Four-time champ highlights Milwaukee-area finishes at WIAA state wrestling

Wolbert joins elite club of four-time champions

As Kellen Wolbert finally realized what had felt like an unattainable dream as a youth wrestler of four state individual titles, he seemed to lose himself in the moment as he celebrated something only 31 others had done before him. He acknowledged a crowd that rose to its feet as is customary for four-time champions, ran to hug his coaches, realized he had not removed his anklets and returned to the center of the mat to shake hands with his opponent and have his hand raised for the fourth time in a state title match. He then took a bow, shook hands with opposing coaches, gave his coach Adam Nichols one more hug and then turned back to the mat a final time to perform a celebratory backflip.

“Just so much joy, satisfaction, happiness, I mean it was just amazing. I can’t tell you what I was thinking when I was doing that stuff,” Wolbert said.

What he could articulate in the immediate aftermath of joining WIAA state wrestling’s club of four-time champions, was the gratitude he had for others along his journey.

MORE: Replay: 2026 Wisconsin high school state wrestling championship updates

“It all goes to the people that I’m surrounded by,” Wolbert said. “I’m surrounded by great teammates and coaches. I’ve been blessed. I mean, it’s a great feeling and I doubt I’ll ever feel anything like that again, but it’s amazing.”

After narrowly completing a perfect 47-0 freshman season with a 9-8 overtime victory over West Bend West’s Ben Bast at 120 pounds in 2023, Wolbert went on to win at 132 pounds as a sophomore and 144 pounds as a junior to set the stage for the 2025-26 season. He finished as strong as he started, beating Slinger’s Samuel Gehring by technical fall 19-3 to complete his second perfect season of his career at 53-0.

“I think I’d tech my freshman self right now,” Wolbert said with a laugh when asked to assess his progress over the course of his career.

That progress did not happen without competitive practice bouts with other top competitors over the years.

“At [Askren Wrestling Academy] and the practice partners I have like Lincoln Swick, Christian Bass, Brady Collins, Matt Ramage … other state champions, just getting 1% better with all of them, just exponential growth and just getting a lot better with them,” Wolbert said.

Two others would join the illustrious club of four-peat champs by the end of the evening, as Lena girls wrestler Taylor Whiting and Wolbert’s future Michigan teammate Haakon Peterson of Dodgeville completed their fourth runs to titles.

Port Washington's Kawczynski repeats in D2

Port Washington senior Garett Kawczynski knew what to expect of the state title stage Feb. 28, but he also knew what to appreciate. He came into the D2 title match at 215 pounds as a reigning state champion who had fallen in the title match the year prior. His final time around, Kawczynski jumped on opponent Max Matthias of Two Rivers with a pair of first-period takedowns leading to a 7-1 repeat title victory.

"Wrestling is like a constant grind, and times like that where you just kind of stay back and smell the roses, it's really special," Kawczynski said.

The Army commit said he wrestled loose and stress-free in his title bout, an approach that caught the eye of friend and Hartford Union senior Ayden Grulke.

"That was awesome. I knew he was going to win from like, a mile away. Watching him wrestle, it's just fun. He's so, so powerful, right to the point with everything he does. He's that way with everything in life. He just does everything to a T. It's perfect. It's just awesome to watch," Grulke said.

Adding a second title to his resume for Kawczynski is not about accolades as much as it is about impact.

"I think it helps me to impact my community, come back, just help grow the sport in my town and really just give back. Having a state title just puts a little more weight on your name when you're going to help in a little kid's practice or when kids get to come to the stands and watch someone from their school win a state title, I think it's really impactful for them," Kawczynski said. "The more I think about it, the more I just want to give back to my program, because they've given me so much over the years."

Ramage snatches come-from-behind victory in D3

Lake Country Lutheran senior McAllister Ramage looked as though he was headed toward a second heartbreaking finish at the state individual tournament after last year's third in D3 at 126 pounds. Trailing 4-3 in the 132-pound title bout with less than 10 seconds remaining in regulation after giving up a second-period takedown, his season looked as though it would come up just short of state gold. However, a stalling penalty against his opponent, senior Lukas Orloff of Pecatonica/Argyle, gave Ramage new life in an overtime period. It happened so fast, Ramage was not even aware the call was made.

"I didn't know he actually got a stall call against him, and then when I saw it, I was kind of like, 'This is how it's gotta be. I'm tired, but I'm not out of it.' You're never out of the match," Ramage said.

He said the biggest lesson he took into this tournament based on last year's third was simple: "You can't overlook anyone."

"It doesn't matter their record, their seed, like you can't overlook anyone. I made that mistake last year, and I paid for it in the semifinals, and I wasn't gonna do it again this year," Ramage said.

Ramage capitalized on the second chance, earning a 7-4 sudden victory by securing a takedown to finish his career as a WIAA state champion. The title was not only his first, but Lake Country Lutheran's first individual title in program history as well.

The Lander University (South Carolina) wrestling commit was proud to represent not only himself, but his school on the biggest stage.

"Being the first one just feels amazing. I'm glad I was able to do that for my school, because it's been a long time coming," Ramage said.

Arrowhead's Beal climbs atop D1 podium at 120 pounds

Arrowhead sophomore Zahn Beal said last season's third place had been a burden weighing on him all offseason, and one he could only dream of lifting until Feb. 28. He did so in emphatic fashion, taking a 19-1 tech fall victory over Holmen's Rex Lancaster to secure his first individual title in Division 1 at 126 pounds.

"Couldn't get it out of my head that I want to be a state champion," Beal said. "To get it done today, especially with the domination I had in the state finals, man I can't ... it's hard to comprehend what I'm feeling."

