Lake Norman girl wrestler closes high school career with official state championship she helped fight to create
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Lake Norman High School student has won the North Carolina state wrestling competition three times in a row — and yes, she’s a girl.
“I got to win. You can’t let anybody take what you deserve, what you earn,” says Caleigh Suddreth, one-fifth of the Lake Norman girls wrestling team.
It’s been eight years since Caleigh Suddreth formed her love for wrestling. From the fundamentals and techniques of the game to the uniform and gear.
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She says can’t see her life without it.
“When you step into that mindset, it’s just you got to change,” she said. “You change from being like, okay, these are my friends. These are like girls that I’ve wrestled with, I’ve known them. But like right now, these are not my friends. These are my enemies.”
While she and other girls had the competitive drive and ambition to take on a unique sport, it wasn’t always accepted as a varsity sport for girls.
Suddreth was one of the main athletes working behind the scenes to get state varsity recognition for the sport. It became sectioned by the N.C. High School Athletic Association last spring.
She says she wants other girls to know that wrestling isn’t just for guys.
“It made me feel really great to be a part of something that’s bigger for myself, and I can provide an outlet for girls that are looking for something that’s a little bit more competitive, a little bit more combative,” Suddreth said. “It felt great, having numbers and showing people that it’s a real thing and getting the word out about it is very important so that it can garner more attention and it can garner more people. And so that it’s a really has a presence in North Carolina.”
In 2022 and 2023 she won gold in her weight class in the NCHSAA Women’s Invitational. But it felt even greater to win an official state championship this year — in front of a larger crowd than normal cheering her and other female athletes.
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It’s a perk that came with being recognized as a varsity sport — something she hopes other girls can experience soon.
“It’s just different when you’re on a stage like that and you can, you can win for them and yourself and just prove that no one’s going to take that from you.”
Suddreth credit her hard-work, dedication, and success to her faith in God. She’s the president of the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
As Suddreth heads toward graduation, she’s pausing her wrestling career. She’s awaiting a response from West Point, N.Y., as she looks to begin her career in the Army.
The military academy doesn’t have a wrestling squad but Suddreth hopes to start one.
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