Vaughan sisters make their mark

History was made over the weekend for Wautoma Wrestling, particularly for the standout Vaughan sisters. Brynlee Vaughan and Laynie Vaughan, a sophomore and junior at Wautoma High School, started Day 1 of the WIAA Individual Wrestling Tournament on Feb. 26 with undefeated records. By the end of the tournament on Feb. 28, they added four more wins, a state title, and a runner-up team state title to their resumes.
The preliminary round began on 2/26 with quick wins for the Vaughan sisters. Brynlee, ranked #1 in her 152-pound weight class bracket, pinned her opponent from Spooner/Webster in 1 minute and 17 seconds. Laynie, also the #1 seed in her 165-pound weight class bracket, pinned Kennedy Kingston from Chippewa Falls in a quick 18 seconds. This pin landed Laynie in the top 5 fastest pins throughout the entire tournament (girls and boys division 1-3). The quarterfinal round brought more success, landing Brynlee with a 1:40 pin and Laynie with a 1:17 pin.
On 2/27, Brynlee and Laynie faced the semifinals round, which is where they faced challenges in last year’s 2025 state tournament, leaving with 4th place and 3rd place finishes, respectively. But this year, they found themselves on the other side, winning their semi-final matches and ready for the Championship Finals on Saturday. Brynlee faced Terryn McBride from Milwaukee King and wrestled hard, pinning McBride in 4 minutes and 57 seconds. This match was the only one out of the entire tournament that either Vaughan sister needed anything more than the first period to secure the win. Laynie battled against Hannah Behrndt from Hamilton, a fierce competitor and senior wrestler. Laynie ended up with the pin in 1 minute and 49 seconds.
When Saturday arrived, the sisters faced familiar opponents. Brynlee faced Emmersyn Miller, the #3 seed and senior from Poynette. Brynlee was crowned the 152-pound champion after pinning Miller in 1 minute and 17 seconds. Laynie faced a fellow South Central Conference opponent, junior Kimura Hutter from Adams Friendship. This was match #10 between the two SCC front-runners, but Laynie came out on top with an impressive 38-second pin, securing her spot as the 165-pound champion.
Brynlee and Laynie made their mark in the Wautoma history books as the first-ever individual wrestling champions from Wautoma High School. They also became the first pair of sisters in the state of Wisconsin to secure a WIAA championship at the same tournament. In the WIAA 2026 Individual Wrestling Tournament, they were the only champions out of all girls and division 1-3 boys (54 total champions) to have pinned each and every one of the opponents they faced. To top it all off, with only the two of them scoring points for the Girls Team State race, they clinched the Runner Up spot and a trophy to display proudly at WHS.