HILLIARD — Lyndsee Young is bringing a state championship back to Richland County.
The Madison senior capped off a groundbreaking high school career by going undefeated at this weekend’s Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association’s Girls State Tournament at Hilliard Davidson High School.
She claimed the 140-pound trophy Sunday by defeating the state’s top-ranked wrestler, Warren junior Kylee Tait, in a 7-4 decision in the championship match.
“I am so excited. Me winning state as a wrestler wasn’t for me to win state. It’s for me to open the doors for the younger girls that are coming up,” Young said afterwards, with tears welling in her eyes.
Young is Madison’s only female wrestler, although more are expected to join the program in the future, as the OHSAA announced in January it would officially sanction the sport beginning next year.
“One of our assistant coaches, his little girl didn’t start wrestling until I started, too. And now she looks up to me every time. And her brother is a junior, and he went to state last year, and when we would go to tournaments, she asks her dad how I did before her brother,” Young said.
“So that just means a lot to me, opening the doors for the younger generation, and having them look up to me. I want to be a good role model for them in any way I can.”
Young made history last weekend, becoming Madison’s first female wrestler to win a district title and qualify for state. She did it again this weekend, pinning her first three opponents before outlasting Tait in the final round.
“She earned it. Every single bit of it, she earned,” Madison head coach Bryan Mosier said. “We had some real good wrestlers in the room last year – both of them placed at state – and she stayed in there and battled with them. And that, I attest to where she is now.
“She stays in there and battles the boys, and when she makes it down to the girls, it’s a little bit different playing field. She’s used to putting in that kind of effort it takes to win a state championship.”
Young came into this weekend’s state tournament ranked fourth in the state at 140 pounds. She pinned Bethel-Tate’s Sallie Wesselman in the first period of Saturday’s first-round match, then pinned Delaware Hayes’ Kelcey Dew, the state’s third-ranked wrestler, with 20 seconds left in their quarterfinal match later that afternoon to advance to the semifinals.
Young came into Sunday having already made history – however she finished, she would be guaranteed a spot on the podium. But she never let up.
She pinned Olentangy Orange’s Alicia Coleman, the state’s second-ranked wrestler, with 52 seconds left in the second period of their semifinal match. Then she took care of Tait in the finale – breaking a scoreless tie with a takedown early in the second period and leading the rest of the way.
Mosier, in his sixth year as Madison’s head coach, said Young’s performance this weekend will echo across Richland County and the Madison community.
“We have a few young girls in our youth program. And there’s not a lot of enthusiasm about girls wrestling in our program – and really even in our county – and for her to do what she did today, I think that’s gonna open up a door for every young girl,” Mosier said.
“Because there’s only two sports in the winter for girls – you’re either playing basketball or you’re swimming – so this is gonna give girls an opportunity to do something else, and actually excel at it.”
