Photos: Pioneers of Iowa high school girls' wrestling, part five

Photos: Pioneers of Iowa high school girls’ wrestling, part five

Highlighting the young women who paved the way for future Iowa wrestlers

Geoff Stellfox Gazette Visuals

Gazette Visuals

Feb. 1, 2023 11:32 pm, Updated: Feb. 2, 2023 11:42 am

Waverly Shell-Rock’s Kiara Djoumessi poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Ames’ Brooklyn Greenlee and Greta Goodman poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Muscatine’s Bayley Hawkins poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Muscatine’s Skylar Pachtinger poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Pleasant Valley’s Caitlin Reiter poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Pleasant Valley’s Carmen Faidley poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Pleasant Valley’s Kyna Moffit poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Oelwein’s Ryley Hartman poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

North High School’s Elizabeth Rubio poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Oelwein’s Bailee Craun poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Ridgeview’s Tatum Shepherd poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

AGSWR’s Rory Siems poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Ridge View’s Shania Graybill poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Ridge View wrestlers Shania Graybill and Hayley Lawrence pose for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Ankeny Centennial’s Dana Cleveland poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Ankeny Centennial’s Grace Gray poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Ankeny Centennial’s Grace Gray (left) and Dana Cleveland pose for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Sigourney’s Reanah Utterback poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Ankeny Centennial’s Sophia Leo poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Lewis Central’s Mahri Manz poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Lewis Central’s Ava McNeal poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Lewis Central’s Sophie Barnes poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Lewis Central wrestlers pose for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Lewis Central’s Maya Humlicek poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Underwoood’s Molly Allen poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Treynor’s Ava Kennedy poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Treynor’s Andyn White poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Williamsburg’s Maddie Kirby poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

West Branch’s Emmersen Thomas (left) and Madelyn Hartz pose for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Wapello’s Tatum Wolford poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Cedar Fall’s Lauren Nicholas poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

St. Angsar Marriah Michels poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

St. Ansar’s Emma Hall and Marriah Michels poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Prairie’s Mackenzie Childers poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

South Winneshiek’s Kaydn Meyer poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

West Liberty’s Amerie Alvarado poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

West Liberty’s Ava Morrison (left) and Laney Esmoil poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Dubuque’s Hannah Keel (left) and Carly Hefel pose for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

The Dubuque wrestling team poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

South Tama’s Maeley Elsbury (left) and Abigail Chyma poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

South Winneshiek’s Riley Meyer poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

South Winneshiek’s Riley Meyer (left) and Kadyn Meyer laugh during a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

South Winneshiek’s Isabelle Kipp poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

South Winneshiek’s Riley Meyer (top), Kadyn Meyer (left) and Isabelle Kipp pose for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Perry’s Taylor Atwell poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

During the 2022 IWCOA girls’ state wrestling tournament, Gazette photojournalist Geoff Stellfox set out to photograph at least one wrestler from each participating high school.

The goal was to document the pioneers of Iowa high school girls’ wrestling and those who made sanctioning possible. During the two-day tournament, he photographed over 200 wrestlers from more than 100 teams.

Though he was unsuccessful in capturing every school, the project is still ongoing. In the meantime, The Gazette wants to highlight as many of these wrestlers as possible as they paved the way for future generations, ahead of the 2023 IGHSAU girls’ state wrestling championships.

This is part five of five galleries.