IHS Girls’ Wrestling takes 17th at State
There was just no feeding the meter, so to speak.
No way to purchase any additional time on the mat at the 2026 CHSAA Girls’ State Wrestling Championships. And for Krysten Neil, no way to prolong her Ignacio career even 60 measly seconds more – and perhaps improve her standing amongst Class 4A’s best 135-pounders.
Pit Saturday morning, Feb. 21, inside Ball Arena against Lamar senior Addy Krug with third place at the weight up for grabs, Neil – whose potential title run was ended in the previous evening’s semifinals by an unstoppable force mentored, in part, by a former IHS instructor – came up just short in a see-saw bout and lost 7-5.
“I look up to her,” Neil said afterwards. “We’re both seniors and it was our last match, so we both wanted it. She went out there and got the first takedown, then I started scoring points. And then she scored some points – we were head-to-head! In the third period she was gassed, so I was like ‘Alright! Now I’ve got this!’ If I’d have had, you know, one more minute…I think I could have got her. But she’s an awesome wrestler; previously, I’d won against her in Cañon City.”
“Aside from that, the experience was awesome, you know?” she continued. “I lost against the now two-time State Champion – Kate Doughty – then won again to go for third/fourth place, then lost to Addy. I’m heartbroken that it’s over, but it’s been absolutely so much fun.”
Initially defeated, via pin, by CCHS senior star Doughty (coached by, among others, former Ignacio athletic director Leo Garand) in the semis, Neil (31-8) then beat consolation semifinal foe McKayla Singer of Gunnison by 11-3 major decision to set up the showdown with Krug, and ended up with a 3-2 meet record – helping IHS earn 43 points and place 17th overall.
Only Alamosa (T-12th, 51 points) ranked higher amongst teams hailing from south of both Interstate 70 and U.S. 50. Pueblo Central ended up scoring a first-place 115.5 points, with Severance (102.5) coming in second and Las Animas (102) third. Doughty and CCHS finished fourth with 95 points, while Singer and GHS filled out the top five with 68.
Happily blowing kisses to the crowd on the 21st before leaving a mat for the last time, senior Larissa Espinosa became the still-developing Ignacio girls’ program’s first three-time State placer thanks to her pin, coming ten seconds into the second period, of Yuma senior Danika Dischner in the 235-pound division.
That gave Espinosa (19-4 overall) not only third place at the weight, but her fourth consecutive win following an 8-4 quarterfinals loss to LAHS freshman Elizabeth Gallegos, but later a 3-1 victory over Woodland Park senior Cheyenne Becker in the consolation semis.
Junior Lainee Bradley (18-8) went 2-2 at 125 pounds, but after pinning Severance’s Nevaeh Odegaard in the second consolation round, lost via third-period pin to Walsenburg senior Ivey McAlhany. Finally, freshman Ireland Cates (4-20) went 0-2 at 140 after being pinned on the 19th by Florence senior Alyee Johnson in 1:44, then defeated via 15-0 technical fall by Burlington freshman Sayler Wall.
“We’re all seniors, except for Lainee and Ireland, and everyone looks up to us – I take that to heart. Not only do I have brothers in wrestling that are coming up, and they’re looking up to me, but…there’s so many girls that I know right now that are asking me ‘Should I join wrestling?’ And I’m like ‘As much as possible. I’ll help you with anything,’” said Neil. “Because my greater joy is not only, like, succeeding but to watch other people who I’ve helped be able to succeed.”
“Out of anybody that I’ve been taught under … I mean, I couldn’t have asked for better coaches,” she added. “Coach (Jordan) Larsen, he’s the one that was always there comforting me. Coach Mitch (Napier) and Coach (Brad) Egger as our girls’ coaches, they mean a lot to me. And then, last year, Coach (Jerrid) Brann, with me going into wrestling not knowing anything, took the time to show me what a simple ‘shot’ was and what a ‘sprawl’ was; he had the patience to teach me. I’m not in this position without my coaches – or Lainee, my wrestling partner – to get me where I am.”