McQueen’s Ward shines at school and on the mat

Katie Ward made it look easy when she won the girls’ 120-pound weight division at the first-ever girls’ regional wrestling tournament.

Reed won the team title, McQueen was second, and Elko was third in the team title. The Raiders had seven girls in the finals and four champions to be crowned on Saturday.

The top four finishers in each weight division of Saturday’s tournament advance to the State Wrestling Championships on February 10th and 11th at the Winnemucca Events Center. Reed will send 10 wrestlers to the state. McQueen sends five.

The sport was officially recognized by the NIAA last fall, although a few girls-only wrestling tournaments were held prior to that recognition.

Donnie Nelson, executive director of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, said that a girls’ wrestling division was part of the existing state wrestling format.

Katie Ward

Ward, who has already won two unofficial state championships in girls’ wrestling, is set on winning a third and proving she’s a better wrestler than her older brother.

Ward, a senior at McQueen, started wrestling eight years ago, following in the footsteps of her older brother, Kai.