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Maple Mountain junior Ariana McGee celebrates after winning her match during the 5A state girls wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Maple Mountain celebrates winning the team title after the 5A state girls wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Maple Mountain wrestler Nya Seiuli (top) competes against teammate Aurellia Ramos during the 5A state girls wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Payson sophomore January Langston (left) prepares to wrestle Springville freshman Emeri Mortimer during the 5A state girls wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Maple Mountain head coach Hailey Corona (right) yells instructions during the 5A state girls wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Cedar Valley wrestler Alexia Woods (left) battles Springville's Valery Ethington during the 5A state girls wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Timpview wrestler Taimane Fiatoa holds down Casey Harris of Maple Mountain during the 5A state girls wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Springville wrestler Hotaia Valeti gets a hug from Jordan's Siena Fairbanks aafter their match during the 5A state girls wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Mountain View wrestler Jocelyn Dean (top) battles Maple Mountain's Feelicie Kobryn during the 5A state girls wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Mountain View wrestler Esther Han attempts to flip Northridge's Annie Clanton during the 5A state girls wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Timpview wrestler Kaianne Sabagala celebrates after winning her match during the 5A state girls wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Springville wrestler Izzy Clements (left) battles Mountain View's Isla Baeza during the 5A state girls wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Tooele's Lindsay Hansen helps hoist the arm of Maple Mountain wrestler Ellie Jensen (right) after their match during the 5A state girls wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Maple Mountain wrestler Ellie Jensen takes down Tooele's Lindsay Hansen during the 5A state girls wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Maple Mountain celebrates winning the team title after the 5A state girls wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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In its second year as a sanctioned sport, 28 girls wrestlers got to take the mat under the lights in Thursday’s 5A state finals at the UCCU Center in Orem.

Fourteen of those girls got to celebrate winning individual titles while 14 had to settle for being second and Maple Mountain ended up winning the team title.

Each of them — as well as their teammates and coaches — has their own story and since the sport is evolving, their experiences vary widely.

Consider the journeys of wrestlers Nya Seiuli of Maple Mountain, Ariana McGee of Maple Mountain, January Langston of Payson and Maple Mountain head coach Hailey Corona.

Senior strength

Seiuli wrapped up her two-year wrestling career as a two-time team champ  and also as an individual title winner as she won the 195-pound division.

“This is my second year wrestling and last year was the first year for everyone, the first year for girls wrestling to actually be a thing,” Seiuli said. “It’s insane that this is actually happening. It’s crazy.”

Seiuli had to deal with a unique challenge in the finals since she was facing off against Golden Eagle teammate Aurellia Ramos.

“It’s so sad, but it’s just the adrenaline you’re running on,” Seiuli said. “You practice with each other almost every day. It was a good match but it sucks. I don’t like wrestling my teammate, but still it was amazing.”

She knew it was going to take her best to defeat Ramos for the title.

“She’s really good,” Seiuli said. “I knew that stepping on that mat it was not going to be an easy match. When I won, I didn’t know what to think. I was going crazy and I was super happy. Now I’m going to live up in the moment right now. I’m a senior so that’s crazy.”

She said she couldn’t be more proud of seeing how the entire Maple Mountain squad stepped up to win as a team again.

“Everyone thought we were going lose because of the amount of wrestlers we had,” Seiuli said. “We even had self doubt. We thought like, ‘oh, yeah, the only reason why we’ll lose is because of the numbers.’ But we pulled through and we got that W. But I love it. I love this sport.”

From newcomer to champ

While Seiuli was coming in with experience from 2020-21, McGee (a junior) had never even thought about wrestling until last fall.

“I did lacrosse last year and I needed to stay in shape,” McGee said. “I knew wrestlers are in really good shape. I saw a poster and I just decided to try it out. I fell in love with it.”

She joined the Golden Eagle squad and, after getting through some early jitters, discovered that she had a knack for for wrestling.

“It definitely was a little bit intimidating just because I’d never wrestled before,” McGee said. “Seeing these girls, some of whom were state champions last year, I didn’t know what it would be like. But as soon as I got to meet them, they became like family. I love every single one of them.”

