WHO WILL WRITE THE NEXT CINDERELLA STORY?
15 Illinois Matwomen to Watch in 2026–2027
There are few things in sports more exciting than a Cinderella story. A wrestler enters the postseason outside the spotlight, knocks off a favorite, and suddenly makes everyone reconsider what is possible.
Illinois has already shown us what those stories can look like.
In 2023–2024, Angelina Gochis was unranked for much of the season before charging through the IHSA state tournament to win the 105-pound championship as a freshman. One season later, Chloe Skiles began the 2024–2025 season ranked eighth at 105 pounds and went on to win the IHSA state championship. Both reminded us that a ranking can describe where a wrestler stands without defining how far she can go.
Last year’s Cinderella list added two more championship stories. Demetria Griffin began the 2025–2026 season ranked seventh before capturing the 2026 IHSA title at 115 pounds as a freshman. Keagan Edwards started the season as an Honorable Mention and capped her senior year with the championship at 130 pounds. Both were among the wrestlers we highlighted before their title runs—a reminder of how much can change between the preseason rankings and the final whistle at state.
Gochis. Skiles. Griffin. Edwards. Four champions whose paths give us a reason to keep looking beyond the expected favorites.
Who could write the next chapter?
For this year’s list, we looked outside the top three in our current Illinois Matwomen weight-class rankings and excluded every wrestler who placed at the 2026 IHSA state tournament. The result is a group of 15 contenders, including five freshmen, whose accomplishments offer reasons to believe their ceiling is higher than their preseason position.
Some have already earned national medals. Others have beaten state placers, won sectional championships, or built outstanding youth résumés. None needs a fairy tale to explain her talent. The question is who can put everything together when the stakes are highest.
Rankings reflect the latest HS Rankings available November 4, 2026. Wrestlers are presented as spotlights, not in order of predicted title chances.
