River Falls High School 2019 grad Macey Kilty recently won the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championship (NCWWC) as a member of the University of Iowa and you may have never even heard of her.

That's because it's tough to see someone when they're chopping down brush blazing their own trail and not only making their own path but helping clear a path for other female wrestlers.

"I think what's really cool about my story is it's not like anyone else's," said Kilty, "and it will always be different from now on because there is a path now."

Kilty won the NCWWC in the 145-pound class in Coralville, Iowa. Next year, the NCAA will have a sanctioned national tournament in Division I, II, and III for women.

"That's huge," said Kilty. "It’s awesome women's wrestling is growing so fast and new opportunities keep coming and girls can now have their school paid for."

Girls’ wrestling is the fastest growing high school sport in the United States, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association sanctioned a high school state tournament for girls' wrestling in 2022. Kilty missed out on that one. She had already graduated high school and was already competing internationally. With almost 100 NCAA schools now offering women's wrestling and close to 1,200 participants, the stroke of the NCAA pen has approved a national tournament like 90 other NCAA sports. Kilty's last year of collegiate eligibility is this year. She missed out on that one, too.

"I guess I was the trailblaze phase," said Kilty. "There wasn't a right way or a wrong way to do anything."

Kilty's own path started in Stratford, Wis., but she moved to River Falls before her junior year of high school to train with former Wildcat wrestling coach Kevin Black. Kilty's goal has always been to compete in the Olympics and it has been for quite some time. Even if there was a WIAA State Girls' Wrestling Tournament in 2018 and '19, it would've almost been a waste of time for Kilty. She was, and is, that good.

Kilty finished the last part of her high school senior year online and graduated but was living and working out at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Kilty finished in second place in her weight class during last two Olympic cycles, just missing representing the U.S.

"Winning the Olympics, that's always been the main goal," said Kilty. "I've trained with world class people all over the world and there is no place like the University of Iowa in terms of resources and support for women's wrestling."

Kilty moved to Iowa City and has been wrestling for the Hawkeyes. The United States wrestles Folkstyle and, internationally, the rest of the world wrestles Freestyle.

"The main difference is scoring," said Kilty. "You can, for example, lock your hands in Freestyle and in Folkstyle that's a penalty."

Elite wrestling minds will tell anyone asking that any collegiate female 145-pound wrestler doesn't have a chance against Kilty. Again, she is that good at what she does, but like Kilty said before, she's blazing her own trail. She wants to finish college, earn her degree, and it did give her an opportunity to win a collegiate championship, even though it won't go down in NCAA lore since it was a NCWWC win. 

"I'm still doing the same thing, still training for the Olympics," said Kilty. "I'm just doing it in Iowa City now."

For the guys’ path, the best of the best wrestled in high school and won state tournaments. Then, they received a scholarship, moved on to college and won NCAA championships. After graduation, they trained for the Olympics. Their path, though definitely not an easy one, had a road map. Macey Kilty's road to wrestling success did not show up on any GPS map, but she has trailblazed her own way.           

Kilty's wrestling GPS says her arrival time in Los Angeles will be in 2028 for the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad.