The 2023-24 season was nothing short of spectacular! Our athletes and community are truly remarkable and the season was filled with growth and historical achievements. The Wisconsin Wrestling Federation takes pride in serving our members with high-quality opportunities and unwavering commitment as we strive to be USA Wrestling’s best state association. Looking back on this incredible year, we’re even more excited about what lies ahead.

2024 National Teams National Teams
National Duals: The Junior Men’s Freestyle team won the National Duals team title for the first time in state history! The event in Tulsa was the gold stamp marking the end of an outstanding high school chapter for a special group of seniors who led the team to victory. The team effort, years of hard work, and camaraderie culminated in the title that Wisconsin will defend on home soil in 2025.

Seven Wisconsin dual teams placed in the top ten. The women’s freestyle program, which fielded three teams for the first time, made a statement in Indiana by placing 2nd in the first year that USA Wrestling hosted competition for the 16U division. The 14U team, competing alongside the 16Us, placed 4th overall.

The 14U boys clinched 3rd in Greco-Roman followed by a 4th place freestyle finish in Pennsylvania. One of the highlights of their trip was a training stop at Bucknell University where they got to hear from WWF alum and All-American Noah Mulvaney. The 16U teams competed in Utah, placing 5th in freestyle, and 9th in Greco. Rounding out the dual team performances were the Junior women in 16th and Junior Greco in 17th.

Fargo: On the heels of strong performances at National Duals, Wisconsin saw over 300 athletes make their way to compete at the Junior and 16U National Championships.

In Fargo, 30 earned All-American status. Taylor Whiting and Brooke Huffman brought home national titles, and Brynn Engel, Hunter Stevens, Makhi Rodgers, and Brett Back placed second in the national event. Wisconsin teams achieved top-10 placements in three divisions with 16U women’s freestyle (5th), Junior Greco (8th), and 16U men’s freestyle (9th).

Six received distinguished awards from USA Wrestling: Neysa Bianchi, Women’s Freestyle Developmental Coach of the Year; Ben Askren, Men’s Freestyle Developmental Coach of the Year; Scott Kluever, USAW Chuck Elvin Junior Person of the Year; Jeff Jones, Alice Riggle Award for Operations Official of the Year; Maddie Ruckdashel, Tuska Adam's Outstanding Official of the Women’s Tournament; and Kayla Spurley, Lifetime Achievement Award.

2024 WWF Events
The 2024 WWF State Series included Kids Team State, Kids Folkstyle State Qualifiers, Kids Folkstyle State Championships, True Beginners Freestyle & Greco State, and the Freestyle and Greco State Championships.

Record numbers at Kids State: The Kids State Qualifiers saw a 10% increase in participation with 4,569 wrestlers competing across eight locations, and the Kids Folkstyle State Championships saw a 6% increase with 2,438 wrestlers competing in Madison.

In 2024 the event featured the addition of a girls-only day of competition, and the division saw a 15% increase in participation from 2023. Sunday at the Alliant Energy Center was thrilling as 582 girls took over the mats showcasing the excitement and rapid growth of girls wrestling.

Additionally, all Friday and Saturday afternoon weigh-ins were completed in an adjunct facility to create efficiency and space for our competitors.

Freestyle and Greco State: The WWF secured the Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center for the same competition dates and event schedule to host the Freestyle and Greco State Championships after the Wisconsin Dells Dome collapsed. Nearly 1,500 athletes competed across the three Olympic disciplines. In addition to bragging rights for the Olympic styles in Wisconsin, this event continued to serve as a major piece of the national team selection criteria.

M1 USAW official from Texas, Na Humma, hosted a State Level Referee/Coach Education Program Clinic for officials and coaches on Friday, and Olympian Payton Jacobson was onsite during the Greco-Roman competition Sunday for a meet and greet with athletes and fans.

