Watch crowd chant wrestler’s name as she becomes first girl to win state title in NC
A wrestler in the 106-pound weight class made history during the North Carolina state championship tournament.
Heaven Fitch — a junior at Uwharrie High School — became the first girl to win an individual state wrestling title on Feb. 23, according to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.
She beat all male wrestlers to do it.
“I thought as a freshman I wouldn’t even have a winning record, and to do this now, I would have never thought of it,” Fitch told HighSchoolOT.
Footage shot by the NCHSAA shows the final seconds of her championship match.
The crowd ischanting her name — “Heaven, Heaven, Heaven” — before she executes a reversal on her opponent, The Courier-Tribune reports. Fitch then leaps into her coach’s arms for a hug after the win.
The video has been viewed more than 11,000 times since it was first shared on the NCHSAA’s twitter feed.
Fitch became the first girl to place at the tournament in 2019 when she came in fourth.
According to TrackWrestling.com, she went into the 2020 state championships as a No. 1 seed in her conference (1A) and weight class (106-pound).
Fitch faced off against sophomore Austin Jones in the quarterfinals on Feb. 21 before advancing to the semifinals on Feb. 22, where she beat sophomore Hunter Fulp.
The following day, Fitch took down junior Luke Wilson — bringing her overall record to 54-4, the NCHSAA reported.
She was also given the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award in her conference.
Fitch will have a shot at defending her title next year, HighSchoolOT reported — “which would make her the first female two-time wrestling state champion.”
