Ten Nixa girls wrestlers will be headed to Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. on Feb. 28-March 1 to compete in the 2025 7th Girls Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Class 2 State Wrestling Championships.

Nixa enters as Missouri Wrestling's No. 1-state-ranked team and USA Wrestling's No. 14-nationally-ranked team in the latest February rankings, with expectations to capture the program's first state championship after finishing runner-up a year ago. The Eagles trophy case is ever-growing but is missing the first place honors, as the have crowned three team trophies since the inaugural season of MSHSAA Girls Wrestling in 2018-19, placing second in 2022 and 2024 and fourth in 2023.

The Eagles scored 265.5 points to capture back-to-back district titles, besting Belton's 204.

After placing in the top four at the MSHSAA Class 2 District 3 Tournament, Hanna Egley, Ashton Mayes, Mylee Harper, Addison Harkins, Brylee James, Ava Frye, Kamryn Bourbon, Cali Dupree, Jessie Nelson, and Larissa Downs qualified for the state tournament and will represent the Nixa on the mat.

Harkins (130), Bourbon (145), and Dupree (170) captured district titles in their respective weight classes, while Egley (100), Mayes (105), Harper (110), and Nelson (190) finished as the runner-up. James (135), Frye (140), and Downs (235) won the bronze. Recap the district tournament here.

Sophomore Hanna Egley is making her first appearance in the state tournament. Egley enters with a record of 28-8 and is ranked No. 7 in the state. She is slated to face Pattonville's Aleeya Thompson (33-9), who placed third in District 2. This meeting will be the first ever between the two.

Egley defeated three opponents - Ft. Zumwalt North's Kate Cochran (Fall 2:27), Rolla's Kiara Sederburg (Dec. 4-0), and Ozark's Adilyn Hoelzle (Dec. 6-0, Fall :54) - inside her 100 bracket, while also falling to three during the regular season.

Sophomore and 2024 medalist (6th) Ashton Mayes is competing in her second straight state tournament, and enters with a record of 30-7 and the No. 5-ranked wrestler in her weight class. Mayes is slated to Lee's Summit North's (LSN) freshman Avery Edwards (31-11), who placed third in District 4. The matchup marks the first the two will grapple.

Within the 110 bracket, Mayes faced seven opponents during the regular season, defeating five and dropping two. She was victorious over Seckman's Emma Donze (Fall :55), Blue Springs South's Killian Evans (Dec. 11-7), Ozark's Emily Price (Fall 5:15, Fall 1:21), Lee's Summit Alexa Braton (Fall 1:10), and Troy's Madison Haney (Fall 1:37), while falling to Lee's Summit West's Kinley Harker (MD 12-2) and Liberty's Sandy Breeden (Fall 3:15). Donze, Evans, and Price are stationed on the top half of the bracket with Mayes.

Junior and 3x state state qualifier Mylee Harper is appearing in her third straight state tournament, finishing 2-2 in 2024. Harper comes into this year's tournament with a record 18-5 and the No. 5-ranked wrestler in the state. She is slated to face Francis Howell's junior Mialee Copeland (42-6), who placed third in District 2, and it will be the first outing between the two. Copeland is ranked seventh in the 110-lbs division and is a two-time state qualifier, placing fifth in 2024 at 105.

Harper was sidelined in the early stages of the season and only faced two wrestlers within the bracket, defeating Springfield Central's Jaidyn Pohlsander (Fall 1:17, Fall 4:31, Dec. 13-8) and falling to Camdenton's Abigail Fugslang (M. Forfeit).

2023 and 2024 state runner-up junior and top-ranked grappler in the 125-lbs weight class Addison Harkins appears in her third consecutive tournament outing with a record of 38-2. Harkins is slated to face the fourth-place winner of District 4 and first-time qualifier Liberty North's junior Carlie Hulme (34-14). This matchup marks the first between the two.

Harkins faced six of the 16 opponents in her brack and defeated each: North Point's Lucy Ullery (Dec. 5-1), Smith-Cotton's Jasmine Wole (MD 11-3), Ft. Zumwalt South's Jena Gumahin (Dec. 12-6), Ozark's Maelynn Sundlie (Fall 1:58), Rolla's Vittoria Wiley (Fall 2:44), and Francis Howell Central's Kaitlyn Sparkman (Fall 3:29). Harkins and Gumahin, the No. 2-ranked wrestler and defending 125 state champion, grappled for the Wonder Women title in January and Harkins triumphed by six points, giving Gumahin her only loss on the season. If seeds play out with the two on opposite sides of the bracket, a potential rematch could be in store and the state title on the line.

Harkins two defeats in the regular season were surrendered to wrestlers in a weight class above, Francis Howell Central's Kailey Bensen and Willard's Adia Hull.

Junior Brylee James is appearing in her second consecutive state tournament with a record of 36-11, concluding 2024's outing with two wins. James is ranked No. 7 in the 135-lbs class and faces the District 2 runner-up and No. 2-ranked Francis Howell Central's senior Nevaeh Smith (41-8) for the first time this season. Smith, a three time qualifier, placed third in 2024 at 130-lbs.  

During the regular season, James defeated five state qualifiers in her bracket: Waynesville's Addison Brown (Dec. 7-6), Seckman's Nadia Steinhoff (MD 13-1, Dec. 10-8), Carthage's Emely Hernandez (TF 17-0, Fall :34), Lindbergh's Quinn Hope (Fall 3:45), and St. Joseph Central's Ashley Slade (Fall 2:07). She fell to Brown, Rock Bridge's Jacinda Espinosa (TF 15-0), and Belton's Savanna Franklin. Espinosa is ranked No. 21 nationally.

