Top-ranked Gerbracht excited for girls state tourney

Ali Gerbracht, a junior on the AGWSR wrestling team, is the top-ranked wrestler at the 106-pound weight class in the first ever girls wrestling rankings released by IAwrestle.com.
 
Gerbracht's overall record this season is 29-9, according to trackwrestling.com.
 
The rankings arrive on the cusp of the first-ever girls state tournament, scheduled for Saturday at Waverly-Shell Rock High School with a 10:30 a.m. start time. The event is presented by the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association, in conjunction with the Iowa High School Athletic Association, as numbers in girls wrestling continue to rise.
 
Gerbracht knows that her competitors won't hand her the title despite her ranking going in.
 
“I definitely can’t overlook anybody,” Gerbracht said. “Everybody is going to be ready to go and I know there is a couple girls in there, they are pretty good. Like, nobody is bad; it’s going to be a good experience.”
 
An IHSAA press release stated that 157 girls are participating in wrestling in Iowa, and since that press release two weeks ago, that number has increased to 180. Nationally, the number of girls wrestling has doubled since 2014, with 16,000 girls competing across the country in the 2017-18 season.
 
Mid-America Publishing's Kristi Nixon contributed to this report.