GRANDVIEW, Mo. — Girl’s high school wrestling is blowing up across the country — including right here in the metro.
Two years ago, the Missouri State High School Activities Association created separate division for girls to compete in. Since then, girls have made big strides in the sport.
Grandview’s An’Joli Fard is quite the overnight success. This is the senior’s first year wrestling for the Bulldogs and she’s leaving her mark.
Fard is Grandview’s first female wrestler to qualify for the state tournament.
“I was like ‘woah I’ve made it this far, how?’ I don’t know how I did it,” Fard said.
Before this year, Fard had never participated in an organized sport.
“I would just go home, do my homework, just help my brother with his homework, take out the dog. I just played around at the house like I would just do normal things. Just be bored,” Fard said.
Now she’s found her happy place on the mats.
“Meeting her from day one, I always knew she had the athletic ability. But wrestling is tough. So it’s really impressive that she’s done what she’s done,” Grandview wrestling coach, Greg Linhart said.
Fard isn’t the only Bulldog heading to state. Grandview will also send five boys to state — tying for a school record.
“Everybody’s supportive of everybody. We always try to motivate everybody to do their best, wrestle the hardest and just let the chips fall where they lay,” senior wrestler, Mario Quezada said.
Grandview wrestling is this week’s Hy-Vee and FOX4 Team of the Week.
