Inaugural girls’ wrestling tourney features win by Western’s Johnson

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Girls' wrestling in Indiana is alive, well, and ready for its moment in the spotlight. Now recognized as an officially sanctioned sport by the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA), the girls jump-started the season by competing in the inaugural Queen's Crown Girls' Folkstyle Open on Sept. 28.

Wrestlers from seven states gathered in Greentown for the competition, but the Hoosiers dominated most of the weight classes, including a victory for Jade Chloe Johnson of Western.

Wrestling at 155 pounds, Johnson dispatched Samara Clowers-Mires of Tri-Central in her opening bout, 15-3. She followed the win with two more, taking the crown by defeating Jasmine Camacho of Greenfield Central by pinfall and Melody Vazquez of Highland High School by a score of 11-1.

The Queen's Crown featured middle school and high school wrestlers from Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, and Illinois, competing in 14 weight classes.

The winners at each weight class are as follows:

100: Katelyn Rowles, Jay County

105: Asia Bowen, Greenfield Central

110: Brooke Fuller, Whiteland

115: Kennedy Sohne, Kentucky

120: Isabel Kaplan, West Lafayette

125: Lacey Gilbert, Kentucky

130: Lindsey Pugh, North Miami

135: Shelby Luper, Clinton Prairie

140: Katy Vardaman, Homestead

145: Aleksandra Bastaic, Highland HS

155: Jade Chloe Johnson, Western

170: Claira Gramlin, Lebanon

190: Monica McMahon, Columbus East

235: Aubrey Bartkowiak, Attica

See additional photos from The Queen's Crown, courtesy of Adam Hartsough, on the Lantern's Facebook page or group.