Rickter signs to wrestle in college

BONNERS FERRY — Savannah Rickter has once again made history — this time as the Bonners Ferry High School’s first female wrestler to advance to the collegiate level. 

She will be trading her Badger uniform for that of the Dickinson State University Blue Hawks. The North Dakota school is a Division II school and a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics member. Rickter received a full athletic scholarship. 

Ricker has been wrestling since she was 5 years old, under the tutelage of Conrad Garner, who was inducted into the Idaho Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013.

A three-time District 1-2 champion, Rickter led Bonners Ferry to the district title in 2022 — the first year the sport was sanctioned — and again in 2024. She is a three-time high school state placer, a two-time Greco-Roman state champion, two-time freestyle state silver medalist, three-time North Idaho Rumble champion, and has qualified for the Idaho’s National Dual team every year since eighth grade. Rickter wrestled for Team Idaho her freshman and junior year.  

She will wrestle this summer as well. 

To add to her many accolades, this year Rickter received the Character and Leadership All-American Award from the National Wrestling Coaches Association and the United States Marine Corps.

She will wrestle freestyle in college, but prefers Greco-Roman wrestling, as she likes to throw opponents.

Rickter said she contacted 12 different schools and four seriously attempted to recruit her. 

The landscape for college recruiting has changed, as Rickter was contacted over Instagram by an assistant coach to gauge her interest in DSU. After looking at programs and scholarship options, she decided on Dickinson State University. 

Rickter said she is looking forward to making new friends in college. When offering advice to future BFHS female wrestlers, she said wrestling is a good way to pay for college and it teaches a lot of life lessons. 

“I knew from the time this girl was a teeny tiny tot, that she was going to be making a difference in the wrestling world,” said Linda Endow Hall. Endow Hall is the mother of BFHS alumni Adam Hall, an All-American wrestler and current head wrestling coach at Utah Valley University. 

Rickter thanked all of her coaches, including Conrad Garner and Corey Richards, her family and her sponsors, including Dr. Roland and Linda Endow Hall, who helped cover costs to compete for Team Idaho and travel to national tournaments.

She also thanked all members of the community that have come to watch her wrestle or congratulated her in passing when seeing her out and about. 

Idaho girls wrestling was sanctioned by the Idaho High School Athletic Association in 2022 and is still growing. At this time Idaho does not recognize school classifications in the sport, rather female wrestlers are only divided by weight class with only one state champion named per weight class. 

Colleges are still slowly adding female wrestling programs.

For Rickter, competing has not been about her accomplishments, rather growing women's wrestling in Idaho. 

“This is not just about Savannah but one of many female athletes who have worked so hard to grow women’s wrestling and be a piece of history by laying the foundation for many more female wrestlers who will have a much better chance of being successful on the wrestling mats and gain opportunities to help further their education in college,” said Kristie Rickter, Savannah’s mother. “Savannah is one of many who have literally wrestled their way through a sea of men’s wrestling for years to help and sanction women’s wrestling. Not only in our state but in states all across America.”

“There have been broken bones, bloody noses, scratches, bruises and concussions but our little Badger from Bonners Ferry never gave up,” Kristie Rickter said of her daughter. “She saw a bigger picture, a bigger goal and set her mind to help achieve a division that will serve all female wrestlers well for years to come.”

Savannah Rickter originally planned to go to trade school to be a diesel mechanic, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to continue her wrestling career. 

Rickter may be graduating this Saturday, but will have one final chance to compete for Idaho’s National Dual Team for the last time at Turf Wars and Western States at the end of June in Pocatello.

    Savannah Rickter holds her letter of intent with her brother, Jackson Rickter and her mom, Kristie Rickter.