Richards wrestler Mia Palumbo has eyes on state finals, future Olympics

In 2018, Palumbo burst onto the prep wrestling scene during a historic freshman season. She qualified for the state tournament and became the first girl to win a match there.

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Richards’ Mia Palumbo listens to her coach during practice.

Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

It has been a quiet couple of years for Richards’ Mia Palumbo, but that’s about to change.

In 2018, Palumbo burst onto the prep wrestling scene during a historic freshman season. Before that year, only two girls had qualified for the state wrestling tournament, which began in 1937.

Palumbo and Dunbar’s Quiovany Santos both qualified in 2018, and Palumbo became the first girl to win a match at state. In fact, she won two — one of them apparently after suffering two tears in the labrum of one of her hips in a quarterfinal loss.

That injury didn’t stop Palumbo from wrestling — or winning. She won two girls national titles that summer before finally having the injury diagnosed and repaired.

‘‘I just had to wrestle though it,’’ Palumbo said. ‘‘I wrestled the whole summer with it. And I had surgery when I came back from [nationals in] Fargo [North Dakota].’’

That speaks to Palumbo’s tolerance for pain and her determination.

‘‘I know it’s better when you have more mental strength than physical,’’ she said.

That came in handy last spring. Palumbo finally was done rehabbing from the hip

injury and was at a wrestling camp in May when she suffered a torn meniscus in one of her knees. That kept her out till November.

‘‘It was really tough at first because I was getting ready to go train for world team trials,’’ Palumbo said. ‘‘I just wanted to wrestle. I was out for so long.’’

But she couldn’t walk, let alone wrestle. So it was another surgery and another rehab.

Palumbo, however, didn’t get mad. She got philosophical.

‘‘I was like, ‘Maybe it’s all just part of the plan,’ ’’ she said. ‘‘Maybe I needed some time off. Maybe I wasn’t ready.’’

Whatever the case, Palumbo is ready now. She is 13-2 as Richards’ 106-pounder, with tournament titles at Morton and Leyden. She’s fourth in Class 2A at 106 in the latest Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials

Association rankings.

If she finishes among the top six at the state finals next month in Champaign, it’ll be another historic achievement. Though she’s trying to stay in the moment, it’s hard for

Palumbo not to look ahead.

‘‘I try not to look at the rankings because anything could happen in any match,’’ she said. ‘‘[But] it would be amazing. My family’s always talking about it and my coaches, and it would be an amazing thing just to go out there and wrestle hard and place.’’

One of her coaches, however, is taking a more nuanced view. That coach is also her dad, Rob, who wrestled at Richards and now is an assistant coach who works daily with his daughter and his son Rocco, a senior wrestler for the Bulldogs.

‘‘We don’t put our focus on that,’’ Rob

Palumbo said of Mia placing at state. ‘‘We just go out and wrestle. What’s meant to happen, happens. If it happens, do we know it’s going to be historical? Yes. But we’re not putting a lot of emphasis on making history. We’re just going out there to wrestle.’’

* * *

To understand Rob’s stance on Mia’s prospects in the IHSA state series, it’s useful to consider that while she’s good against boys, she’s dominant against girls.

Mia is ranked No. 1 nationally among

female 106-pounders by FloWrestling.org, with a couple of high-profile victories since returning from the knee injury.

‘‘I think she’s back,’’ Rob said. ‘‘But do I think she’s back to where she wants to be? No. We’re still working, still knocking dust off. We’ve still got to be cleaner in some things.’’

Rob is thinking about the long term, past the state finals, past Mia’s prep career.

‘‘We’re looking for Olympic titles,’’ he said. ‘‘That was what she told me years ago. And I told her: ‘I’m gonna do everything I can to put you in those situations. The rest is up to you.’ ’’

That has been the family’s mindset since Mia started wrestling more than 10 years ago.

‘‘When she first started, she was reckless . . . rolling around like a crazy little kid,’’ Rob said. ‘‘But as she got older, you could start to see this wasn’t your typical female wrestler.’’

Mia started out wrestling against other girls and was unbeatable. So Rob had her competing against boys, a path less taken in youth wrestling.

‘‘A lot of people who had daughters at that time were [having them wrestle girls],’’ he said. “And they kind of looked at us like we were the outlaws. I was like: ‘My daughter doesn’t need that. She needs competition, not girls she’s going to beat up. That doesn’t make anyone better.’ ’’

* * *

With girls wrestling gaining in popularity, Mia’s success hasn’t gone unnoticed by younger athletes.

At youth tournaments, Rob said: ‘‘Little girls are running up to get her signature or sign shoes. She’ll sign and just kind of laugh. . . . I’m like: ‘You don’t understand. These little girls look up to you. You’re their hero, and you’re standing in front of them. Most people don’t get to meet their hero, you know?’ ’’

Being the face of girls wrestling in Illinois while also competing against boys in high school has given Mia a unique perspective.

‘‘I think sometimes there is acceptance of female wrestling,’’ she said. ‘‘But sometimes people just don’t like it, so those are the kind of people you just need to block out. I think since it’s growing a little more . . . it’s getting better.’’

And if she ends up on the medals stand at state in a few weeks, it’ll be better still for Mia and her fellow athletes.

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