Three local wrestlers in national rankings

White River’s Stroud sits at No. 4 in the country.

Three of the Plateau’s top female wrestlers – Enumclaw High’s Kenzie Cormier and White River’s Payton Stroud and Claire DiCugno – find themselves ranked among the best in the nation.

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling and FloWrestling have partnered again this year to create preseason national rankings for high school girls.

Carrying the top preseason ranking locally is Stroud, a senior who is pegged at No. 4 at 122 pounds. That’s one step up from the No. 5 ranking she had at the end of last season. Cormier is listed at No. 7 at 112 pounds and DiCugno is 16th at 127; both are sophomores and neither was ranked late last year.

At last season’s state championships, staged in mid-March in the Tacoma Dome, Stroud battled her way to the finals in the 120-pound classification, taking second place. Also at Mat Classic, Cormier was fourth at 110 pounds and DiCugno finished fourth at 125.

The preseason rankings evaluate all girls enrolled in grades nine through 12 and include athletes from all 50 states. Currently, Washington is among the 14 states which sponsor official or emerging girls state high school championships. Many other states are developing girls high school programs.

The preseason rankings evaluate success from the summer USA Wrestling schedule, other postseason events and some early preseason competitions, where top high school girls from across the nation face each other. Updated rankings will be published Jan. 9, Jan. 13, Feb. 20, March 13, May 1 and June 26.

Here are other wrestlers from Washington making the national list.

• Marissa Riojas, sophomore, Toppenish High School, 17th at 106 pounds.

• Holly Beaudoin, junior, North Kitsap High School, sixth at 112 pounds.

• Molly Williams, junior, Redmond High School, 18th at 112 pounds.

• Phoenix Dubose, senior, Yelm High School, third at 117 pounds.

• Viktorya Torres, junior, Granger High School, eighth at 122 pounds.

• Kaylee Moore, senior, Naches Valley High School, fourth at 127 pounds.

• Allison Blaine, junior, Hudson’t Bay High School, 16th at 132 pounds.

• Kiley Hubby, junior, Glacier Peak High School, fourth at 152 pounds.

• Lourdes Torres, sophomore, Sunnyside High School, sixth at 152 pounds.

• Alice Brulotte, sophomore, Ferndale High School, 11th at 152 pounds.

• Sierra Mason, junior, Hanford High School, 12th at 164 pounds.

• Tatus Heikkila, sophomore, Aberdeen High School, 15th at 180 pounds.

• Ofa He Lotu Tuifua, sophomore, Kent-Meridian High School, 15th at 200 pounds.