North Tama freshman Alaney Sienknecht has her hand raised by the official after defeating Camanche’s Emma Harridge in the 155-pound consolation semifinal round during the Class 1A Region 5 state qualifier held at Midland High School in Wyoming on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

WYOMING – In her freshman season on the mats for North Tama, rural Gladbrook student-athlete Alaney Sienknecht is headed to the state tournament.

During last Friday’s Class 1A Region 5 state qualifier at Midland, Sienknecht closed out the meet by outlasting West Branch junior Gisele Gross for true second at 155 pounds in a 4-1 win by decision. With her ticket to the 2026 Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) State Wrestling Tournament punched, she became North Tama’s only wrestler to move on to the state tourney this season and first ever freshman girl to qualify.

Her triumph Friday night blew many people away as she went 5-1 on the evening after losing her first match and being kicked to the backside where she steadily clawed her way through the consolation rounds for a shot at state. But one person who was not at all surprised by her performance? North Tama head wrestling coach Andrew Knaack.

“[O]utside of me and Laney, I don’t know who really believed she would make it (to state),” Knaack told the newspaper. “She lost her first match of the day. When she got off the mat I told her, it is OK, we are still going to make it to the state tournament. I don’t know if at that moment she believed me? But after she got two wins, I think she started to believe. … I remember before her true-second match she told me, ‘I am not going to lose.’ That is the kind of girl she is.”

After losing her quarterfinal match to Wilton’s Melany Fitzer by fall in 5 minutes, 52 seconds, Sienknecht moved to the consolation rounds where she notched pinfall wins over Columbus Catholic’s Francoise Ntumba in 5:07 and then Cascade’s Rylan Smith in 3:46. In the consolation semifinal, she won by 8-2 decision over Camanche’s Emma Harridge before claiming victory by 8-4 decision over Lisbon’s Kaylee Jordan in the third-place match. Her defeat of Gross for true second certainly put an exclamation point on the season.

Sienknecht, right, grapples with Cascade’s Rylan Smith during the Class 1A Region 5 state qualifying meet held at Midland High School in Wyoming on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“Alaney is her own person,” Knaack continued. “She is only in her third year of the sport. Talk about growth from day one this season to Friday. It is truly impressive. She has a lot of questions. The beginning of the season she felt like she always needed to be taking shots which at times put her in bad positions. We have worked on her patience and handfighting the last month to learn to capitalize on the other girls’ mistakes.”

North Tama’s girls wrestling program has been on the upswing since its debut in 2022, growing the roster each school year. The Redhawks placed top-3 in several tournaments this season while consistently boasting one or two ranked wrestlers by IAwrestle from week to week.

“This year has been awesome. We had nine girls wrestle on Friday and outside of (senior) Addy (Hochstetler), all will be back next season. Redhawk girls wrestling is on the rise. We also have nine girls in junior high, including a lot of eighth graders,” Knaack said, before adding of Sieknecht’s future on the team: “She has the potential now to be only the second four-time North Tama state qualifier since Kolt (Knaack).”

At the 17-team Class 1A super regional hosted by Midland on Friday, Jan. 30, North Tama placed seventh overall with 85 1/2 points. Mount Vernon took the Region 5 championship with 214 1/2 points, while Vinton-Shellsburg was runner-up with 185 points and Wilton third with 172 1/2 points.

The 2026 IGHSAU State Wrestling Tournament is set for Feb. 5-6 at Xtream Arena in Coralville. Sienknecht (29-11) is seeded No. 16 and wis scheduled to wrestle the No. 1 seed, Western Iowa senior Marlee Pittet (40-4) of West Monona Thursday morning. At last year’s state tournament, Pittet competed at 155 pounds in Class 2A and medaled fourth.

Sienknecht, top, grapples with Camanche’s Emma Harridge in the 155-pound consolation semifinal round during the Class 1A Region 5 state qualifier held at Midland High School in Wyoming on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Sun Courier Note: As a courtesy to our readers, this story is publishing online ahead of the Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 print edition.

In her wrestleback for true second at 155 pounds, Sienknecht, right, grapples with West Branch junior Gisele Gross as her friends and family look on from the bleachers during the Class 1A Region 5 state qualifier meet held at Midland High School in Wyoming on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Sienknecht defeated Gross by 4-1 decision to take second in the bracket and punch her ticket to the state tournament. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Sienknecht stares down Gisele Gross of West Branch during the Class 1A Region 5 wrestleback for true second at 155 pounds on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at Midland High School in Wyoming. Sienknecht defeated Gross by 4-1 decision to take second in the bracket and punch her ticket to the state tournament. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Sienknecht, right, handfights with a visibly exhausted Gisele Gross (left) of West Branch during the Class 1A Region 5 wrestleback for true second at 155 pounds on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at Midland High School in Wyoming. Sienknecht defeated Gross by 4-1 decision to take second in the bracket and punch her ticket to the state tournament. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Sienknecht hugs North Tama head coach Andrew Knaack following her triumph in the Class 1A Region 5 155-pound wrestleback for true second on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at Midland High School in Wyoming. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER