Which central Ohio girls wrestlers are having breakout seasons?

As central Ohio girls wrestling teams gear up for the postseason, established athletes have their sights set on the state tournament March 13-15 at the Schottenstein Center.

Other competitors are out to erase memories of a disappointing finish last winter, while some excelling on varsity for the first time hope their regular-season success carries over to the postseason, which begins March 1 with sectional.

Here are six Columbus-area girls wrestlers who are delivering breakout performances this season. Watch for a story on breakout boys wrestlers Feb. 4.

Mykah Bailey, Gahanna Lincoln

After falling one place shy of qualifying for state last season, the junior aims to take the next step and is 35-2 at 190 pounds with several strong performances, including a first-place finish Jan. 11 in the Pioneer Classic at Olentangy Orange.

Bailey has five wins against competitors ranked in the top 20 statewide. Both losses came in the Women of Ironman Tournament in mid-December at Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit, where she placed fourth.

“Since the early season losses, Mykah has been improving every week,” coach Jamie Leeseberg said.

Bailey went 32-10 last year and placed fifth at district at 175, making her a state alternate.

Kendleigh Dowalter, Grove City

The freshman has made an immediate impact for the Greyhounds. Competing at 125, she is 26-3 with 19 pins and five wins by technical fall.

Season highlights for Dowalter include beating Miamisburg’s Lila Krull by technical fall (18-0) on her way to winning the title at the Heart of Ohio Tournament on Jan. 17 at Mechanicsburg. Krull finished second at state last season at 125.

“Kendleigh is coming into her own so far this season,” coach Mitch Slyman said. “She’s been putting in the work, and it shows. Sometimes you get freshmen that have had a lot of success growing up, get to high school and think they can coast through, (but) not her. She has doubled down on her effort, and it translates to her success on the mat.”

Izzy Farrow, Westerville North

After missing the 2025 postseason because of a dislocated left elbow, Farrow appears ready to challenge for her first state berth.

The senior is 22-8 at 135, including a first-place finish in the Lady Braves Invitational on Jan. 17 at Whetstone.

“She was disappointed (last season), but she handled it well,” said coach Kenny Farrow, her dad. “She went through the healing process and immediately continued with her training throughout the summer and kept working hard at the weights and wrestling. She’s surpassed where she would have been had she not had the injury. She’s wrestling well, so we’re optimistic.”

Abi Forsythe, Delaware Hayes

The 100-pound junior has sparked the Pacers from the beginning of the lineup, going 23-4 with titles at the Mount Orab Western Brown Hammer and Anvil Invitational and the DeSales Classic.

Coach Kevin Rieman has been impressed with Forsythe’s progress after she came up one spot short of state last season, placing fifth at district at 105.

“She competes aggressively and strives for perfection,” Rieman said. “The biggest area of growth this season has come with the mental and emotional aspect of the sport. Wrestling can be extremely tough emotionally and Abi continues to grow in this area, and the results are showing.”

Alanna Smith, Olentangy Orange

After failing to qualify for state a year ago and supporting the Pioneers from the bench during their second consecutive OHSAA title, the junior entered this season with added motivation and is 21-6 at 140 with 11 pins.

“I was proud of everyone on my team (last season),” Smith said. “It was tougher watching people I beat place at state because my district (tournament) was so hard. I was really upset about that.”

Smith placed sixth at district at 140 last year, finishing the season 33-12.

“She wrestled really hard last season,” coach Brian Nicola said. “We moved her up (in weight) last minute and (she was) a little bit small for 140, so in the offseason she made a big commitment to (adding) strength. She’s probably one of the strongest girls on our team, if not the strongest. She’s done a really nice job at 140.”

As a freshman, Smith finished 30-15 after going 0-2 at state at 115.

Delaney Tackett, Olentangy Orange

The freshman has added to the program’s depth, going 20-5 with 15 pins at 110.

“Delaney is awesome,” Nicola said. “She’s wrestled for us since the youth program and she’s always been a very competitive wrestler and always very talented. We were excited to get her in the lineup this year as a freshman.”

Tackett earned three consecutive runner-up finishes in the junior high state tournament.

“Since this is my first year in high school, it’s crazy to see how the team has responded and how we have a good team dynamic,” Tackett said. “Everyone is friendly with each other.”

High school sports reporter Frank DiRenna can be reached at fdirenna@dispatch.com and at @DispatchFrank on X.