Setting a school record is a huge achievement on its own, but setting a district record is an even greater one. Senior Brynn Lowe has been wrestling since the summer before her freshman year and said she has come a long way.

“My [best] moments would be being the first girl in the Blue Valley school district to get 100 wins or placing fourth my senior year at State,” Lowe said. “Also, [placing second at Council Bluffs] because that’s a really hard tournament, and that’s been one of my favorites throughout the year, going to Iowa and getting to travel with the team has been really fun.”

While it took Lowe all four years to reach 100 wins, she credits all the time she has spent on the mat training. She said her family helps push her even when times are tough.

“I’m on the mat more than I’m at home. I rarely get to see my family, because my parents are both head wrestling coaches, so it’s pretty hard during the winter, but I try and get as much school work done as I can during school in the winter,” Lowe said.

With wrestling playing such a big role in Lowe’s life, she has even known the school’s head wrestling coach, Cody Parks, since she was born. He has been her coach since she started and said watching her grow up has been humbling.

“I was coaching with her dad when she was born, and to watch her grow all the way, it’s kind of bittersweet,” Parks said. “[To start] at the beginning and then being able to coach her when she got to high school, [is] just kind of like a blessing and a gift. And I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.”

The wrestling community has forever impacted Lowe. She said the girls she has met through the sport, from her own team to competitions, are one of her favorite parts.

“You’ll meet so many people, not only from your own school, but just from other schools, people you meet at tournaments and summer tournaments, coaches and just you have so many connections, and it’s a lot of fun,” Lowe said. “Definitely the outlet it gives you, it’s unlike any other sport I’ve ever played, so it’s a little refresher.”

Despite wrestling being different from other sports in many ways, it doesn’t come without its own challenges. One of the biggest, Lowe said, is the mental strain.

“You get so caught up in the rankings and [what] everyone thinks of this wrestler or this wrestler, so the mental challenges and also a little bit of weight cutting, that’s obviously, what a lot of wrestlers will say,” Lowe said.

Both Lowe and Parks know that the sport can be daunting. However, both of them said girls should try to ignore the fear of getting pushed around and embrace the growing opportunities girls wrestling has.

“Wrestling is one of those things that if you’re a competitor and you’re an athlete, you still have a chance to start something and be successful,” Parks said. “It doesn’t take 13 years and 14 years to be good at it. So I just encouraged people [to try it].”

Wrestling has given many people, like Lowe, new and different experiences. She said the sport itself has taught her self-discipline and what the results of hard work can get you.

“Just show up every day, and try and get better, even though sometimes it might suck,” Lowe said. “But that’s life, you just get up and keep going.”