Takedown Report

Isabel Rodriguez presented the 1st Olivia Neal Award

Mount Olive coaches Dan Willis and Troy Bell with Isabel Rodriguez and the Olivia Neal Award.
The 1^st Olivia Neal Award for the 2022 Most Inspirational Female scholastic wrestler in eastern North Carolina is presented to senior Isabel Rodriguez of Dixon High School.  This Award will be named in honor of the Olivia Neal, the first female to qualify for the NCHSAA State Wrestling Championship in 2008. She wrestled for the Rosewood High School Eagles.  This trophy is 5^th Named Award Trophy that the TakeDown Report sponsors.

Isabel Rodriguez has been a member of the Dixon H.S. Varsity Team for 3 years, and as a starter for her junior and senior years. Coach Christian Brothers credit her as “… the driving force behind the growth of the Women’s Wrestling Team at Dixon High School. Before her arrival, there may have been one girl on the team. This past season, we ended with 6 girls on our roster, and hosted the first girls dual meet in Onslow County.”   She qualified for the varsity “boy” regionals her junior and senior years.

Isabel is a 2-time Girls’ N.C. Invitational Finalist, pinning her way to Championship in her senior year.  She won the championship and was also recognized as being a ‘TDR Top 5 Girls’ wrestler’ and she received an engraved wooden plaque for that.  She has continued to wrestle this season at University of Mount Olive. This season is the first for a Women’s team at Division II U.M.O. The Men’s team started in 2019.

The award is based on the wrestler inspired or led other females and male to become involved in wrestling.  Next in consideration is having a successful season in the number of wins, placing in the girls’ and varsity boy’s regional and state tournaments.  Senior wrestlers will have some preference as underclassmen wrestlers will have the opportunity next season.  Also consideration will be given to academics and other attributes in being a positive role model.

Girls’ wrestling is growing at a rapid rate with over 30 states having sanctioned state championships in girls wrestling.  North Carolina will join these states in sponsoring a sanctioned state championship tournament in the 2023-2024 season.   The number of students, girls and boys, to participate in wrestling will continue to grow in our communities and the opportunities grow.

The award is named for Olivia Neal who was the first female wrestler to qualify for the varsity boys state tournament.  There was a great deal of publicity as she pinned her first opponent and this inspired a growing number of girls in eastern N.C. to try out wrestling.  The TakeDown Report’s goal is to do anything we can to promote the growth of wrestling in eastern N.C. 

December 16, 2022 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized