Hear what all 14 of the 2024 Iowa girls wrestling state champions had to say about their achievement

The Iowa girls wrestling state championships had everything.

Upsets galore, tears of joy, heartbreak, thrilling matches and above all — history was made. In total, seven-returning state champions from last year added another title to their trophy case while the other half of the classes saw a first-time title winner end the night on top of the podium.

Here are each of their stories.

Katie Biscoglia, Raccoon River, Sophomore, 100 pounds

Biscoglia has been here before, a state title winner at 100 pounds in 2023, but this moment was just as sweet.

After a scoreless first, Biscoglia adjusted from trying to snap the wrists of Decorah's Chloe Sheffield and scored on a slick duck-around takedown to open up the match and win 5-1. After getting her hand raised, she ran to her coach and father James Biscoglia. He looked like he was ready for the hug, but Katie Biscoglia jumped in the air with one hand raised and threw her hand over his head and down behind his back for a slam-dunk celebration.

"He got dunked on," Katie Biscoglia said.

It's evident the special relationship these two have as father/daughter and coach/wrestler. That duo pushed Raccoon River Wrestling to a second-place team finish.

"That's a great moment," Katie Biscoglia said. "He's always in there for me, he's always in my corner and it's something special.

Layla Phillips, Mason City, Senior, 105 pounds

As she walked over to the interview station off the mats following her victory over Western Iowa's Kacy Miller, Phillips received hugs and congratulations from many.

"It's just awesome because they all go through what I'm going through right now," Phillips said. "It just feels nice to be surrounded by a family of people that understand the fight and the life that it is."

Phillips got the respect of so many in the wrestling community because of the way she battled in this tournament. After the match, she had blood in her eye, a cut on the eyelid, bandages wrapped around her left arm and bruises everywhere. With her high school career at an end and to say she's finally a state title winner, she wouldn't want it any other way.

"It was a fight," Phillips said. "I've got bruises all over me to show it."

Jasmine Luedtke, Ottumwa, Junior, 110 pounds

Last year after winning her first state title, Luedtke instantly turned and jumped into coach Isaiah Cox's arms in celebration.

After winning her second over Osage's Gable Hemann, a returning state finalist, she ran right over to Cox again for a massive embrace.

"She's come a long way," Cox said. "She's a two-time state champion, like that's real special. Most people don't get that."

These two have been close for a long time. Cox was friends with Luedtke's older brother, wrestled with him and now is Luedtke's coach. Creating almost a little sister-big brother type of relationship between the two.

It's just a really strong bond," Luedtke said. "Just knowing him when I was younger, it creates a bigger bond."

Reanah Utterback, Sigourney-Keota, Junior, 115 pounds

Utterback slowly made her way onto the mat for her state title match. With each step, she gathered the mindset she needed to win.

It clearly worked, with Utterback pinning West Liberty's Silvia Garcia-Vasquez in 5:05 to cap off a tournament where she pinned every opponent she faced.

After getting her hand raised, Utterback darted off the mat. No celebration, no signing of the bracket, straight business trip. The reasoning is very simple, she wanted her name on the bracket to look neat and she knew there was no way after a match she could neatly print her name in front of the crowd.

"My hands are naturally shaky so going out there right after, it's even worse," Utterback said. "I just wanted it to look neat."

It's nice to know, state champions are just like the rest of us.

Camille Schult, Waverly-Shell Rock, Freshman, 120 pounds

Schult wanted to quit wrestling in middle school. A gymnastics kid as well, she wanted to focus her talents there. Yet, the Stough family and true freshman 100-pounder Kaylin Kibbee on the team convinced her to stick it out.

After winning a state title in just her first year in high school, she now knows that wrestling was the right choice for her.

"I'm so grateful," Schult said. "Choosing between gymnastics and wrestling was so hard for me, but I think I made the right choice."

Molly Allen, Riverside, Junior, 125 pounds

Allen was undeniably one of the state's best. But she's making a pretty darn good claim to be one of the best in the country. Now a three-time, undefeated state champion along with a coveted Super 32 title in the preseason, she's defeating anybody put in front of her.

Allen is a tough wrestler to combat. If she's not pinning you in a minute or less, she's more than comfortable beating you takedown for major decisions, as she did in the semifinals and finals.

The question is, how did she get to be so tough?

Simply, she's got four brothers. The five of them are all within eight years of one another and she is smack-dab in the middle as the third sibling of the five.

"(I beat) All of them, 100 percent," Allen joked.

Colbie Tenborg, Saydel, Sophomore, 130 pounds

Tenborg placed sixth at the state tournament last year, but this year posed an incredibly unique challenge.

Before the season even began, Tenborg had a severe knee sprain that held her out until January.

