‘She’s just a gamer’: Milam earns silver to become Jackson girl wrestling’s first state finalist

Kayleigh Milam finally showed the entire state what Southeast Missouri already knew.

“She’s fierce,” Jackson girls wrestling coach Cody Rouse said. “She’s just a gamer. I don't know how else to put it. She’s just not really afraid of anybody or any situation she's in.”

Nobody who saw the Jackson 110-pounder’s path to the 2025 MSHSAA Class 2 state finals at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia this past weekend could disagree.

Milam won by first-period pin, second-period pin and technical fall en route to earning a state runner-up finish and her first state medal overall. Two years after picking up the sport, the Lady Indian’s career record now stands at 69-21.

“It felt really good,” Milam said. “I was really happy when I won my semifinal match, and it just shows how much the time and hard work that I put in really paid off. I put so much into the sport. There's been times I've had low points of my season where I didn't even think I would be where I'm at right now, but it felt really good to be able to accomplish that.”

Jackson junior Kayleigh Milam, third from right, on the podium following a second-place finish at 110 pounds at the 2025 MSHSAA Girls Wrestling State Championships on Saturday, Mar. 1, at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia.Submitted Photo

She met her match in the 110-pound state final against Camdenton senior hammer Abigail Fuglsang — a four-time state medalist (two seconds, a third and a first) who finished the season 46-0 and is ranked No. 21 in the nation according to FloWrestling this season.

Milam’s state performance demonstrates that improvement and drive have been allies.

“Her desire to be good is just crazy,” Rouse said. “I didn't expect a whole lot last year because, obviously, it was the beginning of her career, but she just picked things up really quickly and was hungry for more information. I'd like to take the credit, but it’s not me. She's the one wrestling all the matches and putting all the work in. She's got the desire to be good. She made a few mistakes earlier this year and didn't want to make them again and did the things that she needed to in order to fix them.”

Milam went 0-2 in her first trip to the state tournament last season, but knew she wanted more and knew what she had to do to get over the hump.

“I just had to remind myself that God has a plan for me,” Milam said. “I really just needed to continue to push through because I know that as long as I'm working hard and I'm putting time into it, something good is going to happen no matter what. Obviously, I wanted to be at the top, but I know that it's God's plan over mine, and that He still has good things in store for me. I think that losing in the finals really just motivates me more for the offseason.”

Those who have had the privilege to see Milam on the mat this season know her relentlessness doesn’t come with much of a downside. Quick, physical and savvy, she scores points from scrambles, set-up shots and counterattacks that typically don’t leave her in vulnerable positions, and she builds untouchable leads.

The state championship bout followed the pattern of Milam’s prelim and quarterfinal — quick pins over Fort Osage’s Isabela Hunt and Springfield’s Jaidyn Pohlsander, respectively. Then in her semifinal match, Winnetonka’s Annabelle Dunlop simply couldn't stop whatever Milam dialed up. The Jackson junior won by tech fall 18-2 in the second period.

“I was extremely focused,” Milam said of her semifinal bout. “I had so much adrenaline. I was kind of just like, ‘Go, go, go,’ and I really didn't get to turn her much on top. She was really flexible and I knew that she only had one takedown that she wanted, which was a fireman's. So, I was able to stop that and I scored a lot from just snapping her down and going behind. That was really the whole match.”

Jackson’s Kayleigh Milam wrestles in the Class 2 championship round during the MSHSAA Wrestling Championships on Saturday, March 1, at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.Anthony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

While she begins to attract attention from college scouts, Milam and her coaching staff know the gap between second and first in the state will require more refining and countless hours of training in the offseason.

Rouse said Milam will begin wrestling freestyle in an attempt to improve her offense, gain more mat time and get exposed to tougher competition throughout the state and country.

“We've got to learn how to throw and how to open up the rest of her offense,” Rouse said. “All of her offense is really good besides her throws, and we just haven't had time to get to that yet. So, knowing that you have holes in your game and still be able to get second in the state is impressive.”

Just two weeks after becoming the program’s third district champion, Milam became the first state finalist. Better yet, the decorated lightweight has one year left and is aiming to take another major stride into Jackson girls wrestling history next winter.

“I want to be a state champ,” Milam said. “I'm putting a lot of time into the offseason and I already have tournaments planned. Next week, I'm going to Folkstyle Nationals, and I'm going to do freestyle in the spring and Greco, too. I'm just really excited.”

Right back to work — a textbook mentality for a wrestler of Kayleigh Milam’s caliber.