What is new for Northwoods Drifter in 2026
When Olivia Hofrichter steps onto the mat at the Kohl Center in Madison this week, she’ll carry more than just her own championship dreams. The Antigo High School senior carries the hopes of young wrestlers watching from small Northwoods towns, the legacy of a sister who dominated before her, and the weight of being a pioneer in a sport that’s barely found its footing in Wisconsin.
She’s ready for all of it.
Last season, Hofrichter claimed the state championship as a junior in the 145-pound weight class. Now she’s back, defending her title while chasing something bigger — her sister’s three-state-title record and a chance to prove that girls from Deerbrook can stand among the best in Wisconsin.
Olivia didn’t invent wrestling at Antigo High School. Her older sister Alex did that, winning three state titles before heading off to wrestle at the University of Dubuque in Iowa.
“She kinda paved the way for me, made it easier to keep going,” Olivia says. Then she adds with the competitive fire that’s earned her over 100 career wins: “I just want to beat her.”
That’s not trash talk. That’s respect wrapped in sibling rivalry, the kind that pushes athletes to levels they wouldn’t reach alone.
Right now, the girls’ side of Antigo’s Wrestling Wall of Fame features only Hofrichter names. Alex’s three championships shine above Olivia’s one — a daily reminder in the wrestling room of what’s possible and what’s still ahead.
Coach Joe Pregler doesn’t mince words when describing his star wrestler. “She’s a flat-out winner,” he says, pointing to her career stats: well over 100 wins, more than 100 pins, and an 88-12 lifetime record entering this season.
But the numbers don’t capture everything Hofrichter brings to the program. Middle school girls now flock to practice hoping to catch a glimpse of her technique, her intensity, her proof that girls from small Northwoods communities can compete at the highest levels.
The impact shows in tangible ways:
“You can just see the glow in their eyes when they come into the wrestling room,” Pregler says. “They see her and they’re just fascinated.”
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association only sanctioned girls’ wrestling as an official varsity sport in 2023-2024. Before that, girls competed in what was essentially club status — tournaments existed since 1994, but without the full recognition or resources boys’ programs enjoyed.
Hofrichter’s senior season coincides with this historic shift. She’s not just defending a championship; she’s helping define what girls’ wrestling looks like in its infancy across Wisconsin.
Her recent bronze medals in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the 2025 Northern Plains Regional Championships show she’s preparing for what comes after high school. That field included four state champions, and Hofrichter held her own against competition that stretches far beyond Wisconsin’s borders.
“Competing for me has always kinda been more about the fun in it, and that’s what I like about wrestling. Alex kinda made it look easy, I struggled a little bit, but when I got there I knew that’s where I belonged and that’s where I hope to stay.” — Olivia Hofrichter
Defending champions always face tougher competition. Every wrestler in Madison this week knows Hofrichter’s record, her technique, her wins.
She finished last season 43-3, holding Antigo’s school record for most wins by a female wrestler. She ranks third in state rankings at her weight class, trailing Riley Hanrahan (who holds the top national ranking at 140 pounds) and Harlow Skenandore — whom Hofrichter defeated in last year’s state semifinals.
Coach Pregler acknowledges the challenge: “She’ll have a bullseye on her from the other competitors.”
But Hofrichter isn’t backing down. She’s spent the season preparing, training, and watching that Wall of Fame, where her sister’s three titles still outnumber her one.
In communities like Deerbrook and Antigo, where forests outnumber people and the closest mall sits an hour away, high school sports carry extra weight. They’re gathering points for towns, sources of pride during long winters, and proof that small doesn’t mean limited.
Hofrichter embodies that Northwoods resilience — the kind that shows up to practice in the dark, drives hours for tournaments, and finds ways to compete against better-funded programs from bigger cities.
Whether she wins her second state title or not, she’s already changed what’s possible for girls in Langlade County wrestling rooms. That Wall of Fame won’t stay limited to Hofrichter names forever. Not with young wrestlers watching, learning, and dreaming about their own championship runs.
The tournament starts Thursday afternoon in Madison. And somewhere between those opening matches and the final championship rounds, a senior from Deerbrook will step onto the mat carrying the hopes of everyone who believes small-town athletes belong among the best.
Written by
Mike has been coming up or living in the Northwoods since his childhood. He is also an avid outdoorsman, writer and supper club aficionado.
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