawasee) received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Kenidi Nine (Wawasee) won by fall over Morgan Xouris (Penn) (Fall 3:05)
• Semifinal – Olivia Nifong (John Glenn) won by decision over Kenidi Nine (Wawasee) (Dec 6-3)
• Cons. Semi – Kenidi Nine (Wawasee) won by fall over Izah Garcia (Merrillville) (Fall 0:39)
• 3rd Place Match (A bracket) – Kenidi Nine (Wawasee) won by fall over Morgan Xouris (Penn) (Fall 4:51)
• 5th Place Match (A/B bracket) – Folasade Zannou (Merrillville) won by fall over Kenidi Nine (Wawasee) (Fall 2:12)

152

Rylin Vanlaningham’s place is unknown and has scored 0.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Rylin Vanlaningham (Wawasee) received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – McKinley Platz (John Glenn) won by fall over Rylin Vanlaningham (Wawasee) (Fall 1:38)
• Cons. Round 2 – Azaelyn Zaid (Calumet) won by fall over Rylin Vanlaningham (Wawasee) (Fall 0:57)

160

Alexandra Garcia’s place is 1st and has scored 26.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Alexandra Garcia (Wawasee) won by fall over Jackson Grubbs (Andrean) (Fall 1:42)
• Semifinal – Alexandra Garcia (Wawasee) won by fall over Morgan Mendlikowski (Penn) (Fall 2:31)
• 1st Place Match – Alexandra Garcia (Wawasee) won by fall over Lilly Sterk (Tri-County Jr-Sr High school) (Fall 2:30)

250

Olivia Hill’s place is unknown and has scored 2.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Thalia Pearson (Tri-County Jr-Sr High school) won by fall over Olivia Hill (Wawasee) (Fall 0:49)
• Cons. Round 1 – Olivia Hill (Wawasee) received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 2 – Olivia Hill (Wawasee) won by decision over Na`Shun Reeves (West Lafayette) (Dec 4-2)
• Cons. Round 3 – Sohpia Zarate (Benton Central) won by fall over Olivia Hill (Wawasee) (Fall 1:22)