Girls can wrestle, too

Seahawks girls wrestling program finishing its second season

By Matt Reider, Staff Writer

South Lakes freshman Anna DeMarco with a breakdown on a Madison wrestler on Jan. 17. Photo by Isadora Guerreiro

Below the main gym at South Lakes High School is a large, low-ceilinged room covered wall-to-wall in wrestling mats. Across the hall is the football team office, with a small desk in the corner designated for the wrestling program. Although the varsity wrestling team is still technically listed as co-ed, a separate girls’ varsity wrestling team was created in 2024 and is now in its second year. On many nights, the mat is shared, with boys’ wrestling using one side of the room and the newly formed girls’ team practicing on the other.

As head coach Victoria Smith led the girls through practice, Joy Suzuki, the girls’ wrestling assistant coach, explained that the sport is still new at the high school level. Suzuki has been part of the South Lakes wrestling program for more than 10 years, beginning with the co-ed team, and said nine girls made the roster after tryouts. Girls are not necessarily cut during tryouts, she noted, but athletes who do not commit the time and effort required will eventually be removed from the team. While the boys’ JV, boys’ varsity, and girls’ teams often compete on the same evenings, the smaller number of girls in certain weight classes means that sometimes only two or three wrestlers are able to compete. At tournaments, however, participation is broader, allowing athletes in all weight classes to wrestle.

Like many newly added sports, finding a head coach in the summer of 2024 was a priority. Victoria Smith, South Lakes’ first girls’ varsity wrestling coach, wrestled at Oklahoma City University before transferring to compete on the women’s wrestling team at Lock Haven University in central Pennsylvania. After graduating, her boyfriend accepted a position with the coaching staff at George Mason University, prompting the couple to move to Northern Virginia. As Smith began attending local wrestling matches, she found herself missing the sport and decided to begin a job search of her own. At the same time, girls’ wrestling had just been added as an official Fairfax County varsity sport, with 12 coaching openings posted.

Asked what she hopes to instill in her student-athletes, Smith answered without hesitation. “I’m trying to install resilience and strength,” she said. “It’s just you on the mat. I’m trying to build strong, independent women.” As for the team’s progress, she described it as a work in progress. “We’re a solid team,” she said. “The girls who started last year are very strong, but the newer participants are still ‘green’ because the program is so new.”

On the evening of Jan. 17, the Seahawks hosted Madison for two girls’ matches. A third match had been scheduled, but the Madison competitor withdrew due to illness. In the first bout, Mariana Artibee fell behind 3–0 in the opening period and trailed 4–0 early in the second. She responded with three points in the second period and three more in the third to secure a 6–4 comeback victory. Anna Day Marco started strong, building an early three-point lead, but was pinned in the second period, giving her opponent the win.

The crowd, which included several male wrestlers who arrived early, gathered specifically to watch the girls’ matches. Their presence reflected a clear respect for the skill and determination of their female teammates. Although the season is short and the roster small, Smith and her trailblazing wrestlers are laying the foundation for what promises to be a strong and lasting program.

Hornet girls wrestling team unites in second season

By McAllister-Pearce-Biney, Student Writer

Herndon freshman Valeria Torrico Vasquez takes on a South Lakes wrestler on Dec. 10. Photo by Karl Majer

Across town in Herndon, the girls wrestling program is also wrapping up its second season. While the girls and boys teams compete separately, they train and practice together in their low-ceilinged, mat-lined wrestling room.

Senior Eja Gatewood reflected on the season from a team-first perspective, noting that while the team’s record showed steady improvement, the most meaningful progress came through a growing sense of unity.

“Wrestling teaches discipline in a way few sports can,” Gatewood said. Through demanding weight cuts, grueling training sessions and the challenge of working through injuries, the team learned to rely on one another.

Senior Sharon Alcantara-Ramirez echoed that sentiment. “Showing up every day, pushing through exhaustion and committing even when things get difficult builds a different level of mental focus,” she said.

Alcantara-Ramirez, Sabrina Cardwell, Flor Diaz Ventura, Gatewood, and Valeria Torrico Vazquez will represent Herndon High School at the Liberty District tournament, which will be hosted by Herndon on Feb. 14.