Senior Ava Frye returns to the state tournament for a third straight time, seeking to earn her first state medal, after being one win away a year ago. Frye enters as the No. 5-ranked wrestler with a record of 24-4. Frye will face the No. 4-ranked Washington's senior Brianna James, who placed second in District 1 and is a two-time qualifier, marking the first meeting between the two.

Frye is stationed on the bottom portion of the bracket, and a potential semifinal matchup could witness Frye a chance to avenge two regular-season defeats (Dec. 6-4, Fall 2:39) to Waynesville's No. 2-state-ranked Haley Fort, if both were to win its first-two matches. Frye did defeat Fort with a win-by-fall for the 140 COC title. Frye also defeated state qualifier Carthage's Irish Lee (Fall 6:00, Fall 4:39) during the regular season but is on the top half of the bracket.

Freshman district champ Kamryn Bourbon debuts in her first state tournament as the No. 2-ranked 145-lbs grappler with a record of 37-3. Bourbon is on the bottom bracket and faces North Point's junior Faith Hall (25-24), who placed fourth in District 2 and making her first appearance. Bourbon pinned Hall in the first period during their regular season matchup. She faced five additional competitors in her division, pinning them all. On Bourbon's side of the bracket, she took down Park Hill South's Lucia Henriquez (Fall 1:57) and Ritenour's Julia Nunez (Fall 1:14). Bourbon could see Nunez (35-9) in the quarterfinals and Henriquez (40-10) in the semifinals if every one were to win out. 

On the top eight of the bracket, Bourbon pinned Waynesville's Gabriela Hoag (Fall 1:56, Fall 3:31), North Kansas City's Kamahni Jackson (Fall 1:51) and Hazelwood West's Tamia Coleman-Hawkins (Fall 1:54) during their regular season outings. Although they did not meet in the regular season and if the two were to win out, Bourbon could face Rockwood Summit's senior and back-to-back state runner-up Madeline Haynes (40-0), who is ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 15 in the nation, is on the top portion.

The top 170-lbs Missouri wrestler, reigning 155-lbs state champ, and two-medalist, senior Cali Dupree enters her fourth state outing as the Nation's No. 26 wrestler with an undefeated record (24-0). Dupree faces Lafayette's junior Emery Singleton (23-18), who placed fourth in District 1 and making her first appearance. This will be the first matchup featuring the two. 

With Dupree being sidelined the first half of the regular season, she only faced three qualifiers in the bracket during the regular who all suffered defeats: Willard's Emily Brixey (Fall 4:17, Dec. 4-0),  Ritenour's Calli Hodges (Fall :57), and Webb City's Maddie Barchak (Fall 1:49), all of which are on the bottom eight of the bracket with the 170-lbs defending state champ and No. 2 ranked senior Autumn Calvert of Winnetonka.

Jessie Nelson seeks to conclude her Nixa career with her first state medal, appearing in her second state tournament as the No. 7-ranked 190-lbs with a record of 28-11. Nelson drew the No. 4-ranked and 2024 state qualifier Webster Groves' senior Shyla Reid (23-2), who placed third in District 1. The two will grapple for the first time this season.

Nelson faced five qualifiers in the field and defeated Lee's Summit Mia Gutierrez (Fall 3:28, Dec. 6-0), Willard's Harmony Moore (Fall 1:12, Dec. 7-0), William Chrisman's Emilia Hill (Dec. 9-2), and Waynesville's Yisel Perez (Fall 5:40), while also falling to Moore, Perez, and  Oak Park's Kendall Angelo. Hill, Perez, and Angelo are the bottom on eight with Nelson. Angelo is the No. 1-ranked wrestler and 2024 runner-up.

Senior Larissa Downs is making her first-ever appearance and enters with a record of 33-13. Downs faces the No. 4-ranked Grain Valley's junior Jayden Moehle (31-7) in the opening round for the first time this season. Moehle placed second in District 4 and is a two-time medalist who finished as the runner-up in 2024.

Downs face seven of the 16 competitors in the field, five of which are on the top eight alongside her. She defeated Seckman's Madison Clover (Fall 4:45, Fall 2:13), while dropping Lafayette's Ella Kimbrough, Parkview's Elisabeth Schnelle, Ft. Osage's Hali Windes, Troy's Jeralyn Spear. Downs also knocked off Branson's Natalie Gaytan (Fall 3:53), who is stationed on the bottom eight. A rematch looms with Spear or Clover, no matter the opening-round result.

Additional information regarding the Class 2 state tournament can be found below.

The tournament will be held Feb. 28 - March 1, at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.

Friday, Feb. 28 Schedule:
1 p.m.: Grand March
1:15 p.m.: 1st Round Matches
2:45 p.m.: Quarterfinals and 1st Round Wrestlebacks
4:15 p.m.: 2nd Round Wrestlebacks

Saturday, Feb. 24 Schedule:
10:15 a.m.: Semifinals and 3rd Round Wrestlebacks
11 a.m.: 4th Round Wrestlebacks
3 p.m.: 3rd and 5th Place Matches
5:15 p.m.: Finalist March
5:45 p.m.: Championship Bouts

Ticketing Information:
Admission is required for all persons 6 years of age and older.
Tickets for each session/day are $17.
Tickets must be purchased digitally on MSHSAA's website here.

How To Stay Updated:
MSHSAA will be live broadcasting the entire tournament for a pay-per-view of $15 on MSHSAA.tv here. 

Nixa will also post live meet updates on their social media channels, including pictures and videos. Follow the accounts below to stay updated. 
Twitter: @nixaathletics
Facebook: @nixaathletics
Instagram: @nixaathletics

Any additional information can be found on MSHSAA's website by clicking here.