Faust

JEFFERSON TWP— Already a national champion, Brittney Faust's wrestling career might only be beginning.

"I'm telling you, this girl could wind up in the Olympics," Knoch wrestling coach Mark McLaughlin said.

Faust won a national championship at 120 pounds in girls wrestling last weekend, capturing her weight class at the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association National Championships at Eastern Michigan University.

Faust won all of her matches by decision, scoring victories of 8-2 over Stephanie Morris of Michigan, 3-2 over Roni Goodale from Iowa and 6-2 over Kayla Petit of Michigan in the championship match.

There were more than 500 wrestlers at the event and numerous college coaches were on hand observing the action.

"Brittney opened some doors for herself with her performance,"McLaughlin said. "The head women's wrestling coach from Cumberland (Ky.)University said she was the most technically sound female high school wrestler he's seen this year."

"This has absolutely opened some opportunities for me,"Faust said. "My ultimate goal is the Olympics. I think I can get there."

Faust was 11-11 while competing with the Knoch boys wrestling team this season. Five of the wins were by forfeit. She competed at 125 pounds in the Section 3-AAAtournament, where she was pinned in 1:48 by Hampton's Peter Craig (26-7) and dropped a 7-2 decision to Ian Strawser of Pine-Richland in the consolation bracket.

With the female tournaments coming on the heels of the high school boys wrestling season, McLaughlin said the section tournament wasn't in Faust's best interest.

"It's not a big focus of hers and it shouldn't be,"he said. "We want to keep her healthy for these (girls) tournaments."

Faust has battled ankle and hamstring injuries, along with suffering two concussions, in recent years.

"My goal is always to win,"Faust said. "I wrestle with the boys team to hone my skills. ... That's part of it. But I wrestle year-round to hone my skills."

Faust was one of the original members of Knoch's first elementary wrestling team eight years ago. She's stayed with the program ever since.

"She's an amazing girl. She keeps coming back. Now she's on the brink of a college scholarship and maybe more,"McLaughlin said. "It shows what can happen when you stick with it."

Coming off a concussion last year, Faust placed 19th at the U.S. Girls Nationals at 124 pounds and won the Pennsylvania state title at 120.

Faust is headed to Oklahoma City University this weekend to compete in the USAWrestling Girls Folkstyle National Championships.

Also a member of the Pennsylvania Team Freestyle in women's wrestling, she will head to Fargo, N.D., for freestyle nationals in July.

"I just want to improve overall as a wrestler,"she said. "I'll wrestle for the (Knoch) boys team again next year and I want to put together a better record and do better in sectionals.

"Those are the goals of everyone on the team. I'm no different from anybody else."