A lot of great stories unfolded at the UIL State Wrestling meet on Friday and Saturday in Austin.  One such story is that of Adele Kurt, a senior wrestler from Katy Taylor, whose high school career culminated with a state title on Saturday afternoon.

Looking back, Kurt, who never lost a match in her senior season, admits the beginning of her journey doesn’t bear much of a resemblance to the end.  “When I was a freshman, I wasn’t very good,” she says of her start in the sport.  “I wasn’t committed to [wrestling] then, either.”

You’d never know that if you followed her performance at state over the past two seasons.  Last year, Kurt narrowly missed a shot at the title, losing 3-1 in the semi-finals to eventual state champion Carrie Clark of Cedar Park Vista Ridge.  Kurt went on to claim the bronze medal.

This time around, she would settle for nothing less than gold.  With a win-loss record of 28-0 heading into the state meet, Kurt continued her commanding performance on the mats at the Delco Center.  In round one, she pinned her opponent, Roxy Arzola of El Paso Americas High School, in less than two minutes.  Round two was even more impressive, as she pinned Katie Brackin of Austin Johnson in just 56 seconds.  That sent her to the finals of the 165 weight class, where she would face Amarillo Caprock’s Maci Alvarado, who was a silver medallist at last year’s state meet.  Kurt claimed gold with a resounding 13-0 victory over Alvarado and propelled the Katy Taylor girls to a 6th place finish in the team competition.

When asked about the most memorable moments of her career, there was no hesitation in Kurt’s response.  “Definitely winning state has been the biggest.  District and regionals were great this year, but this is where all the hard work has paid off.  Every time I stepped on the mat, I realized this is everything I have worked for.”

Kurt was not alone in her quest for gold.  Even some of her fellow wrestlers cheered her on from the edge of the mats, including Angie Murray, Cy-Fair’s state champion in the 119 weight class, and Klein’s Lindsey Brooks, 3-time state champion in the 148 weight class.  “I’ve become good friends with a lot of the other wrestlers.  It feels so good to have support from your own teammates and wrestlers from other teams,” Kurt said.

As for her future in wrestling, Kurt remains uncertain.  She says she has spoken with some college recruiters but hasn’t yet decided whether or not to continue with the sport beyond high school.

Her advice to young girls with aspirations of getting involved in wrestling is simple: don’t give up.  “If you lose, don’t get discouraged.  Just keep going, and give it everything you have,” she says.  Wise words from someone who struggled early in her career but finished at the top of her sport.

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