BILLINGS — Kaura Coles has travelled the world to wrestle — Amman, Jordan, anyone? — and she’s taken up MMA fighting with one bout already on her resume.
But to the Kalispell Glacier junior, few experiences are like the state wrestling tournament at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark.
It helps when you win as often as Coles does. She claimed her third consecutive state championship Saturday by beating Bella Downing of Kalispell Flathead by technical fall. In terms of accomplishments, it might not be the same as winning the 53 kg title for Team Canada at the U17 World Championships like she did last summer in the Middle East, but winning state titles have their own nuances.
“The training for international tournaments is a little different because they’re bigger tournaments,” said Coles, who wore a multi-colored sash around her waist at the winner’s podium to honor the indigenous Metis peoples of the prairie provinces of Canada, her native country.
“But the atmosphere here has a lot more energy in it. When I’m wrestling internationally it’s in a smaller stadium, just maybe three mats, maybe four. The atmosphere is not as energetic as it is here.”
Coles' latest high school title leaves her with the chance to be the first four-time girls state champion if she can win it all again next year. The sport was sanctioned in 2021, and while the girls ranks have yet to produce a four-time winner, three other wrestlers joined Coles in the three-win club Saturday.
Photos: Champions crowned at 2025 state wrestling tournaments
Poplar’s Nina Escarcega was primed to be the first four-timer when she won titles in 2022 and 2023. But her bid was upended last season in the 107-pound finals by Simms’ Hayley Petersen.
Escarcega got back to the top of the podium on Saturday by vanquishing Lockwood's Wai Fandrich in 1:23 fall at 100 pounds.
“It feels good that I put in a lot of effort this year, because I really wanted to get that state title last year, but I didn’t get that,” said Escarcega, who will wrestle at the University of Sioux Falls next season. “So, I worked hard to get my third this year.”
Ronan’s Tirza Two Teeth, at 235 pounds, and Belgrade’s KyLee Lindsley completed their senior seasons on three-year title runs.
Two Teeth pinned Browning’s Kendahl Guardipee in 1:05, while Lindsley won the 190-pound title with a pin of Great Falls’ Katie Slade in 2:21. In looking back, Lindsley came close to being a four-timer: She reached the 170-pound final as a freshman but lost a 7-3 decision.
What matters most to Lindsley, she said, is the fact that she was Belgrade’s first female wrestling state champion and that her achievements hopefully create a path for the program’s other girls.
“If I can work hard and achieve my dream, so can they,” said Lindsley, who finished the last two seasons unbeaten. “Honestly, that’s all I want to leave behind.”
Though Billings Senior placed just three wrestlers in the final and had only Meadow Mahlmeister as a champion at 135 pounds with a pin of Conrad’s Lucy Armstrong, the Broncs left the rest of the Class AA field far behind. (Keep in mind, the girls tournament pits wrestlers from all classifications into the brackets, but separates team scores and titles by AA, A, B and C rankings.)
Results: 2025 girls all-class state wrestling - Day 3
The Broncs’ depth helped push them to 241 points, far ahead of Flathead’s 131. Billings Skyview was third at 107.5. It’s Senior’s third consecutive team title.
“We had a lot of seniors last year, this was kind of a transition year in a lot of ways,” Senior coach Charlie Klepps said. “We had a lot of younger kids and a lot of growing pains early, just getting used to what it’s like to be in a high school room that expects a lot of you. They’ve really matured, dealt with a lot of adversity as all teams do, and I’m just really proud of them for trusting us, believing in us coaches and sticking together.”
Miles City ended Ronan’s two-year run at the top of Class A by scoring 172 points (second overall to Senior), well ahead of Ronan’s 145.5 points. Hardin was third at 77.5
The Cowgirls had two in the championship round. Simms’ Petersen, this year wrestling at 110 pounds, won her second straight title by beating Miles City’s Robin Leidholt 6-1 in overtime. Miles City did crown a champion when Graylee Fox, the daughter of Cowgirls coach Dan Fox, concluded the night with a 10-4 decision of Senior’s Tita Fandrich at 140 pounds.
It was an emotional way for father and daughter to end the weekend.
“Oh, gosh, it was tears, tears of joy,” Dan Fox said. “My daughter wins it and then to have the team come in and win it, it’s just … I don’t know what the words are. It’s exciting. It’s fun. I’m just so proud of them.”
Baker repeated as the Class B team champion, putting up 96.5 points. Cut Bank followed with 86 points and Glasgow was third at 65.
Jayda Harbaugh helped propel by Spartans with a championship win in 170 pounds when she pinned Ava Hanson of Malta in 5:27. Harbaugh won the quick-pin award, as well.
This year, for the first time, a Class C team trophy was awarded, and Simms won with 42 points. Big Sandy came in second with 30 points, and Fort Benton was third with 24.
A couple of other wrestlers got back to the top of the podium after being unable to repeat in 2024. Bozeman’s Kaitlyn Thorn, a runner-up at 138 last year after winning the 145 title the season before, topped Hardin’s Carmelia Horn in an 11-0 major decision.
And Helena Capital’s Taylor Lay earned the 130-pound championship with an injury-default victory over Kalispell Flathead’s Julia Kay. Kay appeared to suffer a leg injury in the first period and couldn’t continue.
Four first-time winners were crowned on Saturday. At 105 pounds, Chinook’s Grace Buck edged Billings Central’s Emma Hernandez 1-0 with a second-period escape. Madalyn Deiter of Great Falls pinned Missoula Big Sky’s Lucia Schlapfer in 5:56 at 125 pounds, but Hattie Morrow, Schlapfer’s teammate, pinned Soraya Shirley of Senior in 5:59 at 155.
And then there was Wolf Point’s Annaleigh Matejovsky, who pinned Billings West’s Elise MacDonald in 4:55 at 120 pounds.
Matejovsky is just an eighth-grader, so while Glacier’s Cole closes in on being the girls’ first four-time winner next season, perhaps Matejovsky can set a new standard in the years to come.
