A win for the varsity wrestling squad is nothing new. But, for female wrestler, Hailey Loupe, one win was all it took to make history.
In December, Hailey recorded a pin in 2:56 over Penn Cambria’s Gavin West, making her the first female wrestler to record a victory for the Blue Devil wrestling program.
“She won in cool fashion with that match, and I could see she enjoyed the experience,” said second-year coach Nick Torsell.
After years of forced forfeits due to vacant weight classes and struggling to get more participation, the Bellwood-Antis wrestling program welcomed three female wrestlers for the 2023-2024 season. Hailey, a sophomore, was joined by Juliette Cuevas and Elliana Patterson.
The mass of females participating in high school wrestling continues to grow rapidly with 49,127 wrestlers and a 55% increase from last year. In Pennsylvania alone, there are 180 schools with girls wrestling.
The dramatic increase of involvement and steady end of stereotypical negativity paved the way for Hailey’s milestone achievement.
“Being the first female varsity wrestler in B-A history to win at one of the meets is definitely a good feeling and a big accomplishment. However, there’s still a lot of improvement that needs to be done, and it won’t be the only win I have this season,” she commented.
Coach Torsell said he is proud of Hailey’s ability to quickly grasp and apply concepts with no prior experience in the sport.
“Walking into varsity wrestling with no experience, especially in PA, is a tall order for anyone,” Coach Torsell said.
Before joining wrestling, Hailey was skeptical about how her peers would react, but soon realized that her aspirations were more important.
“I was worried about how people would treat me and what they would say because I’m a girl wrestler and most people think girls can’t wrestle…but I realized it doesn’t matter what others say and think, and that I can prove them wrong,” she quoted.
Growing up, Hailey spent time watching “a lot” of wrestling videos and found herself liking the fast pace of the sport. Her involvement began with a summer camp and continued with training at B-A in early November.
Hailey considers wrestling to be a positive outlet for her to enjoy. Having full support from her teammates and coaches, and being able to create bonds are what she enjoys most about being a part of the team.
“It gives me something to look forward to and have fun with. There are times when wrestling frustrates me and I get in my head, but if you work on accepting the losses and mistakes and getting out of your head, you can have a lot of fun,” said Hailey.
Hailey emphasizes that, even though she has had personal success, wrestling is very much a team effort, and the team aspect should be focused on.
“Wrestling isn’t an individual sport; it’s a team sport. You should support your fellow teammates and help them with their achievements and success,” she mentioned.
Girls wrestling became an official PIAA sport in 2022-2023, and there are nine schools with girls wrestling teams in District 6. Hailey and her teammates, Juliette Cuevas and Elliana Patterson, will be competing against other females in their regional and state tournaments once the postseason rolls around. After wrestling against boys all season, Coach Torsell believes they will have a “good advantage”.
“They are a talented group of ladies and I think they all have a shot to do well, especially in their post season,” Coach Torsell shared.
