After earning a pair of sixth-place medals and advancing to the IHSA Individual State Finals her first three seasons, Ottawa senior Juliana Thrush wanted to end her Pirates career on a strong note.

She did just that.

Thrush closed out a fantastic career with a runner-up finish at 235 pounds at the state finals and has been named the 2026 Times Girls Wrestler of the Year for the second straight time.

“I was disappointed I lost, but I just kept thinking I was able to wrestle at state for all four years and how cool that is,” Thrush said. “I’d finished sixth twice and my main goal was to finish higher this year and I did. I feel like I did the best I could, finishing second. I can live with it. I’m proud of what I accomplished.

“I had a little bit of a hiccup at the start of the season, but I was able to settle in pretty quickly after that. Being my last season and a captain, it was a tough balance in worrying about how I was doing but also how my teammates were doing. That said, it was a great responsibility to have.”

On the season, Thrush finished 31-5 and won the Interstate 8 Conference Tournament title, while finishing second place at both the Ottawa Holiday Hootenanny Tournament and Princeton Invitational.

After last season, Thrush said working on the mental side of things was going to be a big focus for her.

“I did a lot of work on my mental preparation,” Thrush said. “I did a lot of mental training and did journaling for a while, which helped me a lot. I was very closed minded about how I was feeling about my wrestling, but this year started talking to teammates and coaches about my feelings. Talking about how I feel going into and after my matches really helped.

“Our team was very close to each other and that helped me open up a little bit.”

Thrush started the postseason winning the regional title at Normal West, then kept things rolling, winning her opening two matches at the DeKalb Sectional by pinfall before earning a 2-0 victory in the title match.

At state, Thrush captured a pair of decision triumphs around a pinfall to reach the championship match against Tolono Unity’s Phoenix Molina. The title bout saw Molina pick up a pair of escapes to top Thrush 2-0.

“I have always been comfortable about the style of wrestler I am, but after last year I knew I had to change some things,” Thrush said. “It wasn’t really so much about adding anything but more becoming even better with the things I know work for me. I wanted to make sure I was as close to perfect with the things that I have done in the past that have been my go-tos.”

Thrush said she has a ton of great memories from the past season but that one, a team quadrangular at Yorkville, may be at the top of the list.

“First, we were wrestling in a team event, which was amazing,” Thrush said. “This sport has come so far in the past four years and to be able to not only wrestle for myself, but a team was awesome. Everyone on the team was into it from start to finish, everyone was rooting so hard for each other. I can’t even tell you how we did that night, but I just remember how fun it was to be a part of it.”

Thrush said she hasn’t made a decision on where she’d like to go, but said she’s hoping to continue to wrestle at the collegiate level while working toward a degree in social working with elementary or high school kids.

“I really wasn’t too emotional before or during state, but that bus ride home I cried a lot of tears,” Thrush said. “I was happy and sad at the same time. It’s been a fantastic four years wrestling for Ottawa and I can’t thank all of my coaches and teammates enough for the great time I’ve had. They are my second family and always will be.”