For the first time, girls wrestling is officially recognized by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.
Prior to this year, girls would compete in the boys’ tournaments and matches.
Last month, the WIAA held its first all-female state championship.
Antigo’s Alex Hofrichter took home the state champ title for her weight class.
Hofrichter grew up watching her brother’s wrestler after her basketball practices ended before theirs.
“Basically, I had a lack of anything to do because I just sat in the wrestling room and waited for their practice to be done,” she said. “Basically, it was just to have something to do to begin with. But then I got more competitive and that’s kind of how I started.”
It turns out she had the talent for it.
In 7th grade, Hofrichter joined her middle schools wrestling team with two weeks left in the season.
“I beat a girl to get to state and then at state I took second. I’d only been wrestling for two weeks at that point. Right away, I knew I wanted to keep going,” she said.
Now a junior at Antigo High School the 17-year-old is making a name for herself.
Achievements
Jason Hohensee is one of her coaches and one of her biggest supporters. He was more than happy to rattle off her long list of accomplishments.
“The Wisconsin Federation hosted what they called the girls state tournament the day after the WIAA season. She took third there as an 8th grader. She’s won that every year since. She won the unofficial girls state championships the last two years that they held in Wausau West, and she won freestyle state last year as well. She placed 7th of nation at Fargo Nationals which is the big tournament. She also was an all American at both national events she went to in Iowa,” said Hohensee.
Her latest accomplishment was taking home the state title in her weight class for the first ever WIAA recognized girls state tournament.
Hohensee says in the first three rounds she pinned her opponents in 16 seconds, 25 seconds, and 42 seconds.
Her championship match made it into the third period, but she was up 13 to nothing when she pinned her.
“She didn’t give up a single point the entire competition which is amazing. I don’t want to say we expected that out of her because those are very lofty expectations, but we knew it was possible. Watching her put it together made us very happy,” he said.
While Hofrichter is excited to see her name on the wall alongside Antigo’s other state champions, she says the title itself is not as important to her as the work it took to get there.
“Starting out from zero, you’ve got something to prove. I would single out the best girls in the state. And granted I lost quite a bit to begin with, but I got better. Then I beat them. And then I was the one to be targeted,” said Hofrichter. “There was this girl. She just started this year. When I won state, I was going up for pictures with the rest of the champions and stuff and she pulled me aside and was like, ‘I’m coming for you next year.’ And I was like, ‘Thank goodness.’ That’s going to be wicked cool.”
Beyond what the title means to her, Hofrichter is most proud of what it means to younger girls interested in the sport.
Inspiring others
“It’s because it matters to them that it matters to me,” she said.
Hohensee says the number of girls on the High School team will go from one to two next year when Hofrichter’s younger sister joins the team.
The youth program, which is K through 8 has about 20 girls, the most Hohensee has ever seen in program.
It’s something he says is a product of Hofrichter’s success.
“They all know her by name. She’s high-fiving all of them. They’re showing her the little trophies they get like the Merrill tournament last weekend, they had little plaques. There’s a girl that pinned a boy and got third place and was so excited about and to show Alex. That enthusiasm is contagious,” said Hohensee.
Hofrichter loves seeing more girls take up the sport to the point where she feels a sense of responsibility for them.
“It was my success or my achievements that made them curious, made them want to try. I almost feel like I have to follow through with them. I have to push them. I have to get them up here and help them do their best. It feels cool being responsible for someone else besides yourself.”
With the state win behind her, Hofrichter is now eyeing a national title.
She placed 7th last year.
“There was quite a bit of nerves involved. I think I’ve improved a bit and even if I don’t get the championship, I’m going to try my hardest to get it and I want it by the time I graduate,” Hofrichter said.
It’s a big goal for a girl who started the sport five years ago as way to kill to some time waiting for her brothers and quickly proved her skills while becoming a role model.
But it’s one Hofrichter knows she has the determination to accomplish.
“It’s not something you can do just half-heartedly. You have to completely commit to it. To be good you have to practice hard, play hard,” said Hofrichter.
