Molly Allen chasing history as Iowa girls state wrestling tournament begins Thursday

Allen could become second four-time girls state champion with victory this week

Molly Allen is chasing her fourth state championship this week. / Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Riverside Oakland’s Molly Allen is one of eight returning 2024 state champions who will be looking to do it again this year when the Iowa girls state tournament kicks off Thursday in Coralville from the Xtream Arena.

But Allen will be looking to accomplish even more impressive.

With a victory in the finals Friday night, she will become just the second four-time girls state champion, joining current University of Iowa freshman Naomi Simon from Decorah who did it last year. Allen has won her last two at Riverside after claiming gold for Underwood in 2022.

Seven others from last year are back looking to win another title in Raccoon River-Northwest’s Katie Biscoglia, who is going for her third crown in three years. Sigourney-Keota senior Reanah Utterback is chasing her third championship, as is Union senior Jillian Worthen.

Camille Schult of Waverly-Shell Rock, Colbie Tenborg from Saydel, Bella Miller of Dubuque Hempstead, Mahri Manz from Lewis Central and Libby Dix of Mount Vernon captured gold a season ago while Pleasant Valley’s Abigail Meyrer, Mackenzie Childers from Cedar Rapids Prairie, Skylar Slade of Southeast Polk and Mackenzie Arends from Nevada were 2023 champions.

This is the first year there will be two classes of champions, as the state split the teams into 2A and 1A. The 2A field features 11 unbeaten wrestlers including Childers, Manz, Arends, Meyrer, Slade, Miller, Autumn Elsbury from South Tama, Siera Becker of Indianola, Ella Brown from Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Haylee McGrew of Ankeny and Arends’ teammate, Ashlyn Leslie.

None of the 11 are in the same weight class.

In 1A, Utterback, Dix, Allen, Worthen, Kaydence Boorn of Wilton, Macy Rasmussen from Audubon, Kenadee Helscher of Wapello, Violet Diaz from Denver and Briar Blake of North Tama enter the week undefeated. Boorn and Worthen both compete at 130 pounds.

The action kicks off Thursday at 10 a.m. with opening round matches in 2A followed by 1A doing the same at 4:30 p.m. Championship semifinals start Friday at 10 a.m. with the finals slated for 6 p.m. along with all the other placing matches. 

Complete brackets for the Iowa girls state wrestling championships can be found here.