NAPERVILLE, IL (KELO) — Girls high school wrestling became sanctioned in South Dakota in 2020. The sport has seen plenty of growth in the last six years. Some of the athletes are now competing at the college level and are having plenty of success. Taylor Graveman was part of the inaugural group in South Dakota […]
NAPERVILLE, IL (KELO) — Girls high school wrestling became sanctioned in South Dakota in 2020. The sport has seen plenty of growth in the last six years. Some of the athletes are now competing at the college level and are having plenty of success.
Taylor Graveman was part of the inaugural group in South Dakota to help get girls wrestling off and running.
“I didn’t have much expectations. I just kind of went out there and did my thing,” Graveman said. “I stayed offensive and what was meant to come, came.”
Graveman was perfect in high school, according to the SDHSAA website. Taylor went 6-0 her sophomore year, 38-0 her junior year and a impressive 45-0 her senior year. All that success led to her winning three state championships.
“There was some competition, but it wasn’t as great as what I’m seeing on the college level,” Graveman said. “It gave me that mindset that whoever steps across the mat from me, I’m going to dominate them. I feel like carrying that mindset into college really helped me.”
Graveman is now a junior at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. The team has seen plenty of recent success, including a first place finish at the NWCA National Duals.
“If I can do x, y and z, then I can help my team in certain aspects and that’s kind of what I did,” Graveman said. “Everyone else on the team, they played their part too and it all pieced together. That was because we believed in each other and we believed in one another.”
The achievements of Graveman haven’t gone unnoticed in South Dakota as she continues to inspire many female wrestlers in her home state.
“I feel so privileged to be a trailblazer for South Dakota, but I hope that other females coming out of South Dakota that wish to go to college, hope to make their own path,” Graveman said. “They hope to trail blaze for themselves, for their community and for their town.”
Graveman is currently 13-8 this season for North Central College, with five pins.
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Category: General Sports
