De Pere’s Corrigan eyes girls wrestling repeat

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - De Pere sophomore Brooke Corrigan is already a trailblazer, a state champion.

A year ago, Corrigan won the first girls wrestling individual title in WIAA history in La Crosse.

“The atmosphere was really amazing. Being with all the girls, all the coaches, and all the people that made it possible,” said Brooke Corrigan. “It was a really amazing feeling being there in the moment, and reflecting back after seeing everything. It’s still a really cool moment to be a part of.”

Now, as she heads back to the WIAA’s biggest mat, this time at the Kohl Center, Corrigan looks to add another first to her resume: the first repeat.

For many repeating is one of the hardest things to do in sports given the target that comes with being a champion. Corrigan though, will approach this weekends trip to the state tournament the same way she approached the entire season.

“The same as last year. Getting in the practice room, putting in that work, putting in the hours, and make sure I can repeat as a second state title. I’m confident enough to keep working hard,” said Corrigan.

Many of those lessons about how to approach the sport day in and day out came from her family. Brooke’s father is a coach, and older brother Shane won a state championship last year at the Kohl Center.

“The biggest thing I learned was probably be gritty. You know, stay in matches, don’t give up matches. Even if you’re down, you can still come back and win,” said Corrigan.

“You can definitely see a lot of Shane in Brooke. She’s got the work ethic. It’s the Corrigan work ethic. They just have an instilled drive in every single one of them. You can definitely see a little bit of Shane come out in her,” said head coach Zach Hendzel.

That same drive helps push Brooke Corrigan to her big goals, and add to her own legacy.

“I definitely want to become a four-time state champ. Be the first ever girl to do that. That would be really special,” said Corrigan.

Copyright 2023 WBAY. All rights reserved.