Freshman Haley Ward made Fort Osage High School history on Saturday, Feb. 22. Ward finished her season as the 130lb State Wrestling Champion, the first girl at the school to do so. Ward is proud of her work, and gave it her all despite being sick the day of State. 

“It feels really good,” Ward said via email. “It’s just showing that hard work does pay off and you have to go out there every match wrestling 100 percent even if you’re not feeling great.”

Ward had a perfect 36-0 record for her freshman season. She would like this to lead to more accomplishments. Her teammates and coaches all describe her as a humble person. Girls wrestling Coach Becky Mcyntire views Haley as a pioneer in her sport. 

“Haley Ward is a very special young lady that has only scratched the surface of her potential in wrestling and in life,” Coach Mcyntire said via email. “She is one of the most fierce competitors I have ever been around. Winning a State Title was her goal from day one and she was not going to let anything get in her way of that goal. We are very proud of Haley and what she has accomplished in her young career. We look forward to her continued leadership and success as we continue to grow our program and our sport.”

Bringing home a State Title was one of her smaller goals. One of her major goals is to wrestle in the Olympics. Senior wrestler Rachel Rellihan, who placed 6th at State, feels honored to know Haley. 

“I absolutely love that Haley is representing the girls of Fort Osage,” Rellihan said via email. “Not only the girls wrestling team, but girls in general. I think it’s really important for girls to see other females thriving in a sport that is usually male dominated. I think it can and will be really inspiring to see girls like Haley break some boundaries at our school that are being broken for the first time so that the program can continue to grow.”

Ward is training with MO West Championship Wrestling Club out of Kansas City, MO for the spring and summer competitive seasons.