Wrestling and Winning: Nevaeh Smith’s Rise in the 130-Pound Class

Nevaeh Smith will be headed to North Carolina this weekend to take a look around Montreat.

The junior at Francis Howell Central will be going on her first recruiting trip to check out the Tar Heel Wrestling Club. Currently, the roster lists only one female wrestler. 

She is coming off a solid season this year for the Spartans when she went 41-3 and reached the semifinals in Class 2. Smith capped off the season by taking third place in the 130-pound bracket.

Since the high school season ended, she’s been training at the Purler Wrestling Academy. The coaches at the facility in Moscow Mills helped kickstart the recruiting for Smith, who talked to the coaching staff at North Carolina and was invited for a visit.

“I’m excited and a little nervous, mainly to see what opportunities there are for me,” she said. 

She’s also gotten interest from East Stroudsburg University in East Stroudsburg, Penn., and Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn.

She knew back in seventh grade that her future would likely include wrestling in college. 

After all, having five older brothers she’s been wrestling for a long time — not just not the mat.

Once she started wrestling and beating the boys her age, she was hooked on the sport.

“I didn’t wake up and not be blessed; not a lot can just step on the mat and wrestle well,” she said. “I took the opportunity I had.”

She recalls back in eighth grade she had a match against Jackson Tucker, who later told her that she was really strong after beating her.

Tucker, for the record, was the 138-pound champion this past season in Class 3 for Hillsboro.

She said his affirmation was a boost for her….

Yes, there's even more!
The Best Missouri Wrestling Content.
MISSOURI WRESTLING + ROKFIN
Enjoy local Missouri wrestling perspective as well as national outlook with the power of Rokfin. Cancel at any time.
  • Exclusive Missouri Wrestling content
  • Rankings, articles, video, livestreams
  • Access to over 130+ wrestling channels
  • Ad-Free. No ads, no banners – not now, not ever
  • Our Mission, for the past 20+ years, is to provide the most and best Missouri wrestling content. We believe wrestling is the toughest sport and deserves media coverage. If you appreciate what we do, please consider subscribing to help support what we provide
  • With a MissouriWrestling.com Rokfin subscription, you gain access to exclusive content, Missouri high school rankings and other premium content that may not be available to non-subscribers. The Missouri wrestling premium subscription is available at $14.99 per month or $149.99 per year, offering the flexibility to cancel anytime.
  • There aren't many sites dedicated to wrestling in Missouri, if any. If you appreciate what we do for the sport, please consider subscribing to help support us.
GET FULL ACCESS NOW

What do you think?

Cody Thorn

Written by Cody Thorn

Missouri Natives Making Their Marks at Olympic Trials

Kailey Benson’s Rise in High School Wrestling at Francis Howell Central