Katie Whelan, a junior at Fillmore Central, has been breaking records all season. On January 28th at the Rochester-Century tournament, Katie was the only Fillmore Central wrestler to win gold in Junior Varsity that night. Making her first gold medal even more special, Katie was also the first girl to get gold in Fillmore Central history. She didn’t stop there, though, because on February 11th at the girls’ section qualifying match in Hastings, Minnesota, she placed second place, meaning she would get to move on to state. 

Katie is Fillmore Central’s first girl section wrestler. She was ranked 5th in state at her weight. 

When wrestling first became popular in the 1980s, it never seemed like it would be a fitting sport for a woman, but girls like Katie have been proving them wrong. Today, the sport is quickly becoming more and more open to all who wish to participate. In just this past year, the high school wrestling match grew from around 90 girls to around 200 girls. It has been incredible to watch these girls hit the mat and prove they have every right to be there.

It is easy to see that Katie loves to wrestle. She is always filled with a mix of emotions from excitement and nervousness to  happiness, surprise, yet also confusion about how no one has ever done what she has before. She has paved the way for so many girls to succeed in wrestling for many years to come.

Congratulations, Katie, on breaking barriers!