Varsity tournament at PRMS
On Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, the Merrill Varsity Girls Wrestling Team was at Prairie River Middle School (PRMS) in Merrill to compete in a Varsity tournament against teams from 17 other schools. Teams came from Athens, Beloit Memorial, Chequamegon High School, Edgar, Elcho, Hortonville, Lakeland Union, Wabeno/Laona/Three Lakes, Nekoosa/Port Edwards, New Lisbon, Rhinelander, Rosholt, Thorp, Tri-County, Wausau East, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, and Wrightstown.
As a team, the Merrill Girls emerged as the Champions, taking first place in the competition.
With 18 Merrill girls competing, the Merrill team “was able to put a girl in the Championship match in half of the 12 weight classes,” Merrill Girls Varsity Wrestling Team Head Coach Scott Arneson said. Individually, “Merrill crowned two Champions — Evelyn Reinhardt and Marissa Miles.”
“The TEAM was able to score enough points to win the TEAM title,” he said. “It was nice for the girls to get to wrestle in a home competition. The team is starting to wrestle better and gaining momentum leading into the upcoming WIAA postseason.”
Individual Tournament Results:
Champion - Marissa Miles 3-0
Champion - Evelyn Reinhardt 3-0
2nd - Kaylynn Allen 2-1
2nd - Adison Clark 2–1
Team Results:
GNC/WVC Combined Conference Wrestling Tournament
On Friday, Feb. 6, the Varsity Girls traveled to the Medford Area Middle School to compete in the inaugural Great Northern Conference/Wisconsin Valley Conference Combined Conference Wrestling Tournament. A total of 13 schools came out to compete, with the Lady Jays going up against wrestlers from Medford, Antigo, DC Everest, Lakeland Union, Marshfield High School, Mosinee, Rhinelander, Stevens Point Area Senior High School, Tomahawk, Wausau East, Wausau West, and Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln.
“Our coaching staff has really been getting the girls to focus in and get the mental mindset that we as a TEAM will be wrestling our best matches in February, and that is definitely starting to happen within our TEAM,” Arneson said.
Wausau West took first place, with the Merrill Bluejays earning second place. “Seven of our 11 girls participating in the Varsity tournament were able earn GNC All-Conference honors,” he said. “Champions First-Team: Kaylynn Allen, Adison Clark, and Evelyn Reinhardt, Second-Team: Marissa Miles and Shelby Yates, and Third-Team: Caroline Durbin and Abbie Krueger.”
“The girls as a TEAM had their sights set on the TEAM title too, but came up a little short,” Arneson said.
Top 10 Team Scores:
1. Wausau West -186
2. Merrill - 164.5
3. Tomahawk - 161
4. DC Everest - 70
5. Marshfield - 67
6. Lakeland - 60
7. Stevens Point - 54
8. Wisconsin Rapids - 52
9. Medford - 40
10. Rhinelander - 35.5
11. Wausau East - 32
12. Antigo - 25.5
13. Mosinee - 22
Individual Tournament Results:
Champion - Kaylynn Allen 4-0 GNC - First-Team All-Conference
Champion - Adison Clark 3-0 GNC - First-Team All-Conference
Champion - Evelyn Reinhardt 3-0 GNC - First-Team All-Conference
2nd - Marissa Miles 2-1 GNC - Second-Team All-Conference
2nd- Shelby Yates 2-2 GNC - Second-Team All-Conference
3rd - Abbie Krueger 2-1 GNC - Third-Team All-Conference
3rd - Caroline Durbin 3-1 GNC - Third-Team All-Conference
4th - Liberty Fuchs 1-2
4th - Kendell Klug 2-2
4th - Natalia Woller 1-2
7th - Madie Geiss 1-3
Notable JV wrestlers:
Did not place - Calleigh Berlik 0-0 (No one in tournament at her weight)
1st Malaika Brown 1-0 Future Varsity tournament
3rd Emillianna Garcia 2-1 Future Varsity tournament
4th Mylie Kufahl 1-2 Future Varsity tournament
Merrill hosts Regionals, Lady Jays take the title
“The second season has officially started for the female wrestlers. This is a very exciting time of the year,” Arneson said.
On Friday, Feb. 13, Merrill hosted the 10-team WIAA Regional Wrestling Tournament in the Merrill High School Fieldhouse and the Lady Jays had another sweet victory on Valentine’s Day weekend, claiming their second consecutive Regional Championship title.
Merrill dominated the competition, scoring 277 points to claim first place, well ahead of second-place Tomahawk with 227 points.
“Your Merrill wrestlers were able to bring home, for the second year in a row, the Regional Wrestling Team title,” Arneson said. “All 12 girls scored team points for the Bluejays, while 11 of the 12 girls placed in the top three.”
“The girls really pulled together as a team and individually performed their best so far this season,” Arneson said. “We said the plan was to wrestle our best in February, and that is happening for our team. The girls are super excited for next week’s Sectional Tournament opportunity.”
Merrill crowned five individual Champions: Evelyn Reinhardt 3-0, Madie Geiss 3-0, Adison Clark 3-0, Abbie Krueger 3-0, and Marissa Miles 3-0. All five advance to the Sectional Tournament as top-two finishers.
“We don’t usually single out our girls, but how can you not say something about Madie Geiss winning her first Championship title in her first year wrestling,” Arneson said. “She definitely is wrestling her best at the end of the season.”
Three Merrill wrestlers finished in second place and also qualified for Sectionals: Kaylynn Allen 4-1, Kendell Klug 2-1, and Liberty Fuchs 2-1.
These eight Merrill girls will go on to compete at the WIAA Sectional Wrestling Tournament at DC Everest High School on Friday, Feb. 20. The top two individuals from the Sectional Tournament will qualify for the WIAA Individual State Wrestling Tournament in Madison.
“Hopefully the girls set their sights on qualifying for the Individual State Tournament,” Arneson said. “You can’t win the State Title if you are not there. The girls know that they need to win positions, then win periods, and then win matches. We will continue to be consistent, persistent, resilient, relentless, and respectful — no need to change what is working.”
Gracie Vanvuren 2-1, Natalia Woller 2-1, and Shelby Yates 2-1 each placed third at Regionals, while Emillianna Garcia 1-3 placed fifth.
“The team would like to recognize and thank Natalia Woller and Emillianna Garcia for stepping up and filling our two open spots,” Arneson said. “They certainly put the team first and both scored crucial points in the team title.”
For Senior Gracie Vanvuren, the tournament marked the end of her wrestling career. Shelby Yates’ season also concluded with her third-place finish.
“If you were at the Fieldhouse last Friday evening, you got to see some awesome wrestling matches at the WIAA Regional Wrestling Tournament,” Arneson said. “If you were there, thanks for attending and hope to see you at DC Everest High School Friday, Feb. 20, at 5:00 p.m. for the start of the WIAA Girls Wrestling Sectional Tournament.”
Team results:
1. Merrill - 277
2. Tomahawk - 227
3. Lakeland - 125
4. Rhinelander - 86
5. Wabeno/Laona/Three Lakes - 82.5
6. Phillips - 63
7. Crandon - 52
8. Chequamegon - 30
8. Antigo - 30
10. Florence - 13
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