Darmafall Earns First State Wrestling Title

 

It took less than three years for Julianna Darmafall to become a state wrestling champion.

 

No, not just in her high school career. Since she started the sport.

 

It culminated with a milestone moment, as Darmafall became Liberty Common's first-ever state wrestling champion on Sat 21 FEB 2026 in Ball Arena.

 

The Eagles senior controlled the Colorado Class 4A girls 170-pound championship match, never trailing and winning a 10-4 decision over Meeker's Ruth LeBlanc.

 

"Not a whole lot of skill but a whole lot of work ethic," Eagles head coach Frank Russel said of Darmafall when she first began the sport in 2023.

The latter fixed the former and did so at a stunning rate.

 

Darmafall was physically and mentally superior throughout the state tournament. Opponents only scored seven points in four matches with two pins and a major decision en route to the finals.

 

A "nervous" title match gave way to a dominant finish for Darmafall. She used a careful, defensive-minded game plan to completely negate LeBlanc's increasingly desperate moves.

 

"I was comfortable on defense. With her style, it felt like facing myself in a lot of ways," Darmafall said.

 

"Not as much offense, just really smart wrestling," added Russel, a former wrestler himself.

 

As the final seconds ticked down, the accomplishment sunk in but also overwhelmed the new champion. Darmafall collapsed to the mat in a tearful joy.

 

Liberty Common's Julianna Darmafall hugs Eagles coaches after winning the 4A girls 170-pound state title at the Colorado state wrestling tournament. Photo by Logan Newell, The Coloradoan

 

The senior then shook the appropriate hands and leaped into Russel's arms before jumping the stanchion into the crowd to celebrate with family and friends.

 

"I’ve envisioned the moment for an entire year now. It was total joy. I almost just blanked," Darmafall said.

 

"My friends who don’t know anything about wrestling came out with signs and my family has always supported me. The effort they put into me showed."

 

That was a constant theme for this Liberty Common program, which is only in its fourth season.

 

Russel, a former Fort Collins assistant, credited Lambkins head coach Mark Moser and Eagles assistants like Dane Slinkard and Ashley Marshall, among others, for making it a citywide effort to help the new program.

 

The communal embrace also helped Darmafall find her "why" in the sport after briefly quitting the team to start her junior season before rejoining.

"Julianna was doing it for the teammates who came before her, who laid a foundation to start this program up. She was wrestling for the past and future of Liberty Common wrestling," Russel said.

 

All she did was make state in that shortened junior campaign. Sure, it was an 0-2 stint, but it both spurred Darmafall back to this big stage and prepared her for it.

 

"I’ve done a lot of sports and this is the most rewarding. You give so much and don't always get much in return. And sometimes," Darmafall said, "it’s better than anything."

 

More than anything, Darmafall wanted her wrestling community back, saying she found a home within the sport.

 

Darmafall's lasting impact on the program will go beyond the first finish atop the podium.

 

 

The Eagles senior and team goofball has been "the glue" but also "the hammer" in the wrestling room. She embraces a physicality that permeates through to friends and up-and-coming teammates like Chloe Mulderink and Devin Sharrock.

 

The bumps and bruises evident all over her frame after the finals? She's actually going to miss them.

 

"I knew as soon as state’s over, I’d want to be punched in the face again. I like seeing all the bruises. It took two years of getting my teeth kicked in, but it was worth it," Darmafall said.

 

It was Darmafall, though, who figuratively kicked the state's teeth in all season. The senior won 35 matches and earned the Eagles' first regional and state wrestling titles.

 

All in three years' work, if you will.

 

"To really set my mind on this and then accomplish it? I can’t even process it," Darmafall said.