Beaver Area High School’s first female wrestler hopes to be an inspiration for girls after competing at the Wrestling State Championship.

Junior Adriana Gilliam pinned the rest of her competition during the regular season ending with a record of 10-7, which allowed her to advance to wrestling’s state-level competition.

The Wresting States Championship was held at Spooky Nooks, Lancaster March 21 where Gilliam wrestled under the Beaver Area wrestling banner, but also had support from her club teams.

Before the competition began, as the brackets were being set, Gilliam got herself ready to work hard.

“I honestly went into the tournament with the mindset to rely on my training and wrestle as hard as I could,” said Gilliam.

After a tough day of competition, Gilliam ended with a 3-2 record and placed fifth overall.

“After losing my first-round match I had to work my way back up to medal rounds. I got to the point where I was wrestling for third or fifth place. I sadly got pinned and ended up wrestling for fifth or sixth place,” explained Gilliam.

With a busy offseason ahead of her, Gilliam also hopes to inspire more girls so that Beaver Area can have a dedicated girls wrestling team in the future.

“I want to show girls that they are capable of anything, but it requires a great amount of work and sacrifice,” exclaimed Gilliam.

Gilliam is ready for next season and is eager to improve in hopes of returning to the state championship next year.

“I plan on wrestling all year round and competing in off-season tournaments,” shared Gilliam. “I’m proud of myself, but I’m definitely not going to settle because I know I can place top-three with a little more time.”