Robbinsville wrestling makes history
Concord – In just the second year of the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s Women’s Invitational, Robbinsville made a statement.
Senior Gracye Burchfield and sophomore Aynsley Fink both made the trip Saturday, making history by becoming the first Lady Knights to compete in a state wrestling tournament. Fink worked her way through four bouts and finished as the 106-pound runner-up, while Burchfield competed in two contests during the tournament, which was held at Carolina Courts.
“The cool part about having Aynsley and Gracye are that they are arguably the two best athletes in the school, boys or girls,” Robbinsville head coach Todd Odom said. “Now that they have completed their first season, we have a baseline that we can use to judge all the other girls by.
Fink
If anything can be said about Fink’s journey into wrestling, it’s that she comes by it honest.
Fink is the step-daughter of Robbinsville head coach Todd Odom and the twin sibling of the 2019 class 1A 195-pound runner-up, Kyle Fink. A multi-sport athlete, Aynsley finally decided this was the year to follow in the family lineage.
“I’ve watched my brother Kyle wrestle since he was four,” Aynsley said. “I’ve been to as many wrestling practices as you can think of. I’ve always been the ‘more aggressive’ type of girl.
“I love the sport itself like no other sport and figured I would give it a try; I was not disappointed.”
Her athletic ability shined Saturday, as she pinned her way to the finals. Victims left in her wake included Pamlico County’s Macy Tyson, Swain County’s Tynighia Lillard and Carrboro’s Louise Monnet.
But a back-and-forth bout in the finals against South Granville’s Katerina Pendergrass would ultimately go in favor of the latter, an 11-8 decision that lived up to the hype of a state finals contest.
“Walking up to the table (to check-in) was nerve-wracking,” Aynsley said. “Obviously, my match was going to be very tough. She had strength, but so did I.
“I was a little disappointed at the outcome, but every excited for my season. The opportunity of wrestling at state was awesome. I’ve watched college girls wrestle on TV. Girls can do anything they set their minds to. I encourage girls to do whatever they want in life.”
Aynsley also made sure to acknowledge those that have helped make her first year as a wrestler memorable.
“I want to thank my coach and father-figure, Todd Odom, for always being in my corner,” Aynsley said. “I also want to give a big thank-you to Josh Winfrey, for making the trip to Concord to coach me as well.
“I want to also thank Gracye for always encouraging me and being my drilling partner. It’s been an awesome experience this year, and I wouldn’t change a single thing.”
“Having Aynsley be the first state placer and the first state finalist, her name will go on the record board,” Odom added.
Burchfield
Already signed to Pfeiffer University on a two-sport scholarship – softball and volleyball – Burchfield got involved in wrestling by happenstance.
“I went to a wrestling match one evening, and coach (James) Keefer jokingly asked me why I had never wrestled. We talked about it, and he said, ‘Practice tomorrow at 5:30,’ “ Burchfield recalled. “I then told Aynsley to go with me to practice the next day and after the match, we wrestled around on the mat. I decided for sure then that I was going to practice the next day.”
The No. 1 seed in the 132-pound weight class of Saturday’s Invitational, Burchfield enjoyed a first-round bye. She competed in against Pine Forest’s Hailie Misplay – the eventual third-place finisher – in the quarterfinals, where Misplay would score a stunning second-round pin over Burchfield.
“Getting the No. 1 seed brought on a lot of pressure, as I felt I had something to prove,” she said.
Still looking to medal, Burchfield’s first consolation bout was against Mallard Creek’s Victoria Miller.
The two clashed in another see-saw bout, but Miller would prevail with a third-round pinfall.
“I didn’t wrestle well at all; in fact, that is the worst I have wrestled the whole season,” she said. “Things just didn’t go my way, and I got out of position quite a bit, which cost me in both my matches.”
Still, the year was something Burchfield will always fondly reflect on.
“I encourage any girl who is thinking about trying out wrestling to do so; it was definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made,” she said. “I wouldn’t take back my time with the guys and Aynsley for anything in this world. The people in that wrestling room are my family.
“I will cherish the memories forever.”
More to come?
Odom believes that the success and examples set by Fink and Burchfield this season will trickle down and cause other girls to consider taking up the sport.
“It’s always hard to be the first,” Odom said. “We’ve had some girls in the past that dabbled in the sport, but none that truly took the sport seriously. Now that we’ve had these two girls compete in the state championship, new goals can be made for the next ladies who try our sport.
“Josh Winfrey ran the Far West Kids program last year and in doing so, ended up recruiting about a dozen Pink Warriors to be on the first girls wrestling team in our history, in the elementary grades. Now the future girls that want to try something different will always be able to remember the two that started it all.
“It’s no secret that the sport changed my life and now – because of the commitment of our coaches, kids and the NCHSAA – ‘The Ville’ will help mold young ladies into women that our community will be proud of.”