For the first time, there were girls-only high school wrestling tournaments this winter in Colorado, one at Frederick and the other at Chatfield, in addition to an exhibition “state tournament” held in conjunction with the junior varsity state tournament Feb. 4 at Northglenn. And for the ninth consecutive year, a female wrestler qualified for the Colorado High School Activities Association state tournament, to be held Thursday through Saturday at the Pepsi Center.
Olivia Ioppolo, a senior at Silver Creek in Longmont, was one of the best female wrestlers in Colorado this season, posting a 16-17 record as the Raptors’ varsity 106-pounder. She, along with Mountain View junior Kaley Barker (14-25 at 113) and Roosevelt freshman Angel Rios (37-12 at 106) — both of whom came close to qualifying for the state tournament — are at the forefront of a shifting wrestling landscape in Colorado as the popularity of girls wrestling grows.
Other high schoolers such practice the sport differently, like Kaden Campbell, a 16-year-old who competes for Greeley Central and won the 131-pound title at the Chatfield tournament. She splits her time between Greeley and Castle Rock, a specialized wrestling academy called Sons of Thunder.