Still, Tenborg continued to work. She couldn't move her knee around, but that didn't stop her from lifting weights and doing abdomen workouts to prepare for her return. It helped as she rolled to the finals with a notable win over No. 2 Chloe Sanders of Vinton-Shellsburg and then won by major decision to clinch a state title.

"It's all the extra work my coaches had me put in to get to this moment," Tenborg said.

Bella Miller, Dubuque Wahlert, Freshman, 135 pounds

There's one word to describe Miller.

Confident.

"I'm going to be a four-timer, I promise you that," Miller said.

That makes a ton of sense with her knocking off the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in her bracket, both of whom were seniors and one of them (Maeley Elsbury) being a returning state champion. She's one to watch as the years go by.

Kiara Djoumessi, Waverly-Shell Rock, Senior, 140 pounds

As Djoumessi concluded her Waverly-Shell Rock Go-Hawk career, she covered the "go" part of her singlet to reveal one word.

Hawk.

That's her future home, committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes for next year. With that, everyone gave her their best shot.

She had an incredibly difficult tournament this go-around, with her final, semifinal and quarterfinal matches just seconds away from Djoumessi suffering her first loss since two seasons ago. She was nearly pinned in the quarterfinals, then wrestled in back-to-back overtime matches to cap off her second state title and finish her career 175-8.

"Those girls were strong mentally," Djoumessi said. "They knew I was going to be a hard one to beat and knew I had that edge."

Mahri Manz, Lewis Central, Junior, 145 pounds

Manz was emphatic following her first state title victory. That's no surprise given the moment, but it's made that much sweeter when you reflect on her last tournament.

Going 48-6 last year with 38 pins as a sophomore, Manz lost in the finals the Djoumessi by fall in just a 1:07. That moment was in the back of her mind the entire time.

"I kept thinking, 'I don't want to feel this way again,'" Manz said.

So, she went out and did something about it. The No. 1 seed in the bracket, she rolled her way to the finals with three wins by fall and a major decision. In the finals with Davenport's Greta Bus, the two battled into overtime. With one second remaining in the first overtime period, the Lewis Central faithful let out a resounding "TWO!" as she secured a takedown and her first state title.

Nicole Olson, Missouri Valley, Senior, 155 pounds

After capping off a 43-1 season with a state title, Olson had to see one person. Her dad, Eric Olson.

They share the same relationship that many other parents and athletes do. Long road trips, expensive outings to the athletic apparel stores, late nights and early mornings. After winning her first-ever state title in her final opportunity, she had to run to the stands to see him before she did anything else.

"He's not only funded it all but he's been through it all with me," Olson said. "He's been with me in the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, so I can't thank him enough."

Naomi Simon, Decorah, Senior, 170 pounds

What's more impressive? Being the first four-time state champion or wrestling so tough against a former four-time state champion and two-time NCAA champion Jeff McGinness you tear his ACL on accident?

Here's an excerpt from our profile on Simon as a person before the tournament began:

Last summer at a camp, Simon was about a half-pound over where she needed to be before weigh-in. So, she asked her teammates to spar before weigh-ins to make sure she made weight. Nobody volunteered until McGinness said he'd go with her.

Initially, Simon was terrified. However, as soon as she started to wrestle, that all went away. Working on top and bottom positions, Simon turned around and reached back for McGinness' ankle to execute a bow and arrow, where you pull your opponents' ankle over their head.

Right then, McGinness' ACL completely tore.

"The second that whistle blows, it's almost like a different persona," McGinness said. "Even before that, you can see her before matches and sort of a different person, almost like an axe murderer mentality. To be able to have that switch where 'I'm a super nice person off the mat, but on the mat, I really want to kill you,' so to speak, she definitely has both of those."

Libby Dix, Mount Vernon, Senior, 190 pounds

The 190-pound weight class was an absolute gauntlet. The four wrestlers in the semifinals ended their season with 148 combined wins. Between those four, three were returning state finalists.

Still, Dix was able to put a pin in her career with this state title, winning by fall in all five of her matches in Coralville on Thursday and Friday.

"Once I get a girl on her back, I believe and my coach believes it's over, Dix said."

Olivia Huckfelt, Spencer, Senior, 235 pounds

As she posed for a photo with her team, Huckfelt sang along to Queen coming on through the arena's speakers.

"We are the champions," Huckfelt mouthed.

It's that much sweeter when you can swing that song, as an actual champion.

In fact, Huckfelt is now a three-time state champion. She's won 112 consecutive matches since losing in the finals of the IWCOA State heavyweight finals her freshman year, losing out on the chance of being a four-timer like Simon, but that became the ultimate fuel for her to continue winning.

"I wanted to do that so bad," Huckfelt said. "I got crushed my freshman year."

She ends her wrestling career as one of the best Iowa girls to ever do it, right alongside Simon, with her 121-1 record all-time.

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: All 14 Iowa girls wrestling state champions tell their story