‘She’s a sponge’: Gahanna’s Tibbs getting most out of wrestling
Friday, February 13, 2026
By Michael Rich
mrichnotwealthy@gmail.com
Gahanna junior KyLee Tibbs, seen during a dual meet against Pickerington North Thursday, was the first Lion, boy or girl, to win a state wrestling championship. Photo: Kevin Rouch
KyLee Tibbs can still remember the feeling she had when the buzzer sounded at Ohio State’s Jerome Schottenstein Center last March, and she had won a state championship.
Competing in the final at 140 pounds for the second consecutive year, Tibbs not only became the first Gahanna girls wrestler to capture a title, but the first from Gahanna – boy or girl – to do so.
“I just looked around me and took it all in,” Tibbs said. “Everybody was yelling and cheering and it was really exciting for me and I just yelled, ‘I did it’ because I just felt relief in knowing the fact that I did it. I accomplished what I was working for all year – what I said to myself I was going to do … what I said to everybody that I was going to do. Wow.”
Tibbs’ moment was the culmination of years of hard work, obstacles and injuries. It was a long road both figuratively and literally. It’s been a journey that saw the lows of a serious elbow injury and a crushing defeat.
Tibbs’ journey started when she was 8 years old. She attended her younger brother Tyson’s wrestling practice and was instantly curious.
“It was something new and I was still figuring out what I wanted to do myself,” she said.
So, she asked her dad if she could give wrestling a try.
Jeff Tibbs was taken aback a little when his only daughter broached the topic.
“Wrestling is not really a part of our lineage,” he said. “There was some unease in my response initially. But … kind of being reflective around always wanting my kids to have the best opportunities to be the best versions of themselves, I couldn’t tell her no.”
Gahanna’s KyLee Tibbs gets the pin during the Lions’ win over Pickerington North Thursday to go to 31-2 on the season. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Jeff admitted knowing very little about the sport at the beginning. But as KyLee moved through the Gahanna and Ronin youth programs to Steiber Elite Wrestling Academy and the Columbus Wrestling Club, Jeff learned along with her. He’s now an assistant coach at Gahanna under coach Jamie Leeseberg.
“I’m glad I got of out of my own way and allowed her to find a love for this sport,” Jeff said.
Leeseberg can relate to Jeff Tibbs. He had a similar conversation with his daughter Emily that led to the formation of a Lions’ girls program.
“We went from one girl to three girls to five girls to 12 to now we have 20 girls in the room at the beginning of the season,” Leeseberg said. “It’s just been fun to watch it grow that fast.”
The OCC recognizing girls wrestling for the first time is further proof of how much the sport has grown over the last few years.
Led by Tibbs, senior Jordan Mills (170) and junior Mykah Bailey (190), the Lions clinched the first OCC-Ohio Division championship at 4-0 with a 63-9 win over Pickerington North on Feb. 12.
Mills, who is seeking her fourth trip to state after finishing sixth last year at 170, is 28-2 and Bailey is 37-2.
The Lions, seeded third in the OHSWCA regional duals, fell to second-seeded and host Marysville 49-27 on Feb. 7.
The OHSAA-sanctioned girls state tournament is March 13-15 at Ohio State and the Gahanna figures to be well-represented. The sectional tournament is March 1 and district is March 7-8 at Big Walnut.
Tibbs moved up to 155 this season and is 31-2. Her only losses are to Julia Araujo of Bismarck (ND) and Pittsburgh (PA) Mount Lebanon’s Camilla Hathaway at Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit’s Women of Ironman tournament Dec. 14.
Gahanna girls wrestling head coach Jamie Leeseberg (right) and assistant coach Jeff Tibbs, KyLee’s father, work the Lions’ corner. Photo: Kevin Rouch
“She’s a sponge,” Leeseberg said. “She loves learning new stuff. (At 155), she’s (wrestling against) taller girls – somebody that has a little more reach and that’s given her a little bit of a challenge.
“Her movement and her speed even at (155) hasn’t slowed down. When she gets in trouble, she scrambles really well (and) she’s not afraid to take the shot if somebody does stop her. She’s not afraid to scrap.”
Being a sponge has been the blueprint for Tibbs’ success. She traveled to Europe after her freshman year and Japan last year and used both trips to add tools to her toolbox.
“The (wrestlers) in Japan are very good at defense,” Tibbs said. “I got one shot on a girl the entire trip and that was very exciting for me. They’re (good at) misdirection – (moving) one way and then going the other. I’ve been using that in some of my shots during practices and in matches. So, that was one thing I took away from Japan.”
Tibbs has overcome injury and disappointment along the way. She dislocated her elbow in the seventh grade, which required surgery. She came back stronger and won an OAC state championship in the eighth grade.
She was disappointed after finishing second at state as a freshman, losing 14-10 to Avon Lake’s Rejan Alhashash in the final.
“There’s a lesson in everything,” Jeff Tibbs said. “Being able to figure out how to make it help you and how to make it useful as opposed to forgetting about it … those are the ones that go from second to first. Going 365 days talking to yourself about what you didn’t do or what you should have done – it just becomes an anchor as opposed to a blueprint. Then, you’ll always be less than what can possibly be. There are only a few champions that are going to be crowned anyway, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t be the best version of yourself.”
KyLee didn’t let her loss become an anchor, defeating Greeneview’s Lily Hendricks 15-12 to win the championship last winter. It’s a feat she’s hoping to duplicate this season.
“I won one championship, but I want to win two more,” she said.
Gahanna’s KyLee Tibbs will be looking for her second straight state championship, this year competing at 155 lbs after winning at 140 lbs. Photo: Kevin Rouch
MORE PHOTOS
Gahanna senior Jordan Mills (right) locks up with Marysville senior Katie Hammersmith during the OHSWCA regional duals last Saturday. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Gahanna junior Mykah Bailey with the takedown during the Lions’ dual meet with Pickerington North Thursday. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Gahanna junior Mina Gee was able to celebrate her 100th win in the program Thursday during the Lions’ win against Pickerington North. Photo: Kevin Rouch