Peninsula seniors Bailey Parker won her third consecutive state wrestling championship, and Lindsey Shipp successfully defended her title from last year to lead the Seahawks girls wrestling team to a third-place team finish at the 2026 Mat Classic XXXVII at the Tacoma Dome Feb. 19-20.
With her three championships, Parker is now the most decorated wrestler in Peninsula history.
The state’s top-ranked 155-pound wrestler according to the Washington Wrestling Network, Parker pinned all four of her opponents, including teammate Olivia Howell, in the quarterfinals. Howell came back and went on to place third in the 155-pound bracket.
In the championship match, Parker built a 10-0 lead against Everett’s Caitrona Wieber with two takedowns and a nearfall before securing a second-period pin. Parker previously beat Wieber in the semifinals of the Braided 64 tournament in January and in the quarterfinals of last year’s Mat Classic.
Parker finished her senior season 41-1 and closed her career at 124-12. All but seven of her victories came by pin. She has lost just four matches since her sophomore season and has become one of just 21 girls in Washington state history to win three or more state titles.
Top-seeded Shipp (170 pounds) faced a more challenging path to her second straight championship. After pinning her first two opponents, she trailed fourth-seeded Kiara Haertling of Southridge 4-1 midway through the third period of the semifinal. Shipp rallied with a takedown and an escape before securing a late pin to advance to the final.
In the championship match, Shipp edged No. 2 seed Makayla Finch of Stanwood 3-2 in a tightly contested bout. Finch scored first on a penalty point in the second period, but Shipp answered in the third, tying the match on a stalling call. Finch regained the lead with an escape, but a reversal by Shipp with 12 seconds remaining secured the 3-2 decision. Shipp, who finished this season 38-4, beat Finch, 12-2, in last year’s state semifinal.
Justus Johnson placed third at 120 pounds after rebounding from a semifinal loss to eventual champion Malia Ottow of Snohomish. Georgina Johnson finished sixth at 100 pounds, while Paige Powers (135) and Lyla Klinger (140) placed eighth.
Kelso won the 3A girls team title for the second consecutive year. Peninsula has now finished in the top three for three straight seasons, winning the state championship in 2024 and placing second last year. The Seahawks were the only girls team in 3A this year with multiple individual champions.
On the boys side, senior Nehemiah “Nemo” Grandorff placed fifth at 155 pounds, improving on last year’s sixth-place finish. The No. 3 seed advanced to the semifinals with two pins and a technical fall before losing to Paxson Cunanan of University. Grandorff also placed seventh at the Mat Classic as a sophomore.
Bryce Tillman (132 pounds) was the only other placer of the nine Seahawks boys who qualified for state, taking seventh.
David Howard (165 pounds) surprised a few people as the No. 26 seed opened with three wins on day one, including victories over the No. 7 and No. 10 seeds, before falling 10-4 to state champion Aydin Nuraddinov (Kent Meridian) in the quarterfinals. Howard dropped both consolation matches on day two.
The Seahawks boys finished 25th as a team. Hermiston claimed the 3A boys team title.
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