Girl wrestler wins match after male opponent declines to compete

High school freshman Cassy Herkelman made history today as the first girl to win a match at the traditional Iowa state wrestling meet, but it came on a default when her male opponent declined to compete against her, The Des Moines Register reports.

Her scheduled opponent, Joel Northrup, a home-schooled wrestler who finished third last year as a freshman at 103, is ranked fifth in the state.

Northrup said in a statement:

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cassy and Megan (Black, the tournament's other female entrant) and their accomplishments. However, wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times. As a matter of conscience and my faith, I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most of the high school sports in Iowa.

Linn-Mar athletic director Scott Mahmens says Northrup made the decision on his own.

"He's a Linn-Mar Lion, and we're going to support what he's doing," Mahmens says. "Obviously his beliefs are more important to him (than a chance at a state title)."

Black, the other female wrestler, lost by getting pinned in 52 seconds.