Since medaling in second place at the IHSA girls individual state finals as a sophomore, Crystal Lake South’s Annalee Aarseth has been training alongside her brother, Logan, for her junior season.

“I think we both have similar goals and ambitions,” Aarseth said. “We both want to try our hardest to be the best we can be. We push each other and when you’re around someone who’s trying to be his best, then I’m going to try and be my best, too.”

Aarseth, who trains at Team Tortorice Wrestling with Logan, a freshman, during the offseason, is already off to a hot start. She won all four of her bouts and recorded three pins to take first place at 115 pounds during the E-Rab Girls Invitational at Rockford East on Nov. 26. She also won five bouts to finish in first place during the Sandy Gussarson Invitational in Antioch on Dec. 13.

Already a two-time IHSA state qualifier, Aarseth said her goal for this season is to bring home a state championship.

“So far, this season has been going really well,” Aarseth said. “I’m looking to finish higher on the podium this year. ... My goal is to be a state champion and that’s going to take a lot of hard work. I think that maintaining a healthy weight, eating healthy and training hard every single day will be important. I’ll be listening to my coaches and listening to their critiques on what I need to improve on.”

Aarseth didn’t begin wrestling until her freshman year, but her experience in jiu-jitsu allowed her to quickly catch on to her new sport. Featuring a cradle technique she honed as a freshman, as well as her favorite move, the sweep single, Aarseth has become one of the top girls wrestlers in the McHenry County area. She went 34-6 as a freshman before going 17-3 as a sophomore.

“Annalee is the kindest, most hardworking person I know on and off the mat,” South coach Amy Saldivar-Castaneda said. “She makes sure to build relationships with all of her opponents, works to learn from them and even supports them in their future matches. ... Annalee has been a wonderful role model for other girls who have come to try wrestling. She is a leader and a motivator for our girls team and our boys team.”

A two-time Northwest Herald All-Area honoree, Aarseth made history during her freshman season, becoming the first girl from Crystal Lake South to reach the IHSA state tournament. Aarseth, who placed third at both regionals and sectionals, was inspired to wrestle after seeing her brother Logan, a fifth-place finisher in the 2025 IESA state tournament, succeed at the middle-school level.

“My brother had a lot of success, and when I saw that I thought maybe I would wrestle when I got to high school, too,” Aarseth said. “I’ve enjoyed all of my teammates, coaches and all of the people I’ve met through wrestling, which has brought me to Fargo and different camps. I’ve made a lot of different friendships.”

Aarseth relished her first state tournament experience and vowed to return as a sophomore. While she primarily wrestled with the boys team, Aarseth showed dominance during the girls postseason, winning her first regional title and earning a runner-up finish at sectionals. A shift from defense to offense spurred her forward.

“The biggest thing from my freshman year to my sophomore year was that I started improving on my shots a lot,” Aarseth said. “I was a lot more of a defensive wrestler during my freshman year, but I overcame that fear of shooting. Being at state showed me how much more there was at the higher level. It showed me how much I needed to train if I want to be a state champion one day.”

Aarseth’s sophomore campaign once again concluded at state, where she rallied off three consecutive victories, including a pin in the semifinals, to become Crystal Lake South’s first girls wrestler to qualify for the state finals. Despite a loss against Kaneland’s Angelina Gochis, Aarseth was proud of her sophomore success and achieving a goal of winning her first regional championship.

“I remember looking back to my freshman year, I looked up to the girls who placed first and I wished I could be like them,” Aarseth said. “Getting first place made my younger self proud. ... Being able to train over the offseason between my freshman and sophomore years gave me more of a foundation, which helped me grow faster.”

Now a junior, Aarseth competes with surging confidence after her state runner-up performance. Aarseth, who won bouts by technical fall, decision and fall to make the state finals, said her adaptability played a major role in her ability to finish in second.

“I talked with coach [Trevor] Jauch about how different people wrestle and their styles,” Aarseth said. “I listened to my coaches about how people are going to wrestle. I used that to determine what my game plan would be, and I used that to my advantage. I’m definitely starting with more confidence than I did last season.”

A multi-sport athlete who’s played basketball, volleyball and runs cross country and track, Aarseth started jiu-jitsu in second grade. Inspired by her father Dave, a U.S. Marine who has also practiced jiu-jitsu, Aarseth and her brother attended Roots Training Center in Island Lake.

From jiu-jitsu to wrestling, Aarseth’s humility shines.

“She is full of gratitude,” Saldivar-Castaneda said. “Last year, Annalee was primarily on our boys varsity team and I saw her persevere, even when she felt down about her results with the boys. ... Watching her grow into the wrestler she is today has been such an honor. I love coaching her and she has also given me the confidence and validation in my career as a coach.”