Abington Senior High School teen wins gold for wrestling team and makes HERstory
ABINGTON, Pa. (CBS) -- A teen's tenacity helped her make wrestling history on Wednesday, Feb. 7 as she brought home the gold, for a school and league first.
"C'mon Grace!" yelled Rob Clift as he cheered from the stands, watching his daughter achieve victory.
"It feels really good to put it on," Grace Clift said as she slipped on her gold medal.
Hers is the first gold medal won by a female on the Abington Senior High School wrestling team in the school's history. This comes in the first season the Suburban One League had girls wrestling and is a first in league history.
Grace said her journey started with her aggressive approach to practice.
"I also wrestle a lot of my male teammates. So, it made it easier to face girls," she said.
While Gracie's schedule was grueling, she maintained good grades. Abington Athletic Director Charles Grasty said this 16-year-old has a lot to teach younger athletes.
"I hope, not only girls, younger girls, but younger boys get a chance to talk to her and meet her and listen to her story," Grasty said. "It would be very inspirational."
Gracie wanted to inspire other young athletes to never give up despite facing challenges.
"Just keep pushing," she said. "Just get through the hard days, because they are the ones that matter."
And those are the days that helped her bring home the hardware.
