Northfield's Ella Pagel To Make History At MN's 1st MSHSL-Sanctioned Girls' Wrestling Tourney
NORTHFIELD, Minn. (WCCO) -- The state wrestling tournament starts Thursday, but on Saturday, history will be made when Minnesota's first-ever high school league-sanctioned girls' wrestling tournament takes place.
Northfield's Ella Pagel is the 22nd ranked pound-for-pound girls' wrestler in America.
"My coaches usually inform me of it, but I'm like 'OK, that's pretty cool.' But just got to keep working to accomplish my other dreams," Pagel said.
Even as the favorite in the 165 weight class, which will consist of a semifinal and championship round, Pagel and all the girls are stepping into unknown territory.
"It'll be a lot of adrenaline and a lot of nerves. I probably won't eat or drink very much because I'm so nervous. Even if I know the person I'm wrestling, it'll just be another energy level," Pagel said.
Currently, just sections and state are sanctioned for girls. This year's wrestlers are paving the way for what's to come.
"At some point, hopefully, we have the whole girls' wrestling teams against other girls' teams and it kind of takes off on its own," Northfield wrestling head coach Geoff Staab said. "(Pagel's) been doing it at a high level for a very long time."
In a way, Pagel is fortunate state was sanctioned now when she's a freshman, instead of later. A four-peat is the goal.
"I never imagined that by my freshman year I'd be wrestling own females, not just the boys. I thought I'd be stuck with them my whole career of wrestling," Pagel said.
The section tournament was Ella's first time competing against girls this high school season.
"It's incredible that we're finally to this stage and how fast it's going, and now we have a state tournament and now we get to be at the Xcel. It's huge. It's a huge deal," Pagel said.
