When Globe’s McKaila Dillon stepped onto the mat at the AIA Wrestling State Championship two weeks ago, she was still technically a first-year wrestler. A year earlier, her season had ended almost as soon as it began, with a torn tendon that sidelined her for months. This time, the high school junior wrestled six matches over two days, pinning most of her opponents on the way to a fourth-place finish in the state. This is the first time a girl from Globe has ever placed at state in wrestling.
Dillon, who also plays volleyball and golf, says she didn’t set out to become a wrestler; she was looking for something to fill the gap between the fall volleyball seasons and golf in the spring, to keep her in shape.
Wrestling has given her something she doesn’t get from either of her other sports: a one-on-one test of strength and nerve.
“I think it gives me a chance to show my strength,” she says. “I really like how I’m able to be one-on-one with a person instead of just being in a team. It’s different, for sure.”
Last year, in her very first tournament, Dillon tore the tendon that holds her kneecap in place. It was painful, serious, and it ended her season on the spot.
She could have walked away, but her coaches wouldn’t let her give up on herself. She says Coach Duarte told her that it’s okay, and reminded her she still had next year.
With physical therapy, help from her weights teacher, and a lot of work in the weight room, Dillon slowly rebuilt strength and confidence in her knee. When this season started, she thought about wearing a brace, then decided to trust the work she’d put in.
Her current coach, Coach Isaac, says what she did this season was nothing short of remarkable.
“She’s gone up like three levels this year,” he says. “At state, she just kept winning, and winning big. A lot of those matches didn’t go the full six minutes. She’s 100% one of the ones to watch. I believe she can go all the way next year.”
Ask Dillon who’s helped her most as an athlete, and she doesn’t hesitate.
“My brother Ashton,” she says. “More than anybody knows.”
Ashton Dillon has been there for her in every sport, peppering with her in volleyball, wrestling around just for fun, and now serving as one of her golf coaches.
“He’s really in tune with me and all my sports,” she says. “I’m so grateful for him.”
If Dillon is the program’s rising star, senior Isabel Rascom is its pioneer.
Rascom joined wrestling three years ago, when the concept of girls wrestling in Arizona was just getting off the ground and Globe’s girls team numbered just three.
“I was doing cross country, and one of my friends, Nevaeh, was talking about wrestling on the bus,” she remembers. “She was talking about how fun it is and what goes on in wrestling, and I decided to join because of her.”
What hooked her wasn’t the team aspect; it was the opposite.
“I think it’s fun because it’s an individual sport,” she says. “It’s more about yourself. That’s what’s cool.”
Her favorite memory is still her first-ever match.
“I had learned a move, a cradle, like 30 minutes before my match,” she says. “I went into my match and pulled it off. It was amazing. It’s the best feeling ever.”
Rascom was one of the first girls to sign up when the sport launched statewide and at Globe. She’s watched the program grow from just a few girls to a full room.
“Seeing more girls coming out, more support, it’s really awesome,” she says. “I think it’s really cool to see.”
After graduation, she plans to study nursing at Grand Canyon University and hopes to join the GCU wrestling club and keep competing.
Girls wrestling is still relatively new as its own sport in Arizona, but it’s growing fast. Since the state began offering a dedicated girls division just a few years ago, programs like Globe’s have gone from a handful of pioneers to nearly full rooms. Elise Combs, of Miami’s neighboring high school, also just placed fourth in her division at the 2026 AIA State Wrestling Championships.
Nationwide, high school girls wrestling participation has more than doubled since 2021–22 and now includes over 60,000 athletes, making it one of the fastest-growing sports in the country.
That growth is being felt at the college level too. The NCAA has now elevated women’s wrestling to official championship status, with the first national collegiate women’s wrestling championship set for 2026, opening even more doors for athletes like Rascom and Dillon.
In Globe, that momentum is already reshaping the program. What began with just three girls has grown to nine, with more expected next year. Much of that progress comes from athletes like Isabel and McKaila, who stepped onto the mat before they knew what they were capable of, and kept going.
Both hope more girls will give the sport a chance.
As Dillon says, “Don’t be afraid to try. You never know what you’re good at until you do it.”
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