While her male Allen County Area Athlete of the Month counterpart Cole Mathes is wrapping up his wrestling career, Taevyn Baylor’s high school career has yet to reach its apex in her quest for another run at a state title in 2026.
Baylor, a junior at Humboldt High School, said she is already planning for the next wrestling season by participating in the upcoming summer free-style and Greco-Roman wrestling season, “so I can be better next year,” she said.
Baylor missed her first Greco-Roman/Free-Style wrestling practice due to starting for the Lady Cubs softball team in its opener. “I’m not sure if I can compete in tournaments, but I’m definitely going to practice tices. It’s a little hard with my softball schedule but wrestling is a big part of my life. I’m super excited.”
Following her run at a regional title, Baylor entered the state tournament as the top seed in the 155-pound weight class.
She seemed to cruise to the semifinals with a first period pin of Wichita County freshman Jaelene Vestal (20-17), then pinned Phillipsburg junior Johnna Ebner (27-16) in the second period. She fell via first-period pin to Plainville senior Zoe Brown (38-7), but quickly bounced back to pin Norcatur senior Dali Braun (26-18) to wrestle for third place.
Baylor fell to Hutchinson senior Trista Rogers (44-7).
While setbacks discourage some athletes, Baylor said her losses at state are motivating her to work harder over the summer.
“It feels great. I know I showed what I could accomplish,” Baylor said.
By practicing a style of wrestling older than the New Testament, Baylor will add an entirely new set of weapons to her arsenal of moves and hopes those new assets will pay off by the time the regional tournament begins in February of 2026.
“I just want to better myself, and the extra practice just looks fun,” Baylor said.