That unexpected beginning resulted in a state title on Thursday night as McGee won by major decision in the 115-pound weight class.

“It’s definitely crazy to think back,” McGee said. “When I first started, I never thought I’d be a state champion. But now looking back at the journey, I know I’ve worked hard enough to become a state champion. So I’m glad I did the journey.”

Coming through at the right time

Langston, a sophomore for the Lions, stepped onto the mat knowing she was facing a gifted opponent in Springville freshman Emeri Mortimer.

“I’d lost to Emeri quite a few times before,” Langston said. “She’s always won. But I decided to go in there and treat it like any other match.”

Early on, however, Langston found herself being forced to give everything she had to keep Mortimer from pinning her.

“When I got on my back, I didn’t think, ‘oh, I’m done,'” Langston said. “I know I’ve got a bruise on my shoulder because she was hitting it so hard trying to pin me. But I got out and did my best.”

After those early struggles, suddenly Langston saw an opening. In a matter of moments, the Payson wrestler was the one on top and was able to finish a pin of her own to get the victory.

“I was so happy,” Langston said. “I was so full of adrenaline that I actually didn’t even know what was going on. It really didn’t sink until I received my medal.”

She grinned as she talked about the possibility of the rivalry developing and getting chances to battle Mortimer over the next couple of years.

“I love it,” Langston said. “I love it even more when I’m wrestling against a friend because either way we are going to celebrate.”

From groundbreaker to observer

Few in the sport understand the challenges girls faced in wrestling better than Hailey Cox Corona, Maple Mountain’s head coach.

She was one of the trailblazers who worked hard to be able to compete in the sport. Last year when the Golden Eagles were winning the inaugural title under the guidance of head coach Billy Cox, Corona’s father, she was busy competing.

“I was wrestling in college last year for the No. 1 women’s wrestling program in the country,” Corona said. “Coming back to be in coaching, it’s been a difficult transition. It’s been going back to the very basics and being patient with brand-new girls. It’s been about figuring out how to coach and be understanding with all their learning. But it’s been fun for me, though, to see the development that we’ve had this season.”

As she looked at her happy group of athletes, she couldn’t help but smile herself.

“I didn’t have super-high expectations coming in because we didn’t have as many wrestlers as a lot of the other teams,” Corona said. “The odds were stacked way against us. I was thinking maybe we would get third place but my girls showed up and really wanted it. They performed out of their minds. I’m super-impressed with them, super-proud of them. They showed up when it matters.”

She said seeing her team hoist the state title trophy was a special moment.

“I never thought I would be coaching high school girls,” Corona said. “It’s pretty unreal for me to be on the other end of the stick because I didn’t see myself here. I don’t even have words for honestly. I’m really, really proud of my girls and super excited for them.”

Others exceptional performances

In addition to Seiuli, McGee and Langston, other Utah Valley champions were Maple Mountain’s Ellie Jensen (105 pounds), Cedar Valley’s Alexia Woods (120), Springville’s Izzy Clements (125), Timpview’s Kaianne Sabagala (130), Mountain View’s Esther Han (135), Mountain View’s Jocelyn Dean (140), Springville’s Hotaia Valeti (155) and Timpview’s Taimane Fiatoa (170).

Seven wrestlers from Utah County also reached the finals but ended up in second place.

In the team competition, Springville came in fourth and Mountain View placed fifth.

ALA finishes third in 1A-3A girls competition

American Leadership Academy (ALA) finished third with 147 points at the 1A-3A state meet held in the Sevier Event Center in Richfield.

Jaskin Hair (105), Rachel Camacho (110), and Olivia Carrillo (140) won individual titles. Camacho won her second state title and finished the season undefeated at 21-0. Carrillo also won her second state title. Finishing second for the Eagles were Jayden Morley (145) and Jocelyn Helper (190).

Grantsville (165) edged Juab (153) for the title. Juab is coached by Billy Cox, the father of Hailey Corona, who led Maple Mountain to the 5A title. Cox coached Maple Mountain to the inaugural 1A-3A/5A title last season before turning the program over to his daughter.