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Just two years after Fairfax County Public Schools made girls wrestling an official varsity sport, three graduating seniors have secured places on college teams.
McLean High School graduate Kaelyn MacKay will wrestle for Ithaca College after spending only two years in the sport. She joined during her junior year, when FCPS introduced its girls varsity program.
MacKay already had extensive grappling experience from practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu since age 9. Wrestling still required her to start over as a novice, but the similarities between the sports helped her adjust quickly and discover a new passion.
Competing also strengthened her confidence. MacKay said performing in front of roughly 100 spectators and handling wrestling’s fast, aggressive pace made other stressful situations feel more manageable, from classroom presentations to her job as a server at Rocco’s Italian restaurant.
She entered the sport determined to reach the state tournament during her first season, but an injury disrupted that goal. MacKay qualified as a senior and was later recruited by Ithaca’s women’s wrestling program.
Oakton High School senior Kate Crockett will join her at Ithaca after earning All-American status and placing second in the state tournament during her final high school season.
Crockett grew up swimming and playing tennis and soccer before attending open-mat practices at Oakton during the summer after eighth grade. She trained with the boys team and several other girls, eventually finding in wrestling a sport that suited her.
She valued the combination of individual and team competition, as well as a structure that gives athletes of different builds a chance to succeed through consistent work.
Crockett and several other girls practiced alongside Oakton’s boys wrestlers beginning in their freshman year. The creation of a separate girls varsity program brought recognition, dedicated competition and a state tournament for athletes who had already been doing the same demanding work.
Her desire to continue beyond four years of high school competition led her into college recruitment. Crockett said wrestling also sharpened her time-management skills, taught her to persevere and provided an outlet after difficult school days. Long practices forced her to become more disciplined about completing classwork.
At Lewis High School, Ashley Lopez followed a similar path. She began wrestling with the boys team as a sophomore and found that the sport offered both emotional relief and a productive way to channel her feelings.
Lopez welcomed the arrival of a girls varsity team during her junior year. She said female participation at Lewis subsequently quadrupled, growing from three wrestlers to 12.
As an athlete who witnessed the program’s early development, Lopez took pride in encouraging younger teammates. She urged girls in the traditionally male-dominated sport to remain confident, embrace the spotlight and recognize that they may be capable of more than they initially believe.
Lopez will attend Marymount University in the fall and compete in its Division III wrestling program.
Oakton coach David McClary, who has led the school’s program for five years, said girls had been part of the team since he arrived. His combined practices match wrestlers according to skill rather than gender.
“The mat is the great equalizer, you come in, and you wrestle,” McClary said. “I’m not training boys, I’m not training girls, I’m training wrestlers.”
Still, he described FCPS granting girls wrestling varsity status as an important affirmation. The designation increased the program’s legitimacy, improved access to resources and elevated the standing of its female athletes.
Crockett said the district’s backing has created more opportunities for girls to enter tournaments with full support from their schools. For the first generation of FCPS varsity female wrestlers—and those preparing to follow them—the change means their work is now formally recognized and can lead well beyond the high school mat.