2026–27 IKWF Bantam Girls Season Preview
20 Featured Wrestlers
By Illinois Matwomen | November 9, 2026
Journee Bybee and Ayah Garrett already know how it feels to win an IKWF state championship. Egypt Smith knows how close she came. All three return to Bantam this winter, giving the division established contenders at both ends of the lineup.
The challengers bring more than preseason rankings. There are returning state medalists, Illinois freestyle champions, a Girls Rule Rumble winner and girls who reached the podium at the Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals. Some earned their best results last March. Others added to their accomplishments through the spring and fall.
That makes Bantam an especially interesting division to follow. A few months can bring substantial improvement at this age, and last season’s finish gives us a starting point for the winter ahead.
A place in Illinois wrestling’s state tradition
The Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation’s first state championships were held in 1971. Girls have since built their own championship fields within that tradition. In March 2024, Bantam and Intermediate wrestlers competed at the Decatur Civic Center while the older divisions held their finals in Rockford. This season, Bantam girls are part of the official IKWF individual state championships in Peoria.
Bantam eligibility covers wrestlers who are 6, 7 or 8 on December 31, 2026. The girls have nine state-series weights: 45, 50, 55, 61, 67, 74, 85, 95 and 115 pounds. Matches consist of three one-minute periods.
Competition opens December 5. Regionals are February 27 or 28, sectionals are March 6, and the state championships are March 11–13, 2027, at the Peoria Civic Center. The top three finishers at sectionals qualify for state.
The 20 featured wrestlers below are arranged by their current Illinois Matwomen weight classes. Weights and rankings reflect November 9 and can change during the season. Each wrestler appears in one age division in our rankings, using her lowest eligible ranked division.
