SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – After a historically successful 2024-2025 season where the South Tahoe Women’s wrestling team achieved a 6^th place finish in the Nevada State Wrestling Tournament, the 2025-2026 team is off to a fast start, with an eye on improving those results.

Led by returning senior group of state qualifiers and placers, Lillia Verduzco, Alice Lilly, Diem Johnson, Mia Martinez and Sydney Birkholm, the team won the Douglas Ground and Pound, placed 3^rd at the Nevada Queens (the largest women’s-only wrestling tournament in the state of Nevada) and most recently finished 12^th, narrowly missing a top 5 finish at the Women’s West Coast Tournament of Champions (a national recognized tournament with over 160 teams across 4 states).

Verduzco and Lilly were crowned as champions at the Nevada Queens, while Lilly and Johnson placed 5^th and 3^rd, respectively at the Women’s West Coast Tournament of Champions.

The team has also been sparked by an infusion of new talent led by freshman Aabree Schumacher, who has seen deep tournament runs at the Nevada Queens and the Women’s West Coast Tournament of Champions.

Women’s wrestling across the country and in the state of Nevada is seeing rapid growth and South Tahoe now boasts 20 girls on the team with rising participation and interest at the middle school and club programs.

“We couldn’t be more excited for this group of girls who have committed to the team.  We have some outstanding leadership among our upperclassman and they are really investing in the young girls in our program,” said head coach Gary Whitehouse.

The team will be competing in the Sierra Nevada Classic and the Quarry Queens over the holiday break before settling into a dual meet schedule and the final post season run.

You can catch the program (boys and girls) in action at a home dual on Wednesday, January 21, at 4 p.m., and the postseason will kick off on January 30.