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

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

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

Geoff Stellfox Gazette Visuals

Gazette Visuals

Feb. 1, 2023 11:29 pm, Updated: Feb. 2, 2023 11:42 am

Charles City’s Lilly Luft poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Charles City’s Liz Oleson poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Charles City wrestlers pose for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Elkader’s Brandy Beatty poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Elkader’s Kimberly Suhr poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Elkader’s Tori Sylvester poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Elkader’s Reese Berns poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Elkader’s Rebecca Suhr poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Elkader wrestlers pose for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Postville’s Dulce Lopez (left) and Jayden Rankin pose for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Solon wrestlers pose for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Ankeny’s Mallorie McGuire poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Cedar Falls’ Hope Chiatello poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Iowa Valley’s Claire Smolik poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Iowa City West’s Emma Barker poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Kennedy’s Lexi Byrne poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

SWI’s Emily Kesterson (left) and Lillian Howe pose for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

SWI wrestlers pose for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Clear Creek-Amana’s Teagan Schreiber (left), Stormy Bauwens (center), and Emma Mathis pose for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Clear Creek-Amana’s Stormy Bauwens poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Atlantic-CAM’s Rio Johnson (left), Quincy Sorenson (center), and Ellen Gerlock pose for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

WACO wrestlers pose for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

WACO’s Lydia Hesseltine poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Webster’s Brynna Croy (left) and Maddie Pulis poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Wrestlers Morgan (left) and Stevy Griffin pose for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Sioux Central wrestlers pose for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

BCLUW-SH’s Kenna Paxson poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

BCLUW-SH’s Kynnedy Gunderson poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

BCLUW-SH’s Kynnedy Gunderson and Kenna Paxson poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Abraham Lincoln’s Haylee McGrew poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Benton’s Madilyn Colburn poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

North Scott’s Marin Smith poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Iowa City West’s Marissa Goodale pose for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

English Valley’s Nevaeh Briggs poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Waterloo West’s Ella Anderson poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Ottumwa’s poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Pocahontas Area’s Kaitlyn Schuler poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

North High’s Molly Sek poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

North High’s Idella Edwards poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Waterloo West’s Lydia Parkhurst poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Iowa City West’s Helen Orzula poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Tripoli’s Lilly Chensvold and Paige Dulin poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Tripoli’s Aubrie Kingsbury poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

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

South Central Calhoun’s Evelyn Kramer poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Vinton-Shellsburg’s Bailey Weeks poses for a portrait on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

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

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

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

Charles City’s Destiny Kolheim poses for a portrait on Friday, Jan. 21, 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 four of five galleries.