In April, the 500-person registration for the True Beginners Freestyle and Greco state in Mukwonago got sold out! March saw a record number of teams compete at Kids Team State in Verona, and the WWF once again partnered with USA Wrestling to host Dominate in the Dells.

Training Opportunities
The WWF continued training camp opportunities for the women’s freestyle program with camps run by national team coaches from September to April. This year there was also an opportunity to attend a free two-day camp with Macey Kilty at Big Game Wrestling Club that coincided with the NCWWCs in Iowa. These camps brought the national teams closer together, sharpening freestyle skills while growing women’s freestyle.

In April, the WWF partnered with the hosts of three local events to run freestyle and Greco technique sessions leading up to state. Head Coaches Nick Becker (JR FS), Ty Pelot (JR GR) and Newton Smerchek (16U FS) highlighted the Olympic styles and shared more about the opportunities for athletes within the FS & GR programs.

Team USA Highlights
Wisconsin wrestlers continued to shine on the national stage, competing in various events across the country that serve as part of USA Wrestling’s team selection criteria. This included 24 All-Americans at Women’s Nationals, 37 All-Americans at the US Open Events, 13 who qualified for and competed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, and 22 All-Americans at the Men’s U20 and U23 World Team Trials.

At the very pinnacle of the sport, Payton Jacobson won the U.S. Olympic Team Trials and represented Team USA at the Olympic Games in Paris.

Five from Wisconsin medaled at the Pan American Championships. Connor Mirasola, Aeoden Sinclair and Brett Back won gold at the U20 Pan Ams, and in the U23 division Clayton Whiting won gold, and John Gunderson won silver. Sinclair was also selected as winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in May.

Another nine made World teams. Colton Weiler competed at the U17 World Championships in Amman, Jordan. Connor Mirasola finished in fifth at the U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain. And, this month, Mitchell Mesenbrink, John Gunderson, Macey Kilty, Kylie Welker, and Payton Jacobson will represent Team USA at the U23 World Championships in Albania. Benji Peak, Brady Koontz, Macey Kilty and Kylie Welker will all compete at their second career Senior World Championships the following week. All of these senior level athletes have clinched their place on the senior national team. 

Our younger age groups saw champions at Kids Folkstyle Nationals: Benjamin Spalla, Kade Splinter, Ian Weber, Ariana Schacht and Kiah Dukes; Girls Folkstyle Nationals: Brooke Huffman (both divisions), Riley Hanrahan and Lillie Banks; Freestyle and Greco Kids Nationals: Tyler Paulson (both styles), Easton Kammerud and Hawke Garrett in freestyle, Josiah Beltran, Kade Splinter, and Adam Husk Jr in Greco-Roman.

Communications and Projects
The WWF continues to utilize USA Wrestling’s membership system to send monthly communications. Standing banners were designed and placed in all eight districts outlining the pathways for athletes to be part of Team Wisconsin and USA Wrestling national teams. Improvements were made to communications for new members and wrestling families with the state series outline, season overviews, and national team information posted to the blog and all digital platforms. Additionally, the informational Zoom call series from February to June continues to serve as a place for members to learn about current opportunities and ask questions.

Thank You!
Membership in Wisconsin reached an all-time high of 14,665 at the close of the 2023-24 season! This record-breaking achievement included 12,049 athlete memberships, 2,616 wrestling leaders, 172 sanctioned clubs, and 103 sanctioned events—a testament to the incredible growth and passion for wrestling within our community.

A huge thank you to our wrestlers, coaches, volunteers, officials, parents, and the entire membership for being the driving force behind the WWF and USA Wrestling! As we kick off another thrilling year, we’re more motivated than ever to build on this success, growth, and excellence in all areas of the sport. Together, Wisconsin Wrestling will continue to shine with its culture of teamwork, competition, and unparalleled camaraderie!

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The Wisconsin Wrestling Federation, guided by USA Wrestling, provides quality opportunities for its members to achieve their full human and athletic potential. Wisconsin Wrestling Federation will strive to be USA Wrestling’s best state organization