The Fairfield and Van Buren County girls wrestling teams kicked off 2026 with strong performances at the Keokuk Girls Invitational Tournament on Saturday, January 3rd. Burlington claimed the team title with 187 points, while Van Buren County finished second with 150.5 points and Fairfield took fifth with 97 points in the 14-team field.
Team Standings
The tournament featured several out-of-state teams as Burlington (Iowa) led the field with 187 points, followed by Van Buren County (Iowa) with 150.5, Galesburg (Illinois) with 118.5, Rock Island (Illinois) with 102, Fairfield (Iowa) with 97, Mount Pleasant (Iowa) with 93, Quincy (Illinois) with 73, Mediapolis (Iowa) with 50, Hannibal (Missouri) with 36, Keokuk (Iowa) with 30, Payson (Seymour) (Illinois) with 16, Highland (Missouri) with 14, Illini West (Illinois) with 11, and Warsaw (Illinois) with 9.
Fairfield Results
Kensley Fligg (115), seeded fifth, delivered an impressive tournament run to capture first place. She upset fourth-seeded Mikayla Combs-Gibson of Rock Island by fall in the first period after trailing 3-2. In the semifinals, Fligg rallied from a 17-6 deficit to defeat top-seeded Paris Phosy of Mount Pleasant by fall in the third period. She completed her championship run with a fall in less than a minute over Stella Hacker of Rock Island in the first period.
Samantha Lyons (170), the top seed in her weight class, continued her dominant season with an impressive championship run. Lyons opened the tournament with a 15-second pin over a Highland opponent, followed by a first-period fall at the 1:21 mark against a wrestler from Galesburg. In the championship match, she capped off the day by pinning conference rival Macy Peterson of Burlington just 1:20 into the first period. Lyons did not allow a single point in any of her three matches.
The standout junior improved to a perfect 17–0 on the season. She has earned a pin in every match this year except for one 6–0 decision against a returning state placer, and she added another win over a returning state placer in Peterson of Burlington in the finals of this tournament.
Bailey Belzer (155), seeded third, captured third place. She lost to conference opponent Kimberly Nelson of Burlington by fall in her opener before winning two consecutive matches by fall, including a tough third-period victory over Van Buren County’s Adisson McLain. Belzer avenged her opening loss with a fall just before the second period ended over Nelson to claim bronze.
Aislinn Wise (145), seeded third, finished fourth. She won by fall in 41 seconds over conference opponent Niamonnie Wadena of Keokuk before losing by fall to conference opponent Zenlynn Lee of Mount Pleasant. Wise rebounded with a fall in 24 seconds but lost to Van Buren County’s Willow Worley in the third-place match.
Kendra Allison (235), seeded second, took fifth place after receiving a first-round bye. She lost by fall in the second period to conference opponent Courtney Smith of Mount Pleasant, then fell by fall in the second period to another conference opponent in Olivia Gordy of Mount Pleasant before winning the fifth-place match by medical forfeit.
June Connor (105), seeded ninth, placed sixth. After receiving a first-round bye, she lost by fall, received another bye, defeated conference opponent Shila Cline of Burlington by fall in the first period, and lost by fall in the fifth-place match.
Bekah Zirkle (105), seeded 10th, finished eighth after receiving a first-round bye. She lost consecutive matches by fall, including a first-period loss to Van Buren County’s Jacqueline Singer and a first-period defeat to conference opponent Shila Cline of Burlington in the seventh-place match.
Van Buren County Results
Van Buren County crowned four champions and had multiple other place winners in their second-place team finish.
Armony Adams (100), seeded first, captured first place with an impressive tournament run. After a first-round bye, she won by medical forfeit before recording a technical fall in the first period with a score of 21-6, registering seven takedowns as her out-of-state opponent Claire Wiskirchen escaped six out of the seven before getting pinned. Adams defeated teammate Rory Phillips by fall in the third period after leading 11-3, then won by fall in the first period over second-seeded Kinsley Coy of Burlington in the final.
Rylee Caviness (125), seeded fourth, claimed first place with three victories. She won by fall in the first period of her opener, upset top-seeded Reyna Skelton of Rock Island 6-3 by decision, and defeated second-seeded Izabel Vega of Rock Island by fall in the first period in the final.
Brystol Wiley (110), seeded first, earned a championship after receiving a first-round bye. She won by fall in the first period in both her semifinal and final matches.
Hadley Noe (135), seeded first, won her championship with five consecutive victories. After a first-round bye, she won by fall in the first period over a Highland opponent, pinned a Mount Pleasant wrestler in the first period, defeated a Burlington opponent by fall in the second period, and won by default after trailing 3-1 against a Galesburg opponent in the final—the first time she surrendered a point in the tournament.
Rory Philips (100), seeded third, took second place. She won by fall in the second period after trailing 8-7, won by medical forfeit, lost to teammate Adams by fall, and won by fall in 44 seconds in the last match.
Willow Worley (145), seeded fourth, earned third place. She won by fall in the first period, lost by fall in the first period, won by fall in the second period, and defeated Fairfield’s Aislinn Wise by fall in the second period for bronze.
Mallory Brauns (105), seeded third, finished fourth after receiving a first-round bye. She won by fall in the second period, lost by fall in the first period, and fell by fall in the first period to top-seeded Avery Hollingsworth of Mediapolis in the third-place match.
Lexie Wiley (140), seeded third, took fourth place. She won by fall in the second period, lost by fall in the second period, won by fall in the first period, and lost by fall in the second period in the third-place match.
Jacqueline Singer (105), seeded 13th, placed fifth. She lost by fall in the third period, received a bye, won by fall in the second period, defeated Fairfield’s Bekah Zirkle by fall, and pinned Fairfield’s June Connor by fall in the second period for fifth place.
Rylee Philips (120), seeded seventh, took fifth place. After a first-round bye, she lost by fall, received another bye, won by fall in the first period, and defeated teammate Arianna Harvey 17-4 by major decision in the fifth-place match.
Adisson McLain (155), seeded fifth, finished fifth. She won by forfeit, lost by fall in the first period, dropped a tough third-period match by fall to Fairfield’s Bailey Belzer, and won by fall in the first period in the fifth-place match.
Teagan Sickels (170), seeded sixth, placed sixth. She won by fall in the second period before losing three consecutive matches—two by fall and one by decision.
Arianna Harvey (120), seeded eighth, finished sixth. After a first-round bye, she lost by technical fall in the second period, received another bye, won by fall with one second to spare in the first period, and lost to teammate Philips 17-4 by major decision in the fifth-place match.
Both teams demonstrated strong performances against tough in-state and out-of-state competition to begin 2026, with multiple conference matchups providing early-season tests as the postseason approaches later this month.
Photography provided by Nathania Sexton.
