Madison Consolidated High School grappler Kelsey Bilz, a two-year varsity wrestler at 106 pounds, competed in the Indiana state girls wrestling regional with an impressive run to the finals where she was bested in the third period by decision to Warren Central’s Jennifer Caldwell, the eventual state runner up.

She then bounced back to wrestle the very next weekend at the Indiana Girls High School wrestling state finals at Hamilton Heights High School. Bilz again had another impressive run with a pinfall in the first round, then suffering a second-round loss to eventual state champion: West Vigo freshman Torie Buchanan. Bilz again came back to a dominating major decision in her final match of the day to win third place.

Impressively, Bilz achieved a 30 win season in just her third year of wrestling, has had several offers to wrestle collegiately, and she received a personal invitational from the Indiana national team president to compete in the girls’ national competition in Oklahoma for Indiana Ignite.

Bilz has also joined a rather elite list of girls in the state of Indiana by competing in the Jeffersonville regional after a fifth-place finish in the Jennings County sectional, and perhaps Bilz’s most promising feature is her grit and tenacity after she bounced back from a less than .500 season last year to be one of the more promising athletes on a young team.

Although Bilz had an impressive girls state tournament run, she wrestled mostly boys throughout the regular season with a few other female competitors scattered throughout the season. For a female wrestler in a sport closely associated with boys, the treatment from other wrestlers from other schools can be a challenge.

Bilz stated, “I have been treated differently, but I always just brushed off and wrestled through it.”

However, she fit in perfectly as a Cub wrestler. “On the team, I’m just one of the guys; no one takes it easy on me,” said Bilz.

According to Bilz, she is just getting started, though. “Next year, I plan to place at regionals and qualify for semi-state.”