The Lady Dragon wrestling team just completed their fourth official season on the mats.  The 2026 season marked a historic point for the emerging program, displaying its clear upward trajectory and growing momentum.

Aubrey Shulz earning 3rd place at state wrestling.

 Qualifying for the IHSAA State Wrestling Tournament were three Lady Dragon wrestlers- seniors Aubrey Shultz, Cale Carter, and Braylee Price.  Their strong finishes at the tournament was widely celebrated not only for their individual accomplishments but for the strides the MHS girls wrestling program has made since its beginning.  These athletes played a crucial part in the beginning years of the program, a program that carried them through to the culminating event of their final season as Malad wrestlers.   

Finishing with 50 wins for 2026 and placing 3rd at state, Aubrey Shultz had an incredible senior wrestling season.  In her first match of the tournament, she pinned her opponent in the first round. Moving on to the quarterfinals, Shultz battled through a tough match, securing another pin, this time in the third round. 

In the semifinals she faced the #1 seed and despite her very best efforts, came up short of the finals. Disappointed by the loss but certainly not undeterred, Shultz bounced back in the consolation semifinals in a dominating way.  Leaving her opponent scoreless over the six minute match, she ended the bout with an 8–0 win.  Ending her state tournament journey on a final win, Shulz tallied a 12–3 victory to secure the third place finish in her final match.

Teammate Cale Carter became Malad’s very first four-time girls state qualifier, a stellar career for any athlete, let alone one from an up and coming program.  Carter started her course with a first-round pin in her opening match. In a heartbreaking turn of events, Cale dropped a hard-fought match in the next round.  

Sending her to the backside of the double elimination bracket, Carter wrestled with relentless grit and determination. Her path from one match to the next was laced with a single thread- complete dominance.  Pinning every opponent she faced, Carter found herself in the third place match, pitted against the very opponent she had previously lost to. Ready for the rematch, she battled through the first and second periods of the bout.  With only a final two minutes left to decide a winner, Carter put everything out on the mat.  Holding her competitor to the floor just long enough, the ref slapped the mat to signal the pin and win for the Lady Dragon, winning her the third place finish.   

Cale Carter on the podium with 3rd place at state wrestling.

Braylee Price, the final qualifying MHS wrestler, suffered setbacks throughout the  season after an injury kept her out for much of the year.  Working to rest, rehab, and strengthen, Price was determined to finish out her final wrestling season.  Getting the all clear, she hit the mats, returning just in time for regionals where she impressively qualified for state.

Her opening match started her state quest in a challenging way, losing her first bout.  Destined early for a hard fought comeback, Price immediately battled to secure an 8–1 win in her second match. Advancing on, she ultimately fell short in her third match to end her tournament run. Price’s comeback was demonstrated not by her finish on the medal stand but rather her ability to refuse to let her injury keep her from competing on the biggest stage and at the highest level of the season.

Carter and Shultz ended the season as Malad highest finishers with their two 3rd place medals.  This feat is a proud accomplishment, but especially in the context of understanding the uniqueness of the IHSAA tournament.  As the sport is still growing, all girls wrestling competitors are placed in the same tournament, regardless of their classification.  Unlike the boys’ tournament where wrestlers are split up into different divisions the Lady Dragon athletes were pitted against the very best opponents, most from much larger programs and more numerous resources.    

The Lady Dragon wrestling staff were nothing but proud of the accomplishments of their team, especially these three seniors.  Head Coach Cambree Howe shared, “All season long all of the girls on our teams put in work in the wrestling room and in the classrooms. Earning Academic State Champions, multiple state qualifiers and two state podium finishers was a great way to complete this season.  I am so proud of the girls on the team this year they all had an all around awesome season.”