Mia Palumbo wins female wrestler of the year in Illinois

Richards High School graduate Mia Palumbo has won the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award as the best female wrestler in the State of Illinois. Over the course of her four years Mia became one of the most accomplished athletes in Richards history.

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After winning conference and regional and sectional championships in 2018, she became the first female wrestler in Illinois history to win a match at the IHSA state finals.

The award recognizes and celebrates the nation’s most outstanding high school senior female wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service.

First presented in 2014, the TSHSEA is named for Tricia Saunders, a four-time World Champion and women’s wrestling pioneer. Saunders was the first woman to be inducted as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006 and was inducted into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011.

TSHSEA regional winners are scheduled to be announced on July 28 and the national winner on August 11. Regional winners are selected from state winners, and the national winner will be chosen from the regional winners.

State winners of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award were announced on Tuesday with the regional winners scheduled to be announced on July 27 and the national winner on August 10.

The TSHSEA recognizes and celebrates the nation’s most outstanding high school senior female wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service.

For the third consecutive year, the Hall of Fame is recognizing a record number of state winners with 47, up from 46 in 2020, 35 in 2019 and 32 in 2018.

Winners are evaluated and selected on the basis of three criteria: success and standout performances and sportsmanship in wrestling; review of GPA and class rank, academic honors and distinctions; and participation in activities that demonstrate commitment to character and community.

Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest growing high school sports with participation growing by 71 percent in the last two years to more than 28,000 female high school wrestlers competing across the nation.

“This year has been so hard for so many seniors whose seasons and state championships were either shortened, postponed or canceled as a result of the pandemic,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director Lee Roy Smith. “Despite the many challenges they encountered, these student-athletes demonstrated tremendous resolve while working to achieve their academic and athletic goals.

“In recognition of their fortitude, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is excited to recognize these young women with our Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award, and we wish them continued success, on and off the mat.”

Twenty-four states have hosted an official girls championship and eight more are scheduled to host in the future. Hawaii was the first state to host a girls state championship in 1998 while Texas began its girls tournament in 1999. The number grew to six states by 2015 and has exploded in the last three years to 32 states.

States that are hosting state-sanctioned girls wrestling championships are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington. Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wisconsin are scheduled to host their first official girls tournament in 2021-22.

There are 92 intercollegiate women’s wrestling teams. The NCAA has approved “Emerging Sport Status” for women’s wrestling at the Division I, Division II and Division III levels and the NAIA also recognizes women’s wrestling as an emerging sport.

The state winners are evaluated and selected on the basis of three criteria: success and standout performances and sportsmanship in wrestling; review of GPA and class rank, academic honors and distinctions; and participation in activities that demonstrate commitment to character and community.

The Hall of Fame accepts nominations for the High School Excellence awards, and a committee, with input from Hall of Fame state chapters, selects state and regional winners. National winners are then chosen from the regional winners.