DiPrima, Smith headed back to state wrestling

IOWA CITY – Mara Smith’s season is playing out almost as perfectly as she could’ve imagined.
With just two losses on the year and holding down the No. 3 ranking in Class 2A's 140 lb. division, the senior is on her way to her fourth state wrestling tournament this week. Smith rolled through the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union regional qualifier at Iowa City High Friday evening and will now head to Coralville’s Xtreme Arena on Thursday as the likely 3rd seed.
Smith (35-2) will join junior Kat DiPrima (33-5) who earned 2nd place at 145 on Friday. DiPrima was ranked 9th in her division in the last regular season rankings. She is also making a return trip to Coralville.
Smith said Friday’s qualifier had to be just another day on the mat.
“I just wanted to win this tournament. I was just thinking of this as just another tournament, but that’s my goal at every one,” she said.
Smith finished fourth at the 2025 event, the first Bloodhound girl to ever take the podium at an IGHSAU state tournament.
After getting the No. 1 seed bye in opening round wrestling Smith, the daughter of legendary Bloodhound coach Ryan Smith, recorded a 1st-period pin over Ruby Slemmons of Iowa City High with a quick takedown and control.
In the semifinals, Smith rode Southeast Polk freshman Claire Golly (28-15) to a 16-1 tech fall in 24 seconds into the third period. Golly was strong fighting off Smith, but couldn’t get any offense going as the Bloodhound controlled the match from the start.
Head Coach Kyle Doherty said he was happy to see Smith go deeper into matches Friday in preparation for Thursday’s state meet.
“I like, personally, to see her go deeper into matches. You get to see more of her situational wrestling. Mara was dominant like always. Just an absolute hammer,” Doherty said.
Smith said she wanted to get the pins, but was happy for the extra challenge.
She would get that extra challenge again in the finals with Western Dubuque’s Khloee Schmidt. Smith dominated the match, but had to go the full six minutes as Schmidt, much like Golly, was compromised early and had to play defense, but was able to hold off Smith’s aggression despite falling 13-2.
After about a minute of getting to know each other, Smith was able to get a shot and pull Schmidt to the mat for three points halfway through the first. The 3-0 lead held until the second period when the Bloodhound scored an escape point and then went right back to work with a takedown three seconds later and controlled the match with the exception of a couple escape points allowed to better position.
“I feel like I could’ve wrestled better. I’m happy, but I wanted to get more pins and I’m happy with the tech in the second match and the major in the third. I just wish I could’ve tweaked a few things, but it only matters at state,” she said.
“It’s better than a walk-through region.”
After three years wrestling with the state’s best, she said now she can just “let it fly”.
“Come for it all and let it fly. This is my senior year, so I’m not going to hold anything back up there,” Smith said.
DiPrima, who regularly gives up inches to her opponents, had a tougher time in the finals with No. 7 Alexis Steele, a senior from Southeast Polk.

The Fort Madison junior missed on a light shot near the circle early and fought her way out of it without sacrificing a point. She would suffer a takedown in the final 20 seconds of the period for a 3-0 deficit heading into the second period. DiPrima would then get caught under the taller Steele on a lift and would end up on her back where Steele was able to convert a pin.
DiPrima had about 30 minutes before having to wrestle in a wrestle back with Charlotte Smith of Bettendorf, who won the consolation bracket at 145, for the right to go to state.
The Bloodhound junior said she was upset with the finals match, but went right to work against Smith, recording two takedowns in the first 30 seconds and wrapping up the pin in the first period.
“I’m still upset,” she said after the meet with a laugh.
“I knew I could’ve wrestled with her and gone the whole time with her. But I got caught, honestly. I feel like I was doing a good job at pushing the pace and being attack-oriented, and the next thing I found myself fighting off my back.”
She credited Smith with helping her refocus.
“I started talking to Mara, and being my practice partner she said, ‘I know you got this. I know you can win that match. Just go out there and wrestle your match. Get outta your head.’ So, thanks to her for that,” DiPrima said.
Doherty said DiPrima has that passion about wrestling.
“You know what you’re going to get with Kat,” he said.
“On the losing side, it's raw emotion. She doesn’t experience a lot of losing during the season. She’s very competitive and I don’t think it’s the losing thing that upsets her, but how she wrestles during those losses.”
“I’m super happy for Kat and Mara.”
The Bloodhounds had three other girls facing final matches for entries into the state tournament.
Lucille Zimmerman earned a wrestle back after avenging a quick first round pin to Clear Creek-Amana’s Emma Staebler. Staebler worked a 19-second pin over Zimmerman in the quarterfinals, sending Zimmerman to the consolation side where she wrestled back to the 3rd-place match against Staebler.
On the way, she ran into Southeast Polk sophomore Erin Speer. The two battled to a 1-1 tie at the end of three and it took three OT sessions for Zimmerman to get the win on a ride point to get the rematch with Staebler, where the Fort Madison junior turned the tables for a third period pin. That gave her a true-2nd place match with Brooke Walrath of Linn-Mar. Walrath worked a tech fall, eliminating Zimmerman.
“Lucille is a girl that, every tournament, she’s giving up 18 or 19 pounds,” Doherty said.
“She only weighs 80-something and she’s the strongest 80-something I’ve ever seen. She avenged her first loss, and in that rematch I started to see the old Lucille come back and wrestle for the enjoyment.”
Briena Fenton (120 lbs.) was looking for a return trip to state, but was eliminated in the third-place match, as was Aubree Bunnell who’s 3rd-place battle with eventual qualifier Caroline Pohlman (38-14) out of Linn-Mar, was a physical, rolling battle that got to the mat quickly. Pohlman scored a quick takedown and near fall for seven points off the whistle as the two girls got right after it. Three seconds later, Bunnell flipped a reversal and 4-point near fall that Pohlman would, in turn, reverse out of for a 9-6 first period lead. Pohlman would get another takedown and near fall to open the second and Bunnell wouldn’t be able to find a way out, suffering the pin and elimination.
“Those are two weight classes we paid close attention to. B’s an incredible wrestler, it just didn’t work out for her tonight, and Aubree has wrestled well all year, especially the last four weeks. That one hurts when you know what she put it into. She’s a kid that you’re going to have to kill her to get her to stop and we love that about her,” Doherty said.
The state tournament starts Thursday in Coralville with Class 2A starting the second session at 4:30 p.m. Friday’s session begins at 1 p.m. with championship wrestling at 6:30.