The nation's best girls high school wrestlers are being honored with the announcement of the sixth annual TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team.

Making the First Team for the fourth straight year was senior Caitlyn Chase of Glenbard North High School in Illinois. Chase was selected all four years that she was eligible and becomes the first four-time First Team member, going back to the creation of the program in 2001.

The five others who make the First Team for the second straight year were seniors Jackie Cataline of Norco High School in California and Sarah Peasley, a homeschooled athlete from Escanaba, Mich., plus sophomores Michaela Hutchison of Skyview High School in Alaska, Joey Miller of Woodward High School in Oklahoma and Tatiana Padilla of Northview High School in California.

TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team is selected by a nationwide panel of wrestling experts. It is the only national all-star team for which female high school wrestlers competing on all four grade levels are eligible. Athletes from across the nation were considered for their achievements in high school wrestling, as well as the major post-season freestyle and folkstyle competitions. 

TheMat.com is the official web page of USA Wrestling. ASICS is a national sponsor of USA Wrestling and a major supporter of wrestling at all levels. ASICS has sponsored the nationally respected ASICS High School All-American Team for boys wrestlers for 21 years.

"The ASICS Tiger Corporation is proud to be a sponsor of the All-American wrestling team for girls," said Neil Duncan, Vice President of TW Promotions which represents ASICS. "We see this sport having a huge potential for growth, and look forward to the day when many high schools and colleges across the country offer wrestling programs for the female athlete. These are our future Olympians in women's wrestling."

Members of the First Team, as well as TheMat.com/ASICS Wrestler of the Year, will be honored prior to the finals of the ASICS/Vaughan Women's Junior National Championships July 24-25 at Fargo, N.D. 

California led the nation with three First Team selections: Cataline, Padilla and Sheila McCabe of Valhalla High School. 

Three states had two girls qualify for the First Team, Illinois, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. First Team members from Illinois were Chase and Dallas Monreal-Berner of Niles West High School, while the Wisconsin First Team members were Amberle Ebert of Reedsville High School and Alyssa Lampe of Tomahawk High School. Making First Team from Oklahoma were Miller, plus Cheyenne Stokes of East Central High School.

Five members of the First Team members were All-Americans on the Senior level in freestyle wrestling, competing against the best women wrestlers of all ages.

Cataline placed second at the 2006 U.S. National Championships at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. Others who were All-Americans on the Senior level this season were Miller and Chase, plus Nicole Woody of Arundel High School in Maryland and Whitney Conder of Payallup High School in Washington.

The First Team featured 10 wrestlers who won national scholastic-style titles this year, by claiming gold medals at the 2006 USGWA National Championships in Michigan. The USGWA National champions on the First Team were Cataline, Padilla, Woody, Miller, Chase, Lampe, Ebert, Peasley, McCabe, plus LeAnn Barney of Sidney Lanier High School in Texas.

Eight of the First Team members won USA Wrestling age-group national titles over the last year: Cataline, Padilla, Woody, Miller, Chase, Hutchison, Stokes and Monreal-Berner.

First Team member Hutchison made national news by becoming the first girl to win a state high school wrestling championship competing against boys. Hutchison was a state runner-up in 2005 as a freshman. Placing second in the Wisconsin state high school meet was First Team member Lampe.

The First Team featured nine seniors, two juniors and three sophomores. In total, nine states were represented on the First Team. 

The Second Team was also star-studded, led by USGWA National Champions Brittany Delgado of Hillcrest High School in South Carolina, Adeline Gray of Bear Creek High School in Colorado, Amy Havens of Paradise High School in Colorado and Wrindy Shann of Sault Area High School in Michigan.

USA Wrestling age-group national champions on the Second Team include Amy Whitbeck of Duanesburg High School in New York and Paige Rife of Fowlerville High School in Michigan.

The Third Team featured numerous All-Americans at USA Wrestling national events, as well as at the USGWA Nationals. Among those selected was Marina Piccolotti of Terra Nova High School in California, who was eighth at the U.S. Women's Nationals, as well as Deseree Memea of University High School in Hawaii, who was a 2005 USA Wrestling Junior Nationals champion.

As the National Federation of State High Schools has yet to determine specific weight classes for girls wrestling, the athletes were selected based solely on achievement and ability. The top 14 athletes were named to the First Team, the second 14 athletes were named to the Second Team and the third 14 athletes were selected to the Third Team. Thirty athletes were named as Honorable Mention. An effort was made to make a reasonable spread of weights on each team. If the National Federation sets specific girls weight classes in the future, the selection committee will consider using those weight classes for the selection criteria at that time.

For the TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team, athletes were identified in three weight ranges: Light (100-121 pounds); Middle (122-140 pounds); Upper (141 pounds and above).

In total, 72 wrestlers were selected to TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team.

California led all states with 17 selections, followed by Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin with five and Texas with four.

A total of 28 states were represented on the All-American Team. The team included 22 seniors, 26 juniors, 17 sophomores and seven freshmen. 

Women's wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports among youth sports for women. Women's wrestling was the only new sport at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Ga. There are an estimated 6,000 girls competing on the high school level in the United States today, and the number has grown each year for the last dozen years. A number of colleges have begun to add women's wrestling on the varsity and club level across the nation.

