High School Standouts: Science Hill’s Costello leaves lasting legacy
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Science Hill senior Alex Costello got sucked into wrestling, thanks to the invitation of a friend as a freshman.
“She told me to come to a practice – and here we are,” she said.
But, it wasn’t quite that easy. In fact, she still recalls the chaos of that first practice.
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“I walked in, I’m seeing people throw each other around and I’m hearing lots of yelling and loud music,” she remembered.
However, underneath the intimidating surface, she soon found a sport – and a support system – that she loved.
“Whether it was pushing me harder in practice or comforting me after a loss,” she said.
There have been some losses over the seasons, but her first season started with a win in her home gym.
“I didn’t know what I was doing at all,” she said. “Sometimes I’ll go back and look at the video and – just the difference is crazy.”
Because, in the years since, she’s skyrocketed up the program record books. But, it didn’t happen overnight.
“Lots and lots of practice,” she said. “I mean, my summers basically consisted of going to camps and then just training.”
It all paid off. As a junior, she won a region championship and as a senior she surpassed 100 career victories – the only girl at the school to ever reach that milestone.
“I’m excited that, yes, I’m the first one,” she said. “That’s exciting. But, I’m also excited that the sport is continuing to grow to where girls can have more opportunities like this.”
For Costello, before wrestling, there was lacrosse.
“I actually started on a boys team,” she explained. “Girls lacrosse just wasn’t a thing.”
So, as a freshman, she and a few of her friends made it a thing. At first, they played as a combined team with Roane County. In 2024, the Lady Toppers team is independent and boasts about 30 girls in the program.
“Every single girl that’s stepped onto the field has always been willing to try and put their best foot forward and has been committed to being a good teammate,” Costello explained.
Off the field and the mat, she finds time to make music with the viola as a member of the Science Hill High School Orchestra.
The group has played at the ASTA National Orchestra Festival in each of the last two years, earning high marks. But, just like in athletics, for Costello, it’s about more than accolades.
“I feel like orchestra really allows me to express my creativity in itself,” she said.
Costello has signed to play collegiate lacrosse at the newly-formed Division II program at Emory & Henry beginning this fall.
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