Following the NSAA voting 8-0 to sanction girls wrestling in Nebraska for its first season, the majority of wrestlers are just starting out. One first-year wrestler at Millard West has seen great success so far in her first season,Lauren Sash is a freshman on the team wrestling in the 165  becoming the first girl at the school to medal, to win a tournament, and to be ranked.

Since the start of the season, Sash has made her mark at the school, becoming the first girl on the team to have several major accomplishments in her season. Lauren has also been one of few freshmen and first-year wrestlers to be ranked in the state as well as winning the title of Metro Coaches Association’s “Female Wrestler of the Week.” which has become a big award in the wrestling community and has typically been awarded exclusively to nationally ranked wrestlers.

“I think my biggest accomplishment is becoming the first girl to win a tournament and now I can just make bigger goals,” Sash said. “The biggest challenge is the mental game because it is very competitive and if you lose one a lot of people get really sad, but you just have to take into consideration that you can improve from it.”

Sash believes one of the biggest things that’s led to her success is her mentality. Sash’s hard work and dedication to the sport help inspire her teammates and show what the team is capable of. Sash hopes to inspire future girls to go out for wrestling and show them what is possible in the sport.

“Lauren applies most of the things we learn in practice on the mat,’’ junior teammate Madeline Shepard said. “She is always thinking and looking for an opportunity to work a new move in. All throughout the season, she’s picked up on things very quickly, and she makes sure to get them right.”

Showing what girls can be capable of on that mat is inspiring to teammates and future girls on the Millard West wrestling team. Her drive for the sport has been evident to coaches who have big goals for her for the season and the rest of her wrestling career seeing the possibility of lauren having multiple state titles to her name.

“She has picked up on the sport both mentally and physically which has helped her gain more confidence when she is in a competition,” head girls wrestling coach Lynn Sorich said. “I hope to see Lauren make it to state this year and place. She has a tough weight class, but she has proven she can persevere. She has a never-give-up attitude when the going gets rough on the mat. This has helped her get out of tough situations and win matches more than once. I can see Lauren being a four-time state qualifier and look forward to her getting a medal placed around her neck more than once. I truly think this is her sport and believe she will do great things at the high school level and beyond.”