A year after injury, Adriana Murray wins MHSAA wrestling state title
· Yahoo Sports
DETROIT — Fourteen months ago, Adriana Murray suffered a hip injury that not only required surgery, it sidelined her from the wrestling mat indefinitely.
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With her passion on pause, Murray, then a freshman on the Yale High School wrestling team, was heartbroken. But in that painful moment, she knew a decision had to be made.
"You either sink or you swim," Murray said. "I was (either) going to be sad, give myself excuses, cry over it — I really found faith in God and I told myself, "This is where I quit or this is where I thrive.' "
That's where she began an incredible journey that culminated Saturday, March 7, at Ford Field.
The Yale sophomore defeated Alpena's Haley Stenz to win the MHSAA Girls Division state championship at 125 pounds.
"You can't really put this feeling into words," said Murray, who won on a fall at 1:57. "I'm kind of surprised I'm not crying. I was so nervous. I've never done anything this big in this kind of finale. I'm really grateful."
"It's huge," Yale coach Rob Majcher said of Murray's accomplishment. "It's a total testament to her will, her desire and her love for the sport. She truly, truly does love the sport. She put everything she could into getting back on the mat."
When asked how it felt to be a state champion, Murray paused and put her path to the top in perspective.
"I think it was (about) a little bit more than winning," Murray said. "The feeling, the emotions, the effort … I had surgery on both my legs. I was gone (from wrestling) for nine months. I wasn't walking, I missed school … (but) I knew I would be here. I came here with a goal and I achieved it."
Contact Brenden Welper at [email protected]. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: A year after injury, Adriana Murray wins MHSAA wrestling state title