No surprises on Day 1 of Arkansas high school girls wrestling state tournament

Day 1 of Arkansas state wrestling tournament in the books

LITTLE ROCK - The 15th annual Centennial Bank High School State Wrestling Tournament kicked off at Arkansas-Little Rock’s Jack Stephens Center on Friday, the first of two days for both the girls and boys, beginning with the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. 


Searcy, the defending 1A-6A girls team state champions, finished the day in the lead with 164 points, followed by Sylvan Hills with 142 points. 


Alena Williams (115) was one of the returning state champions after going all the way with Cabot last year and is now with Searcy. Following a first round bye, Williams defeated Faith Vaughn (Beebe) via fall in 56 seconds to advance to the finals where she will face Katelyn Wallace (Hot Springs Lakeside).


Mountain Home’s Amelia Frounfelter (155) finished runner-up last season after winning state in 2021. She defeated Rachel Barnett (Bauxite) by fall in 26 seconds and Arionna York (Sylvan Hills) by fall in 59 seconds to advance to the finals where she will face Acorn’s Emory Anderson. 


The remaining five defending champions all advanced to the finals. 


Fayetteville’s Katie Palmer (140) had a first round bye and is looking to win her third-straight title after defeating Mallory Williams (Cabot) promptly in nine seconds by fall during the semifinals. Palmer will face Jayla Spring (Central) in the finals.


Skylur Lewis (155) of Rogers Heritage is another back-to-back defending champion and will face Serena Valentine (Har-Ber) in the finals. Lewis got there by defeating Thalia Fregoso (Conway) by fall in 1:17 and Elizabeth Garcia-Martinez (Springale) by fall in 5:00. 


The final back-to-back returning champion, Har-Ber’s Archer Jones (170), made quick work of Ashlyn Alvarez (Little Rock Southwest) by fall in 13 second and then defeated Alexa Wolf (Rogers) via a 6-4 decision to advance to the finals where she will face Margaret Joran (Fayetteville). 


Jordan dropped down to the 170 class after winning the 235 class last season. Following a quarterfinal bye, Jordan took down Melissa Hutchinson (Central) in the semifinals by fall in 2:38. 


Bryant’s Presley Givens (145) returns to the finals after defeating Temitayo Aruna (Bentonville West) by fall in 1:16 followed by Linlee Asbill (Rogers) by fall in 1:34. Givens will face Callie Parrish (Har-Ber) for the championship.


Follow the links to find all individual and team results throughout the tournament. 

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Published
Kyle Sutherland, SBLive Sports
KYLE SUTHERLAND, SBLIVE SPORTS

Kyle Sutherland is a prep sports journalist and broadcaster. Along with High School on SI, his work has been featured in outlets including the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas PBS, Best of Arkansas Sports, Hooten's Arkansas Football and The Natural State Sports Network. He is also the color commentator for 103.7 The Buzz's high school football Game of the Week.