Sixth-grader Ella Heyne is tough on the wrestling mat

Ella Heyne is heading into sixth grade at Whitefish Middle School, and according to her mom, Carly Sether-Heyne, when she steps onto the wrestling mat, “she makes girls and boys equally cry.” 

“My favorite thing about wrestling is the intensity and getting to travel,” Ella said. 

“We do a lot of traveling, because there’s only so much wrestling around here. We’re trying to get to bigger tournaments. People say women’s wrestling is the fastest growing high school sport,” said Carly. 

Ella got into wrestling young, following in the footsteps of her brother, who’s seven years older than her.  

She grew up mostly wrestling boys, but seven years of experience later, she takes on all genders more often.  

Ella is dominant in the state and nationwide. She placed first in the Montana Open in Billings four years in a row and took the top spot at the Folkstyle State tournament, also in Billings, for three years.  

On the national stage, Ella placed first at the U.S. Marines Women’s National Freestyle Championship for wrestling in Spokane, Washington in April. Most recently, she placed first at Rocky Mountain Nationals in Las Vegas in June.  

Ella said the big tournaments last two or three days. She says if she’s wrestling boys, she can take on anywhere from 10 to 30 opponents. When it’s only girls, there’s usually five or six.  

“At first, sometimes boys are like, oh, I got a girl – easy. But with Ella, not so much,” Carly Sether-Heyne said. 

Ella said being flexible and her mindset gives her an advantage.  

Ella said she practices and competes in all three styles of wrestling: folk style, free style and Greco. 

“Folk style was my favorite for a while. You can’t lock on bottom, and you can’t really throw; they’ll give you a caution. But I’m starting to like freestyle and Greco more... in these, you can just pick them up and let them fly,” Ella said.  

Both Ella and Carly are thankful for the Kalispell Wrestling club and Ella’s coaches Rich Vasquez and Nate and Angelica Sweat. “They dedicate a lot and practice multiple times a week on a volunteer basis,” Carly said.

    Ella Heyne earns a belt buckle on top of the podium at the Women’s National Tournament in Spokane, WA earlier this year. (Photo provided by Carly Sather-Heyne)