Addi’s mom, Sarah Toll Bailey, put it perfectly: “This is the moment where Addi won her bubble match and qualified for State.” And behind that moment is a story that didn’t happen fast—and didn’t happen easy.

Addi didn’t grow up wrestling. She had never wrestled a day in her life before being strongly encouraged by Michelle Bristow Newkirk to give it a shot her freshman year. Addi came home and announced she was going to wrestle—while her parents had the kind of facial expression most of us reserve for surprise pop quizzes and unplanned life choices.

And then—because life loves a plot twist—her freshman season lasted one week before an injury. Most people would’ve called it a sign to move on.

Not Addi.

Sophomore year: she came back with fear to overcome—and did it anyway. She found some success, but not the finish she was chasing.

Junior year: she worked her rear off and missed qualifying by one place. One. Place.

Senior year: everyone hoped she might exhale a little, enjoy winter, take a break from a sport that demands long practices, making weight, and getting attacked on purpose.

Addi’s response?

“I just feel like I’m not finished yet.”

Well Addi… was right.

And here’s the part that makes this even bigger than one win: for the first time in program history, TWO Weston women earned their spot at the state championships in wrestling.

Aylah Gray—did it too. She and Addi didn’t just qualify. They changed what’s possible for the girls coming up behind them.

And Addi’s journey has one more twist that feels especially “Weston”: in a sport where tough is the standard, she brought something else—kindness. Hugging opponents. Cheering for them. Turning fierce competitors into real friends. Proof that grit and grace can share the same mat.

Photo Credit to Clifton Grooms via Sarah Toll Bailey's Facebook page