Team High School Ranking Are Here

End-of-the-year high school team rankings were released with Wyoming Seminary leading the way as the top girls' high school team in the country. Rankings include public and private high schools from all states, including states with official girls' state championship events as well as those with unofficial girls' state championships.

The  top 10 include:

1. Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania)

2. Toppenish High School (Washington)

3. SLAM Academy (Nevada)

4. Marina High School (California)

5. Waverly-Shell Rock High School (Iowa)

6. Allen High School (Texas)

7. Lebanon High School (Missouri)

8. Amarillo Caprock High School (Texas)

9. Moanalua High School (Hawaii)

10. Orlando Freedom High School (Florida)

California Reigns

California knocked off Michigan during the finals of the Junior Nationals Duals in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 16 to take home this year’s title. The field included a record 30 different teams. 

The Golden State compiled a 68-30 match record with five wrestlers — Madison Avila, Mikayla Garcia, Arieana Arias, Isabella Marie Gonzales, and Johanna Forman — going undefeated in the tournament with at least four victories each. 

California’s run included seven straight wins.

California over Georgia Blue, 50-11

California over Virginia, 50-16

California over Indiana, 47-18

California over Missouri 1, 43-23

California over Texas Blue, 36-25

California over Colorado, 37-28

California over Michigan Blue, 37-26

Two Of A Kind

There’s history — then there’s jaw-dropping history. Ken Marantz recently mentioned a unique statistic in an article he wrote for United World Wrestling about Japan’s Akari Fujinami’s 100th straight win. 

Only two wrestlers — Haruna Okuno and Masako Furuichi — have achieved the grand slam of international wrestling: U17 (Cadet), U20 (Junior), U23, and Senior World titles. 

Haruna Okuno

2016 Cadet World champion

2017 Senior World champion

2017 U23 World champion

2018 Senior World champion

2019 Junior World champion

2019 U23 World champion

Masako Furuichi

2011 Cadet World champion

2012 Cadet World champion

2013 Cadet World champion

2014 Junior World champion

2015 Junior World champion

2016 Junior World champion

2019 U23 World champion

2021 Senior World champion

Women’s Spotlight: Katie Gomez

Cadet World champion Katie made a Junior World team this year and already has an eye on the 2024 Olympics. Learn more about her story.

Bracket Breakdown

Olympic bronze medalist Sarah Hildebrandt mentioned the 55-kilogram bracket from the 2015 World Team Trials during the Final X New York press conference. The bracket is even more impressive than Hildebrandt let on. 

Participants include: 

— Four 202One Olympians (Hildebrandt, Jacarra Winchester, Helen Maroulis, and Kayla Miracle)

— Two 4x WCWA champions (Maroulis and Miracle)

— Four current World teamers with the possibility of a fifth (Hildebrandt, Dom Parrish, Maroulis, Winchester, and Miracle who hasn’t qualified yet)

— Two World champs (Maroulis and Winchester)

— One Olympic champion (Maroulis)

— Five wrestlers who won at least one World/Olympic medal (Becka Leathers, Hildebrandt, Winchester, Maroulis, and Miracle)

— Six wrestlers who have made at least one Senior World team (Leathers, Hildebrandt, Winchester, Maroulis, Miracle, and Amy Fearnside).

Also, notice that Tarkyia Mensah — sister of 2020 Olympic gold medalist Tamyra — is in the bracket.

Matches Of The Week

Cadet and Junior World champion Amit Elor, 18, made her third World team at Final X New York (U20, U23, and Seniors) with straight wins over Skylar Grote. Watch scoring highlights from one of America’s promising young superstars. 

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World Team Rewind

The inaugural Women’s World Wrestling Championship was in 1987 but the United States did not participate until 1989. There there were nine weight classes and only four Americans participated.

1989 World team

47 kg: Afsoon Johntson - Bronze

50 kg: Asia de Weese - Silver

53 kg: Janet Trussel - 5th

70 kg: Leia Kawai - Silver

“I made a flyer and went door-to-door and business-to-business, introduced myself, and said, ‘Hi, my name is Afsoon and I am representing the United States at the World Championships in women’s wrestling. Will you help support me?’

“Most people’s response was ‘We didn’t know there was women’s wrestling.’

“Some businesses donated $10, others donated $100 and I scraped up enough money to get myself to the World Championships to represent the United States. More importantly, I was educating people that there was such a thing as women’s wrestling and we were a legitimate sport.”

Below are US results at the Women’s World Championships with the team champions listed in parentheses. Terry Steiner was hired as the first full-time women’s national team coach for USA Wrestling in 2002. American teams have placed in the top three for the past nine years. Japan has won 24 of the 31 contested World Championships. 

1987    Did Not Enter (Norway)

1989    5th (Japan)

1990    6th (Japan)

1991    5th (Japan)

1992    9th (Japan)

1993    4th (Japan)

1994    4th (Japan)

1995    4th (Russia)

1996    3rd (Japan)

1997    3rd (Japan)

1998    3rd (Russia)

1999    1st    

2000    3rd (Japan)

2001    5th (China)

2002    11th (Japan)

2003    2nd (Japan)

2005    3rd (Japan)

2006    7th (Japan)

2007    5th (Japan)

2008    4th (Japan)

2009    6th (Azerbaijan)

2010    5th (Japan)

2011    3rd (Japan)

2012    3rd (China)

2013    3rd (Japan)

2014    3rd (Japan)

2015    3rd (Japan)

2017    2nd (Japan)

2018    3rd (Japan)

2019    3rd (Japan)

2021    2nd (Japan)