Columbus East freshman Annie Redman is The Republic Girls Wrestler of the Year. She is pictured March 5 at Columbus East High School.
Carla Clark | For The Republic
Annie Redman added her name to Columbus East history.
Redman wrestled her way to a state championship, and she is only a freshman. Redman is the second girls wrestler in Olympians history to win a state title. She joins Monica McMahon, who won a state championship last year.
“It feels really exciting,” Redman said. “Everyone was asking why I didn’t cry and stuff (after winning state). It was because all of my emotions were coming at once. I just smiled.”
Redman finished the year 34-3 at 170 pounds. Her three losses came to Eleanor Robertson of Franklin, who Redman defeated in the regional final. It helped her pave the way to a state championship. She defeated Crown Point’s Jayda Miller by pin in the second period in the state championship match to claim the title.
Redman started wrestling in seventh grade, then she started wrestling in tournaments last year, and since there wasn’t a girls wrestling team in middle school, she wrestled on the boys middle school team in eighth grade. It is understandable that it came as a little bit of a surprise to Redman for claiming the state title in two short years.
“I did not think I was going get a state title my entire high school career,” Redman said. “I didn’t think I was going to. I always looked up to Monica because she did it.”
This was only the second year for girls wrestling as an IHSAA-sanctioned sport. It was McMahon and her twin sister Grace that were builders of the program when it was first an emerging sport.
“I looked to a lot of the seniors last year, but Monica and Grace were big ones because they were the ones that kept everyone in line and were so nice in the room. They worked really hard and earned what they got,” Redman said.
Someone who wasn’t shocked at Redman’s season was East coach Ty Olds. He said she had the talent to do it and turn her talents into state championship material. Coupled with all the intangibles Redman had, Olds said “the sky was the limit” for her and turned it into results quickly.
“She has grown so much over especially even the past season. She just started right before her eighth-grade season,” Olds said. “She’s naturally gifted, naturally competitive, naturally a hard worker, and those are all things that fit in right with our program. When she brings those things, really all you’ve got to do is guide it. She had to accept some tough losses in the beginning, and we had to work on some mental training. Once her technique started to refine, you could see her taking off.”
Redman was the first sibling in her family to wrestle in the state finals, and her brother Hank joined her a month later when he wrestled in the state finals.
Annie said she watched Hank’s matches, and in doing so, it helped her fine-tune her wrestling skills.
Annie Redman also said the state title wouldn’t happened with all of her support from wrestling on and off the mat.
“I feel like every day, we get into the room and get at it. I feel like everyone in the room works hard. I wouldn’t say it’s surprising of how hard we work, but it is surprising,” she said.
With Redman reaching the summit of wrestling her freshman season, it will motivate her to at least repeat as a state champion next year.
“My expectations are really high now,” Redman said. “If I don’t do the next three years, I’d be a little disappointed. If someone really good comes up and get it, they deserve it. I would have to work better than them as long as I keep working hard.”
“With the McMahons and all those girls at least in the first season, it really gave her a guideline of what our expectations are, and she met them every single time,” Olds added. “Every practice, she’s one of the hardest workers on the team. She’s going to do what she’s got to do to continue to get better. I think a lot of it for her was a little bit of technique and focusing her mental game on how to continue to get better. She’s taken to it and peaked at the right time, and it all came together at the end at the right time.”
The Republic 2025-26 All-Area Girls Wrestling team:
Annie Redman, Columbus East: The freshman finished second in the sectional and won regional and state titles at 170 pounds.
Gloria Cloud, Columbus East: The freshman finished second in the sectional, fourth in the regional and third at state at 120 pounds.
Tienica Dits, Columbus East: The junior finished second in the sectional, second in the regional and sixth at state at 105 pounds.
Kaydence Spradlin, Columbus East: The sophomore finished fourth in the sectional, third in the regional and eighth at state at 235 pounds.
Izzy Wakefield, Columbus East: The junior finished third in the sectional and was a regional quarterfinalist at 155 pounds.
Kyleigh Traylor, Columbus East: The sophomore finished third in the sectional and was a regional quarterfinalist at 190 pounds.
Violeta Gomez-Hilerio, Jennings County: The senior won a sectional title and finished third in the regional and eighth at state at 130 pounds.
Gabby Hernandez, Jennings County: The sophomore won a sectional title and was a regional quarterfinalist at 170 pounds.
Sofia Lazcano, Jenings County: The sophomore finished third in the sectional and was a regional quarterfinalist at 115 pounds.
Honorable mention
Columbus East: Abby Morales. Columbus North: Nitya Hurli, Zahlynn Williams. Jennings County: Chloe Franks.