2006 TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School All-American Wrestling Team

First Team (alphabetically)
LeAnn Barney, senior, Round Rock, Texas, Sidney Lanier High School, light
Jackie Cataline, senior, Corona, Calif., Norco High School, middle
Caitlyn Chase, senior, Naperville, Illinois, Glenbard North High School, light
Whitney Conder, senior, Puyallup, Wash., Puyallup High School, light
Amberle Ebert, senior, Reedsville, Wis., Reedsville High School, upper
Alyssa Lampe, senior, Tomahawk, Wis., Tomahawk High School, light
Michaela Hutchison, sophomore, Soldotna, Alaska, Skyview High School, light
Sheila McCabe, senior, El Cajon, Calif., Valhalla High School, upper
Joey Miller, sophomore, Woodward, Okla., Woodward High School, light
Dallas Monreal-Berner, senior, Niles, Ill., Niles West High School, upper
Tatiana Padilla, sophomore, LaVerne, Calif., Northview High School, middle
Sarah Peasley, senior, Escanaba, Mich., Homeschooled, middle
Cheyenne Stokes, junior, Tulsa, Okla., East Central High School, middle
Nicole Woody, junior, Odenton, Md., Arundel High School, light

Second Team
Christine Cunningham, junior, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., Torrey Pines High School, middle
Brittany Delgado, sophomore, Fountain Inn, S.C., Hillcrest High School, upper
Samantha Fee, senior, Blairstown, N.J., North Warren High School, middle
Katherine Fulp-Allen, senior, El Grenada, Calif, Half Moon Bay High School, light
Adeline Gray, freshman, Denver, Colo., Bear Creek High School, middle
Amy Havens, senior, Paradise, Calif., Paradise High School, upper
Beth Johnson, sophomore, Garden City, Kan., Garden City High School, middle
Helen Maroulis, freshman, Rockville, Md., Colonel Zadok Magruder High School, light
Kelli Rasmussen, senior, Winnebago, Minn., Blue Earth High School, light
Paige Rife, junior, Fowlerville, Mich., Fowlerville High School, upper
Trinity Pleissinger, junior, Yucca Valley, Calif., Yucca Valley High School, light
Wrindy Shann, junior, Sault St. Marie, Mich., Sault Area High School, middle
Amy Whitbeck, sophomore, Duanesburg, N,Y., Duanesburg High School, light
Cammy Yeik, sophomore, Bremerton, Wash., Fairview High School, light

Third Team
Veronica Carlson, freshman, Addison, Ill., Addison High School, middle
Carrie Clark, junior, Cedar Park, Texas, Vista Ridge High School, upper
Erin Clodgo, sophomore, Richmond, Vermont, Richmond High School, middle
Angel Diaz, senior, Amarillo, Texas, Tascosa High School, light
Shamaine Danner, senior, Richmond, Mo., Richmond High School, middle
Ashley Hebert, freshman, Rose City, Mich., Ogemaw Heights High School, light
Samantha Gorman, junior, Allendale, Mich., Allendale High School, middle
Cherasa Leak, junior, Topeka, Kan., Washburn Rural High School, upper
Deseree Memea, senior, Ewa Beach, Hawaii, University High School, upper
Terry Mikloff, junior, El Monte, Calif., South El Monte High School, upper
Marina Piccolotti, junior, Pacifica, Calif., Terra Nova High School, upper
Kara Takasaki, junior, Aiea, Hawaii, Punahu High School, middle
Jessica Teter, freshman, Parkersburg, W. Va., Parkersburg South High School, light
Brittany Woodall, junior, Buckhannon, W. Va., Buckhannon High School, middle

Note: Lightweights (100-121 lbs.); Middleweights (122-140); Upperweights (141 and above)

Honorable Mention
Megan Agajanian, junior, Moorpark, Calif., Louisville High School, upper
Jenna Ahnen, junior, Sparta, Wis., Sparta High School, middle
Lindsey Brooks, junior, Klein, Texas, Klein High School, upper
Schuyler Brown, sophomore, Montpelier, Va., Patrick Henry High School, light
Briana Conway, junior, Antes Fort, Pa., Jersey Shore High School, upper
Misty Corwin, sophomore, Waldport, Ore., Waldport High School, light
Jessica Deardorff, junior, Mundelein, Ill., Mundelein High School, upper
Sara Deardorff, junior, Mundelein, Ill., Mundelein High School, upper
Andi Eisenhower, sophomore, Sanford, Maine, Sanford High School, light
Sarah English, senior, Beachwood, Ohio, Beachwood High School, upper
Emily Espana, senior, Stockton, Calif., Lincoln High School, middle
Bresja Gallo, junior, Kissimmee, Fla., Osceola High School, middle
Jazzy Green, junior, Santa Monica, Calif., Santa Monica High School, light
Andrea Hughes, sophomore, Tucson, Ariz., Catalina Foothills High School, light
Michelle Jimenez, sophomore, San Jose, Calif., Oak Grove High School, light
Ashley Johnson, sophomore, Gibbon, Minn., New Ulm High School, middle
Lauren Knight, senior, Vallejo, Calif., Vallejo High School, middle
Samantha Lopez, freshman, West Covina, Calif., West Covina High School, light
Amber Miracle, junior, Berlin,Wis., Berlin High School, light
Ashley Mora, senior, Castro Valley, Calif., Castro Valley High School, upper
Chandra Peterson, junior, Lake Mills, Iowa, Lake Mills High School, light
Jordan St. Germaine, freshman, St. John N.D., St. John High School, middle
Tiffany Sluik, sophomore, Mason City, Iowa, Mason City High School, light
Paige Storm, sophomore, Spencer, Iowa, Spencer High School, middle
Heather Thompson, junior, Schuylerville, N.Y., Schuylerville High School, light
Rachel Tiedeman, senior, Rio, Wis., Columbus High School, middle
Shandanee Todd, senior, Kissimmee, Fla., Osceola High School, upper
Erica Torres, junior, Porterville, Calif., Granite Hills High School, middle
Carla Watase, junior, Honolulu, Hawaii, Iolani High School, light
Melissa Watkins, sophomore, Camas, Wash., Camas High School, light

Note: Lightweights (100-121 lbs.); Middleweights (122-140); Upperweights (141 and above)