Columbus East High School

This article is available here: https://www.ihsaa.org/media/news/olympians-win-inaugural-ihsaa-girls-wrestling-crown Olympians win Inaugural IHSAA Girls Wrestling Crown Rich Torres, Special to IHSAA.org Posted: January 17, 2025 INDIANAPOLIS – History was made inside the Corteva Coliseum on Friday night. For the first time in Indiana High School Athletic Association history, a wrestling team and 14 individual weight-class champions were crowned during the Inaugural Girls Wrestling State Finals. A total of 224 wrestlers competed with 121 member schools represented during the highly anticipated, first-ever IHSAA-sanctioned girls wrestling state championships held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. However, one team stood above the rest, as the Columbus East Olympians carried eight state qualifiers into the event and left with one state champion in undefeated 190-pound senior Monica McMahon (33-0) and five state placers overall to tally an unmatched 89 points for the team title. Top-ranked Merrillville, according to IndianaMat’s Power Poll, was second with 65 points, followed by third-ranked Franklin Community with 63.5 points. Second-ranked Whiteland was fourth with 61 points. The Olympians bested their state ranking of fourth with a collective effort, which was highlighted by a state runner-up finish from senior Saige Plummer (30-4) at 125, a third-place run from senior Grace McMahon (27-2) at 170 and a fourth-place performance from sophomore Madison Shrader (24-14) at 235. Columbus East senior Eden Knight (26-7) wrestled back to place seventh at 145 to round out the Olympians’ state championship finale. “That was our goal from day one, come in here and win a title. We all decided it, and they dedicated themselves,” Columbus East head coach Ty Olds said. “We had a couple of girls today that went above their ceiling. I call it going above their ceiling. On paper, maybe they’re supposed to come in and maybe even lose first round, maybe get seventh place or sixth place.” Instead, the Olympians utilized their state-finals best eight qualifiers to their advantage, building an insurmountable lead in the team standings before putting the margin out of reach during the medal rounds. “They just all love each other and really wanted to work hard for each other and win for each other. I think that mindset inside the room got us to where we are today,” Olds said. “Maddie Shrader, first-year wrestler, coming in and going to the semifinals. Saige Plummer wasn’t even going to wrestle this year and made it as a runner-up. Didn’t even wrestle in the state tournament last year, so you just had girls go above and beyond of what many outside of our room thought they would do.” The Olympians believed and their family-first philosophy cemented their names in the history books. Top-ranked Monica McMahon, a two-time All-American, upheld her projections with a trio of pins, including a fall in 1 minute, six seconds during her championship finals match. Sixth-ranked Plummer exceeded expectations, while second-ranked Grace McMahon rallied from her semifinal loss to top-ranked and eventual 170-pound state champion Mallory Winner (36-0) to garner more crucial team points for the Olympians. “That’s what won us the state title. We could have been top-ranked wrestlers and not known each other, and we probably would have lost. These girls know each other, and they love each other so much and we push each other,” Monica McMahon said. “Every single day at practice, I would say, is emotional. You’re either angry at someone, you want to leave practice, but you always have a friend there. No matter what weight class you wrestle, you always have somebody on that team.” Four of the Olympians’ five state-placers each at least reached the semifinal round, which paved the way for victory. “Even though we had eight girls come here, which was more than any other school, all the points mattered so much to us. We really wanted this state title because we’ll be bringing home the first state title to Columbus East,” Plummer said. “It means you can bring nothing and make it into something because all the girls on the team, all of us that made it here, none of us have been wrestling for more than two years. Half of us have only been wrestling for a year, and the other half maybe two years, and it’s all because of our coaches. They’ve seen it through since the beginning.” The wrestlers applied the finishing touches with all five wearing both a team and an individual medal around their necks for the event’s team championship trophy photo. “It’s really awesome, and I love the noise,” Monica McMahon joked while her medals clanked repeatedly as she spoke. “I’m going to remember Columbus East’s undying confidence. Just one more match. We had to get one more match. We have to keep moving. Just the family I’ve gotten from this sport is more than anything I could have ever asked for from high school.”