Hiller and Giller are winners in the end

Harlee Hiller and Jillian Giller got to know each other from their time doing martial arts.

The seniors wrapped up their high school wrestling careers by making history on Saturday at the IHSA girls wrestling championships in Illinois State University’s Grossinger Motors Arena.

Hiller is the most decorated Loyola Academy wrestler ever after earning her fourth state medal and second state championship by beating Mount Zion’s Sydney Cannon 12-0 in the 115-pound final.

Giller became New Trier’s first girls medalist, pinning Hillcrest’s Christiara Finley at 4 minutes 55 seconds for fifth place at 140.

Hiller finished her prep career with a 105-16 record and titles at 105 in 2023 and 115 this year. She was third at 105 as a freshman and was the 115 runnerup as a junior after missing a chunk of the season with an elbow injury.

“I’m just so excited and just so grateful for all my coaches and teammates who helped me get here,” Hiller said.

“I was disappointed in last year and I just feel like this year I had no regrets and I put everything out there. I feel like I did a lot better and I wrestled really hard.”

Hiller’s career has coincided with the first four years of the IHSA state series. She has seen firsthand just how much the sport has grown in a short time.

“It’s just so amazing how many girls are here and all the opportunities we get now,” she said. “I’m definitely getting a lot of good matches and there’s just so many more girls at all these tournaments.”

Hiller’s next move remains to be seen.

“I’ll definitely wrestle in college,” she said. “I’m still deciding and trying to figure it out.”

In the meantime, her legacy will cast a long shadow at Loyola.

“She wrestled out of her mind this weekend,” Ramblers coach Matt Collum said. “Probably the best I’ve ever seen her wrestle in four years.

“Sad to see her go, but I’m happy that I was a part of her journey.”

What has Hiller brought to the Loyola program?

“She took it to new heights,” Collum said. “(She’s) the toughest in the room every day, day in and day out.”

Giller ends on high note

Giller earned her first medal on her third trip to state.

“It’s all come full circle,” she said. “My freshman year, I was like, 8-10. Wasn’t that good.”

Giller was ready to walk away from wrestling over the next offseason. But her father, Scott, who had a background in wrestling and jiujitsu, talked her into sticking with it.

“He was training me a bunch of days a week,” Giller said. “He’s followed me all the way here. He is my No. 1 supporter. Winning this (place match) just means that all the work I’ve been putting in in the offseason, all the work I put in this season, paid off.”

Like Hiller, Giller — who is committed to Illinois Wesleyan — has marveled at the surging popularity of girls wrestling.

When she got to New Trier as a freshman, there was just one other girl wrestler and no formal team.

Now there is a separate girls program, which produced two state qualifiers this season in Giller and sophomore Sunny Aitzemkour.

“Our team has really become a family,” Giller said. “It’s because of our coach (Andrew Ortman), quite frankly.”

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