Sweet Home High School junior Laura Gourley recently won a national wrestling title.
In February, Gourley went 2-0 to win the state championship in the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association. She traveled to Washington to win state there the following weekend.
Two weeks ago, she won the national championship at 146 pounds in a field of 15 girls.
“It was tough, but I pinned all my girls,” Gourley said. With her first opponent, she went to the second round before throwing and pinning her. Until the finals, she pinned each of her opponents in the first round. In the finals, she went two rounds, again throwing and pinning her opponent.
“I feel really good because that opens my chances for colleges to look at me,” Gourley said. The title also gives her a chance to participate in an open college tournament and a chance to hit the Olympics next year.
She is a seven-time all-American wrestler, and she has won four national titles.