FRESHMAN TOP 50 WITH STATE AMBITIONS
Fifteen names from Illinois Matwomen’s 2026/2027 Freshman Top 50—and the dark horses who could make a run at a state medal
By Illinois Matwomen
Kennedy Hogan enters high school with three consecutive IKWF state championships. Mattea Sauer enters with a No. 39 freshman ranking and a 2026 Illinois freestyle state title.
Those two résumés help explain why this freshman class deserves a closer look. There are accomplished youth champions near the top, but there are also wrestlers farther down the rankings whose best result suggests they could become a much bigger part of the conversation.
The Class of 2030 now faces a different challenge: turning youth success into results against high school opponents of every grade. Some freshmen will arrive ready to contend immediately. Others may need several months before their results begin to match their potential.
These 15 wrestlers offer a cross-section of that story. Their past tournament weights provide context, rather than assignments for the coming season, and their eventual weight classes will help shape the road to state.
