Richards Freshman Becomes First Female Wrestler To Win IHSA Match

OAK LAWN, IL -- A first-year wrestler at Richards High School became the first female to win a match in the event’s staid 80-year history during the IHSA state finals in Bloomington, IL. Mia Palumbo closed the state tournament with a record of 2-2, finishing in the Top 8.

During the 2018 season, Palumbo was conference champion, IHSA regional and sectional champion (just the second girl in state history to win at this level), and, the first female wrestler to win a match at the IHSA state finals. She not only won one match, she won two.

Palumbo was not without her fans who cheered when her match was announced in State Farm Center on Saturday morning. Her historic run ended Saturday morning when she lost her bout to East St. Louis senior Anthony King, finishing the tournament 2-2. And she's only a freshman.

“I have to keep my head up because I made history and not many people could get to 2-2, even the guys," Palumbo told the Daily Southtown’s Mike Clark.

Read the rest of Clark’s story of Palumbo’s history-making achievement