When junior KeYi Wang won Naperville North’s first girls’ wrestling regional championship this year, she didn’t just make history; she showed what the future could look like for girls’ wrestling.
Wang is a trailblazer for all of the female athletes at Naperville North. Senior Avary Kinley, one of the wrestlers Wang recruited, explained how she brings out the best in the team.
“As a captain, she’s always encouraging everyone and she brings such a vibrant and positive spirit, and it just uplifts everyone and I feel like she brings out the confidence in us through that,” Kinley said.
But Wang is not just uplifting her team. She is a part of a statewide movement for girls’ wrestling participation which grew 236% since the sport was sanctioned by the Illinois High School Association. Participants spiked from 1,134 to 2,678 in just four seasons.
Wang was born and partially raised in China. At the age of six, her family moved to the United States. At the age of ten, Wang was enrolled in Taekwondo, later transitioning to Muay Thai, and fell in love with combat sports. Once she became a freshman at North, Wang asked her parents to allow her to join the girls’ wrestling team.
In China, Wang explained, it is fairly uncommon for students to be athletes. Keeping Chinese traditions close to heart, Wang’s parents were at first skeptical about her joining, but Wang’s persistence and determination eventually convinced her parents to cave in.
“I’m probably the most stubborn person I know, and when I really want to do something, I’ll just keep pushing for it, which is why they eventually let me wrestle,” Wang said.
With one more season left, Wang looks to build on her recent success and elevate the program, understanding that wrestling doesn’t only require skill, but an edge that cannot be taught.
“She possesses the level of toughness that you need in wrestling… you can’t go very far in wrestling if you’re not tough,” girls’ wrestling head coach John Fiore said.
The Wrestler’s Wall of Fame at North is a great honor for student athletes. But for Wang, her place on the Wall is more than just an award; it is proof to future wrestlers that girls belong there.
“I want future girls to see that and know that it is possible, even as a girl,” Wang said.
