As of January 2025, Girls’ Wrestling has become an official sport at high school and college levels across the country, marking a major milestone for female athletes. Now it is the NCAA’s 91st championship sport. Since this development, it has resulted in a significant surge in popularity and participation for female wrestlers. Liberty has gained five more female wrestlers this year! This winter was the first official season for those participating at their high schools. This headway has impacted many wrestlers nationwide, including our girls here at Liberty!
We have six female wrestlers at Liberty with an additional two eighth grade girls that attend Cedar Lee. We have a single freshman, Joselinne Munos Henriquez, age fourteen. This is her first year wrestling and she was inspired by her fellow wrestlers. She currently participates in the weight class 113. We have two sophomores, Melany Fernandez Quintanilla and Brooke Gammil. This is Brooke’s first school year as a wrestler and she is in the weight class 106. Meanwhile, Melany has come back to wrestle for her second season. She is in the 120 class and hopes to qualify for states. Finally, there are two juniors on our team. Haley Lamot is seventeen years old and is competing in the weight class 100. Also her first year wrestling is Maylynn Riley as the 106 for the team. Each and every girl on this team has made amazing accomplishments as a wrestler and student at LHS.
How did our female wrestlers get involved? Many have been influenced by a person in their life. The wrestling community is often promoting the sport to people, whether it be a stranger or friend. They are constantly looking to recruit. One example is Joselinne. She was influenced by a friend who has wrestled on Boys’ JV for two seasons now. Brooke’s parents had both wrestled in high school and loved the sport. They encouraged her to feel it out and Brooke is happy she did. Not only has she developed a love for the sport, but many new friendships have blossomed between Brooke and her teammates.
Due to the physical aspect of wrestling, many people are tentative to join. In her freshman year, Melany was very hesitant to partake in the sport. In fact, in the first week she had wanted to quit. “The first week is what we call Hell Week. It’s basically just a lot of extensive cardio and strength training. The first day I did not want to go back.” Melany explains. “But I was motivated by Coach Rob and my friend Lily, who was also wrestling for the first time, to continue. The first week is definitely intimidating but worth it.”
Wrestling not only takes a vast amount of physical strength but also mental. Many wrestlers state that staying positive is the hardest part. Robert Goff, the head wrestler coach, tells his wrestlers, “Always have a short memory. If you lose a match, don’t stress about it. Not every match will be a victory and losses only make you stronger.” This has been a particular obstacle for Haley. She says it is easy to get in your head after a loss and that wrestling challenges you mentally everyday. However, with every practice and tournament she has learned to overcome it. “The biggest obstacle is yourself. If you get in your head you’ve already lost,” advises Lamot.
Overall, wrestling has greatly impacted these girls in many aspects of their lives. They have found a wonderful community and friendships as well as fulfilled personal goals and accomplishments. “I never expected to join a sport, much less something as physical as wrestling,” says Lamot. “I’m a band kid so sports were never something I considered. But I’m glad my family pushed me to do so. Now, wrestling is a huge part of my life and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
