Alexandra Hofrichter Brings Home First Ever WIAA Girls State Championship

FOR THE ANTIGO TIMES

On a day of historic firsts, Antigo Wrestler Alexandra Hofrichter shredded the competition, finishing all of her matches by pinfall and not allowing a single point to be scored against her as she won the first ever WIAA Girls Individual State Tournament. The event, held in La Crosse, Wisconsin, was a celebration of the advancement of female sports as much as it was a wrestling tournament. Highlights included the 50-year celebration of Title IX that has led to the increase of female participation in sports, and, as an added bonus, all medals were presented by six-time world champion, and two-time Olympian, Adeline Gray. Gray won the world championship at 76 kg last October in Oslo, and was a great source of inspiration for the young competitors.

There may be some bias here, but no one put on a more impressive showing than Alexandra Hofrichter. After a first-round bye, Hofrichter took the mat against Daija McNamer of Kickapoo/LaFarge. Not allowing the pomp and circumstance of the day’s activities distract her, Hofrichter immediately locked up a collar tie with an underhook, and drove McNamer straight to the mat and her back, winning the first match in 16 seconds.

Hofrichter continued with another flawless match in the quarterfinals, this time against Elaine Santiago-Soto of Milwaukee Ronald Reagan. Hofrichter was able to get to an underhook position, reached across to secure a body lock, and threw Santiago-Soto straight to her back. Hofrichter then secured a headlock for the pinfall victory 25 seconds into the round.

The semifinals saw Hofrichter continue her streak of finishes in under a minute, as she competed with Evelyn Vetsch of Holmen. Vetsch had seen Hofrichter’s previous matches, and did her best not to allow the Antigo wrestler to control the upper body positioning. Unfortunately for Vetsch, Hofrichter was able to elevate Vetsch after Vetsch attempted a shot, gaining an underhook and over pressure on the head, which led to Hofrichter tossing Vetsch straight to her back for the pinfall in 42 seconds.

On the other side of the 152-pound bracket, Isabella Olesen of Oak Creek was able to earn a spot in the finals after a strong day of wrestling. Olesen was able to defeat Jazmyn Manske of Holmen via pinfall in 25 seconds to advance to the quarterfinals, where Olesen was then able to sneak past Kara Kuge of Lomira in a hard fought 6-5 decision. The semifinals saw Olesen earn a major decision victory over Breanna Wier of Osso Fairchild.

The championship match between Hofrichter and Olesen was watched not only by a large number of fans in the La Crosse center, but also at many business establishments and homes in Antigo thanks to being broadcast live on Bally sports.

Olesen began the match trying to keep her distance and not allow Hofrichter to set up the throws seen in the first few rounds. At about the one-minute mark, Hofrichter was able to secure a front headlock and drag Olesen’s head to the mat. Olesen was able to drive up from the mat and attempted a single leg, but Hofrichter was able to drive her hips in and toss Olesen to her back with 30 seconds remaining. Hofrichter was able to keep Olesen in a position of danger for the rest of the period, but Olesen was able to fight off the pin, ending the first period with a 5-0 lead for Hofrichter.

Hofrichter deferred the choice of position to start the second, and Olesen started on bottom. Hofrichter was able to chop the near arm of Olesen to initially break her down, but Olesen was able to regain her base and attempt a stand-up attempt. Hofrichter was able to maintain control by returning Olesen to the mat with a single leg, but just missed her attempt to hit a step through on the way down. After a short sit out attempt by Olesen 40 seconds into the period, Hofrichter was able to pull her shoulders down to the mat and secured 3 nearfall points to increase her lead to 8-0.

Olesen was once again able to fight off her back, but unable to escape the control of Hofrichter. With 40 seconds left in the period, Hofrichter was able to secure an Okie Chokie and roll through. Olesen was able to do an amazing job to not give up the pinfall, leading to another 3 points for the Antigo wrestling, and ending the second period with an 11-0 lead for Hofrichter.

Hofrichter chose to start on the bottom in the third period, and immediately used her body mechanics and great hips to earn a reversal only 4 seconds into the period, once again putting Olesen on her back. This time, Olesen would not be able to survive, and Hofrichter picked up the first ever WIAA Girls State Championship at 152 pounds via pinfall 13 seconds into the third round.

With the victories, Hofrichter finished the season a perfect 21-0 against females, and 5-0 against males, defeating all 26 opponents via pinfall. Few opponents were able to survive the first period, and only a few made it to the third. Only a junior, Hofrichter has big plans for the summer competing in Freestyle before returning to the Folkstyle mat next season to defend her state championship.

The Antigo Wrestling Club has done a tremendous job in helping grow the sport of female wrestling. Alexandra Hofrichter has helped generate much interest, and this has led to increasing numbers of athletes in the youth program. If you want to have your child, male or female, try wrestling; please find information on practices and events for all levels on Facebook at Antigo Wrestling. Additional photos and video from the State Tournament are also available on the Antigo Wrestling Facebook page.

WIAA Girls Individual State Results for Antigo

152

Alexandra Hofrichter (21-0) placed 1st and scored 0.0 team points.

Champ. Round 1 – Alexandra Hofrichter (Antigo) 21-0 received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 – Alexandra Hofrichter (Antigo) 21-0 won by fall over Daija McNamer (Kickapoo/La Farge/Youth Initiative) 0-4 (Fall 0:16)
Quarterfinal – Alexandra Hofrichter (Antigo) 21-0 won by fall over Elaine Santiago-Soto (Milwaukee Ronald Reagan) 10-6 (Fall 0:25)
Semifinal – Alexandra Hofrichter (Antigo) 21-0 won by fall over Evelyn Vetsch (Holmen) 17-9 (Fall 0:42)
1st Place Match – Alexandra Hofrichter (Antigo) 21-0 won by fall over Isabelle Olesen (Oak Creek) 8-2 (Fall 4:13)

152

Guaranteed Places