The School Buzz: Lewis-Palmer wrestler wins nationals, joining Team USA

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Springs may be the Olympic City. But Monument has the latest local athlete pushing to make Team USA.

Lilly Lundy recently won her weight class in the Under-17 division at nationals in Spokane last week. In doing so, she earned a spot to represent Team USA at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, this summer.

In fact, Lilly will be one of just 10 athletes competing for the United States. To top it off, Lilly has been wrestling at 100 pounds and qualified at 94 pounds. During the high school season, she only lost to state champions or nationally ranked wrestlers. Those few losses were actually a good omen.

Her coach says she's everything you'd want in an athlete. 

"Lilly's a great kid. Leader. .. She's like a one-percenter. Does everything right. Never complains. Very coachable, "said Cole Jackson, Lewis-Palmer High School's head wrestling coach.

Lilly has a week-long camp at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center this week. July through August, she'll be in Azerbaijan. Her goal is to be an Olympic wrestler. 

Not bad for a girl who's only been wrestling for 5 years. 

"It feels amazing. It feels so unreal because I never thought I was going to be in this position, and I'm just super grateful too," said Lilly.

Have a champion at your school? Tell us all about 'em! SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com!

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.