Columbus East’s Kaydence Spradlin faces off against Bloomington South’s Jaclyn Hillenburg at 235 pounds Nov. 20 at Columbus East High School.
Nicholas Shaw | For the Republic
Kaydence Spradlin’s high school wrestling debut had to be put on hold.
In November of last year, the Columbus East then-freshman was wrestling with eventual 190-pound state champion Monica McMahon in practice until she landed awkwardly on her arm. Spradlin sustained a dislocated elbow, thus ending her season.
Now a sophomore and fully healthy, Spradlin has seen big results this season. Another event on the horizon is Saturday’s Hoosier Hills Conference girls wrestling meet that’ll be hosted by East.
Kaydence Spradlin
Spradlin waited in the emergency room for the results from the doctor to confirm what she had feared. Fortunately, she didn’t need to have surgery, but it was going to be a few months of recovery.
“I knew something was wrong with it because it didn’t look right. When they told me that it was dislocated, I just froze,” Spradlin recalled. “It was surprising to me because I haven’t had a big injury since I was about 4 years old jumping off the playhouse. So this is the biggest injury I’ve had over the years. When I was told, it was a roller coaster of emotions.”
Spradlin was working hard and doing a lot of physical therapy to get back in shape and return to the mat as quickly as possible. Her rehab recovery went smooth until in January, she slipped on ice and fell directly on her injured elbow. Luckily, she didn’t have any elbow damage, but it slowed her recovery process a little to give her elbow rest.
Even though she couldn’t practice with the team any more last year, Spradlin found other ways to help out the team. The Olympians won the state team title in the inaugural year for girls wrestling as an IHSAA sanctioned sport.
“I came to every practice, every meet after that. I was even filming video with one arm,” she said.
While Spradlin was rehabbing, she also was working on her weight and fitness. Since September 2024, she dropped 54 pounds. She spent hours exercising at school, and outside of school, she was jump roping and running a lot at home. She also cut portion sizes during meals, eating more healthier food and cutting back on fast food and eating out.
Spradlin was back to be on the mat again four months after she was given the clearance from doctors in March.
“It was honestly amazing going to the doctor and seeing my arm and how everything was put back together with my ligaments and everything that was torn,” she said. “Seeing it all heal right was a good feeling and to know that I can get back on the mat for the summer and our offseason to really get better.”
East coach Ty Olds is glad having Spradlin fully healthy and competing on the mat this year.
“She worked her butt off, even when she got hurt. She never deviated from the goals, and she met our goal every single week until she got down to 235. She wants to get down to 190. In the weigh-in, she got down to 217, so now that’s her next goal, and she’s going to hit it,” Olds said. “She’s the epitome of putting in the work and doing the right things … Her confidence is up and she’s a more easily approachable person. She’s great at school and does well with the other girls. There’s nothing negative about the things she’s accomplished. It’s only up from here. We’re only at the tip of the iceberg with her.”
The next step for Spradlin is taking home a conference title. In the latest Indianamat.com rankings, she’s ranked No. 14 in the 235-pound weight class.
“It’s been a really great experience being on the team and seeing how much my life changed,” she said. “Just being out there on the mat wrestling, it’s very nice.”
