Abigail McNaughton’s first tournament win will send her to the national championships.
The 11-year-old Bayfield wrestler won the state championship in her weight class at the girls state tournament in Castle Rock earlier this year. That win qualified her for the Girls Folkstyle National Championships this weekend in Oklahoma City.
McNaughton had never won a tournament before. The Saturday of the state championships, she wrestled in co-ed and lost her first two matches. But the next day, McNaughton stormed through the all-girls bracket to earn her first wrestling medal.
It was nerve-wracking, and I was really nervous when I started wrestling,” McNaughton said. “When I started winning matches, I wasn’t nervous anymore. I got more confidence. When I won, I was really excited. I thought I could never do it and I did it.”
McNaughton, whose nickname is McNaughty, started wrestling when she was a 4-year-old. Her mother, Danielle Day, signed her daughter and son up at the same time for youth wrestling.
“I was hoping my son would pursue it, but he hated it,” Day said. “Abi took off and has wrestled ever since.
“I’m a single mom, and it’s been her and I since the word go. We’ve traveled all over the place. It’s phenomenal, and I’m proud of her and how far she has come to get where she is now.”
McNaughton has dedicated herself to wrestling. She’s focused on conditioning and technique and spends time training with the youth team in Bayfield as well as the Mighty Lightning club team in Cortez.
“All my friends started wrestling, and none of them were girls,” McNaughton said. “I thought I’d like to try it, and I really liked it. It’s a learning experience.”
Girls wrestling has seen a boom in participation at the youth and even high school levels. Last year, 180 girls participated in wrestling in high school despite no schools fielding full varsity teams. That number was up from 85 in 2015. This year, two girls-only high school meets were held in Colorado.
“She’s loving being part of girls wrestling that’s growing so much,” said Day, who lives in Vallecito. “Younger girls, little sisters of boys wrestling at these tournaments, come talk to her. She encourages them as much as she can to give it a try.”
A fundraising campaign was started to help Day and McNaughton make the trip to nationals. They have raised $1,000 of the $1,200 goal. Contributions can still be made online at Bank of Colorado in the form of a deposit in Danielle Day’s name.
McNaughton said she is a little nervous but mostly excited for this weekend’s big event where she will be surrounded by the best women’s wrestlers at the youth and collegiate level.
“No matter if I win or lose, it’s gonna be fun,” she said. “I tried my best to get there. It will be an experience and an honor for me to be there.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
To donate
To help fund Abigail McNaughton’s trip to Oklahoma City for nationals, go to www.gofundme.com/3fzzkmo.