For an Arrowhead program that missed team state this season after a state runner-up finish the year prior, Beal hopes the title can reinvigorate the program for his junior year in 2026-27.

"It's gonna continue to the next year, more guys coming in. We're going to hopefully have more placers and, yeah, I think it's good momentum for the team," Beal said.

Redemption for Grulke as Hartford senior wins D1 285-pound state title

Grulke was at a crossroads after losing in the Division 1 215-pound state title match last postseason against friend and conference rival Garett Kawczynski from Port Washington in an all-North Shore Conference final. Grulke faced the decision of either strictly focusing on football as a Minnesota State Moorhead commit or continue to stick with wrestling and make another run at state as a senior.

“Nobody wants to get technical [falled] in the state finals,” Grulke said, noting that was a big bullet point of his return to the mats for his senior season.

“I grew with Garett, so it wasn’t a big deal to me, but I was thinking, ‘Yeah, it would be cool to stand atop of that podium for once.’ I’ll just look at the draw senior year and we’re going all out for sure. I just put it all on the table of what I had.”

Grulke’s path to redemption was completed with a 4-2 decision victory in the 285-pound title match against No. 2 seed Deangelo Clay from Monona Grove/McFarland to finish 53-2 and on top of the podium to close out his high school wrestling career.

The top overall seed in the bracket picked up all four of his points in the second period after a scoreless opening period with an escape and a takedown at the 1:40 mark. Clay picked up an escape point two seconds later and one more in the final period, but Grulke’s size and power halted any shot Clay looked to take.

“Wanting to be back here and getting a chance to win all the big tournaments again, it’s always nice to get a chance to be on top of the podium and hang out with all the friends you meet in wrestling because it compares to no other sport,” Grulke said.

Hay overcomes last year’s heartbreak, back injury to capture D1 126-pound title

Brown Deer/Messmer/Shorewood senior Maximus Hay fell 6-1 in overtime to No. 1 seed Carson Neubert from Luxemburg-Casco in one of the most eventful title matches of the entire night a year ago.

The Southern Illinois-Edwardsville recruit not only had to climb the mountain and earn a trip back to state as a senior, but a major hiccup almost prevented him from getting back. The senior had a weightlifting accident involving power cleans that herniated a disk in his back and forced him to stay off the mats for two months.

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him and the Brown Deer co-op, which qualified for team state for the first time in program history. Hay said it brought him a new perspective and view of wrestling as a teammate and a supporter, even though he wanted to be out there himself.

“I was able to come back mid-January, but I’m still not 100% right now,” Hay said. “It was just that military mindset from my dad, you know, just pushing me every day to be the best I can possibly be and that’s what ultimately made me become a state champion today.”

The top seed in Division 1 at 126 took his turn atop the podium with a 4-3 decision victory over Holmen’s Brock Needham. Hay shot out the gate with a takedown 20 seconds in, using his quickness to keep Needham off balance in the early going. An escape in the second period put him up 4-1 and despite two late stalling penalties, the nightmare of last year was forgotten.

After leaping into his family’s arms on the bench, it was time to celebrate with his teammates before they attempt to win a team title next weekend. Some of Hay’s teammates lifted him from the floor all the way into the first row of seats and put a full display of teamwork, bringing some comedic reactions from the Kohl Center crowd.

“History, history, history,” Hay said with a smile on his title win and the team qualifying for state. “I’m so glad to be a part of this team. Without the coaches, this team would not be possible at all. The environment around me … you know, it’s not just me. This title’s for my whole team because everybody, every single day, pushed me to be the best person of myself.”

Riebe finally captures elusive state title in fourth appearance

For Wisconsin Lutheran senior Izabella Riebe, the old expression goes, “The fourth time’s the charm.”

After finishes of second, third and fourth place in her first three trips to state, the top seed in the 235-pound girls bracket finally captured her first state title with a 4-0 decision over West De Pere’s Mercedes Kruse to cap a perfect 44-0 season to close her career.

She didn’t know initially that she had won the title, but after seeing the scoreboard and her coaches, reality set in and the emotions flowed.

“I was like, ‘Wait, hang on guys,” Riebe said. “I just get periods mixed up sometimes because I can never keep track. So every time they end it, I look over and I’m like, ‘Oh! It’s the third period. It’s over? Okay!”

Riebe’s celebration had a bit of a wrench following her match and pictures on the podium. The new state champion stood by a trash can in one of the tunnels, coughing profusely with her coaches standing by with a water bottle and a giant bottle of honey to soothe her throat following a situation in Friday’s semifinal round matchup against Bay Port’s Autumn King.

“I think my headgear got caught in my throat,” Riebe said of her throat issues. “I think the headgear got caught as I’m trying to like get out and not get pinned and I ended up getting choked. I’m like, ‘I’m not losing’, so I kinda just kept going until they called it. It’s like this really big tickle and it keeps me coughing.”

Despite the throat issues, nothing can beat that top step feeling for Riebe.

“It felt so good,” Riebe said on standing atop the podium at state for the first time. “I honestly don’t think I’ve felt a feeling like it ever. I’ve been fighting so hard for so long trying to do that, and I guess just finally doing it … it felt unreal.”

Riebe’s triumph was, in her words, very bittersweet.

“I’ve been trying not to think about it this whole time, but I’m finally, finally proud of myself for doing this, and it’s taken me so long to feel like I actually belong here,” Riebe said with tears in her eyes. “I’m finally proud that I did this and, honestly, I didn’t even care if I lost or won. I was just happy to just be here because I love wrestling so much.”