Why Murphy girls wrestling's first match will mean so much more for Aiden Smith, its lone athlete

MURPHY – Among the list of things that make junior wrestler Aiden Smith stand out, Murphy assistant coach Darren Cook mentions raw power, technique and athleticism.

The fact that Smith is Murphy’s lone girls wrestler is just a footnote.

When Murphy girls wrestling takes to the mat for the first time on Dec. 22 in girls wrestling’s first season as an NCHSAA-sanctioned sport, it won’t be an exhibition. It’ll mean something.

“When she goes out there, she’s going to get to wrestle against the same athletes as what she is,” Cook said. “It’s not just going to be fair; it’s actually going to mean a whole lot.”

Because of the NCHSAA's sanctioning, girls wrestlers will compete for state titles and wrestle in official matches, rather than just competing on boys teams.

Girls wrestling has boomed in recent years. Nationwide, participation in girls high school wrestling increased 55.2% from 2021 to 2022, according to FloWrestling. Iowa became the first Power 5 college to add a women’s wrestling program in 2021 and won its first-ever dual earlier this month.

“Before it was sanctioned, there wasn’t very many things to do as a female wrestler,” Smith said. “Now there’s so many more opportunities, and it’s just great to see everyone get interested in it because the No. 1 fear when I asked everyone was, ‘I don’t want to wrestle boys.’”

Smith is the only girls wrestler at Murphy. There was another who graduated last year, the daughter of coach Mike Catuto, and a middle school wrestler who tore her labrum. This year, in its first season, Smith is the girls team.

“When they put on wrestling shoes and they come out here with these guys, they’re not girls. They’re athletes,” Cook said. “That’s the way they see themselves and that’s the way they hold themselves.”

Smith started wrestling as a freshman. Now a junior, she’s spent most of her time practicing and competing against boys. She doesn’t hesitate to admit that wrestling against boys is hard for her. Things can get uncomfortable, and she doesn’t win as much as she’d like.

She rarely gets treated poorly by her opponents, however. Outside of the rare competitor who tries to hurt her or refuses to shake her hand, Smith said the guys she wrestles against respect her as an equal.

On her team, it’s the same situation.

“We’re a family,” Smith said of her teammates. “Not only do we respect each other but we have very strong friendships. In school, we’re always together and we have each other’s backs outside of wrestling.”

Smith’s father wrestled in high school and pushed her toward physical, hard-core sports. She was a boxer for a while but prefers wrestling – she doesn’t like getting hit on the nose – and wants to take up jiu jitsu next.

“I’m very competitive,” Smith said. “I like to beat people. I like to have the upper hand and be really physical.”

Smith said she’s currently wrestling in the 170-pound class, but hopes to work her way down to 135, the class she wrestled in freshman year.

Cook said Smith has refined her strategy and technique during the two years he’s coached her. Now, Cook said, Smith is better at using her lower half and taking advantage of her athleticism.

Smith works all the same drills as the guys on the team, often practicing against Ashton Raxter and Tray Luther. Smith said she appreciates that she fits on the team as an equal.

“(My parents said) you might get treated differently just because you’re a girl,” Smith said. “Coach Cook coming on to the team was pretty much a breath of relief. He sees me just the same. He pushes me just as hard.”

Cook said Smith struggled when wrestling against girls last year since she had limited experience against them, instead mostly competing against boys.

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This season, with more meets against girls and more experience with the technique, Cook thinks Smith will take a step forward in her wrestling ability.

“She’s got a work ethic that’s unlike what I’ve seen,” Cook said. “She’s really got a drive and a determination. If you get onto her pretty rough, she doesn’t let that hurt her feelings; she just gets focused.”

Smith hopes to grow her team beyond just one person. The sport, she said, can be rewarding because of its difficulties.

“It gets hard, it gets painful, it gets uncomfortable,” Smith said. “But when it gets hard, that’s when you have to push harder. A lot of people don’t understand that. Wrestling is a sport where it gets uncomfortable, but you have to keep going because if you push beyond your limits, ultimately, that’s when you win.”

Evan Gerike is the high school sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email him at egerike@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanGerike. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Why this season means more for Murphy girls wrestling's lone athlete