How competing for loved ones helped drive Harrison wrestler Erin Cauble and Aubrey Bartkowiak of Attica towards capturing first IHSAA state titles.
INDIANAPOLIS ― It was two storybook endings for seniors Erin Cauble of Harrison and Aubrey Bartkowiak.
Both athletes won first place at the IHSAA state girls wrestling championships Friday, Jan. 16.
Cauble won at 190 pounds and Bartkowiak in the 235-pound weight class to end the evening. Both did so for loved ones who passed away or had near death experiences in the past year.
Cauble makes history at Harrison
The aggressiveness came quick for Cauble. She needed one counter to finish off Lebanon senior Claira Gramlin.
Cauble's coach Kevin Elliott watched on after surviving a stroke four months ago. Tears ran down the cheeks of Cauble after scoring the pinfall victory in the second period.
Cauble made history as the first Harrison wrestler to win state ― male or female ― and completed the journey 35-0 in 2025-26.
"I told (Elliott) I was going to win this one for him," Cauble said. "It made me emotional that I got to do that."
For Elliott, coaching had become his outlet towards maintaining an upbeat spirit.
"This has been difficult, but coaching these girls, this team ― it's kept me going," Elliott said.
Harrison senior 190-pounder Erin Cauble wins the state championship. The first Tippecanoe County female wrestler to win an IHSAA state title. @RaiderUpdatespic.twitter.com/x2Xmd6iiVT
— Ethan Hanson (@EthanAHanson) January 17, 2026
Bartkowiak pays final tribute to Townsend
The fight for a dream ending to her high school wrestling career was nearly squandered by Bartkowiak twice.
Bartkowiak found herself on the bottom in her final against North Central sophomore Racheal Rudolph. Shoulders up, clinging and clawing for breath and life was Bartkowiak after Rudolph executed a single leg takedown and scored four points for a near fall to lead 10-3.
Bartkowiak wasn't done somehow.
"I knew I needed to keep pushing," Bartkowiak said. "You can't give up, even if you feel like there's nothing left."
Bartkowiak lasted past the second period and gained top side to eventually flatten and pin Rudolph.
She had done it. She fulfilled the promise she made to her former teammate and coach Ray'Allan Townsend, who passed away last March.
Bartkowiak became the first IHSAA state champion girls wrestler from Attica, and all she could do was think about her friend. She wore a blue shirt that she had designed in his honor and pay tribute to people struggling with mental illness.
"Thank you for believing in me Ray," Bartkowiak said.
The past two years had seen Bartkowiak reach the state semifinal rounds only for her to be upset by a first period pin.
The story is complete! Bartkowiak down 10-3 rallies to capture state at 235 for Attica. pic.twitter.com/cuuFfrrQck
— Ethan Hanson (@EthanAHanson) January 17, 2026
A trifecta of sequences nearly occurred a third time for Bartkowiak. Reaching the state finals was teetering near destruction over the weight of junior Franklin Central Jayleigh Holler.
Holler nearly pinned Bartkowiak until she squirted out of it down of trouble down 6-3 in the first period.
Bartkowiak laid Holler flat for the victory before her final match to beat Rudolphe.
"I told her we had to make it through the semifinal round," Attica coach Josh Barnett said. "I knew she was going to get out of it. She's been getting out of those situations all week."
Nicolas narrows gap
The heartbreak in the end was more than Rossville sophomore 120-pound Mimi Nicolas could bear.
Nicolas reached the IHSAA state finals and finished as runner-up for her second straight season.
"It's really hard when you try your best, and she left everything out there," Rossville girls wrestling coach Steven Beck said, who spoke for Nicolas. "It was just a really hard thing to process."
Nicolas was battling a shoulder injury, but that wasn't the factor in her feelings after the match.
She was down 3-1, escaped and scored a 3-point takedown herself. and carried an 6-3 lead. A that point, she was one period from first, one period from achieving what she'd hoped to gain since starting to wrestle as a 9-year-old.
Whiteland sophomore Mikayla Perkins was better in the third period. Perkins scored takedowns and maintained top pressure to win the match 13-8. It was Perkins' second win over Nicolas this season.
"Confidence always comes with preparation, and she always prepares," Beck said. "She's only going to continue to get better and she's going to wrestle at the world level. ... We did our thing, shot our double legs and then she got thrown a couple of times. It gets in your head when your stuff's not working. It's just a matter of being confident, no matter who you wrestle."
McLean reflects on career at McCutcheon
Tears shed from the eyes of McCutcheon senior captain Aaliyah McLean. The journey ended with McLean placing second at 120 pounds after being dared to start wrestling as a seventh grader.
Once she started, McLean never stopped.
She became a 4-time state placer and finished with over 100 wins in her career at McCutcheon.
McLean finished fifth at 120 pounds and pinned sophomore Annalise Neal of Crown Point in her final match.
"It's bittersweet," McLean said. "I achieved my goals. My high school season, it's been my life for four years and now it's over. It's hard not knowing what I'm going to do. I'm going to miss the team, I'm going to miss the coaches and I'm going to miss being able to compete for my high school."
Welborn builds at state for Faith Christian
Faith Christian sophomore Emily Welborn looks at her growth after failing to reach past regionals last season. Welborn went from a first-year wrestler new to sport and became elite with her ability to snap and counterattack.
She finished sixth at 140 pounds and became her school's first female wrestler to reach the state and regional rounds.
"Being able to qualify for state is an achievement of its own," Welborn said. "Knowing I got to do this, it's a big deal for me"
Doubt crept at Welborn at the beginning of the season until she learned how good she became after one season.
She's only wrestled for two seasons, being mostly a career soccer player before being encouraged to wrestle by coach Justin Kuhn.
Welborn had 41 people from Lafayette holding signs and motivating her.
"I'm so grateful for my school," Welborn said. "I had two teachers, my athletic director (Josh Hill)."
Wert delivers with grit for Twin Lakes
Twin Lakes senior Adi Wert was among three wrestlers from the Lafayette area to place at 235.
As a freshman, West defied her own doubt to finish eighth at state to represent Monticello.
"My coaches motivate me to give my best performance and know how to push me to be my best," Wert said.
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: 2026 IHSAA state girls wrestling results for Lafayette area
Category: General Sports
