Campbell County wrestler is one of a kind
Brownfield first girl to qualify for state meet
Priscilla Brownfield should draw a lot of attention when she competes in the Kentucky high school wrestling championships this week.
The Campbell County senior is the first female wrestler to qualify for the state tournament, but she doesn’t want to cause a stir.
“I’d rather be in a little corner wrestling where nobody sees me, ” she said.
“I really don’t do this for publicity. It’s just something I do.”
Brownfield received a berth in the state tournament for placing third in the 103-pound weight class at the 6th Region Tournament on Saturday at Simon Kenton High School.
She’ll be one of 32 wrestlers competing for gold, silver and bronze medals in that weight class when the state tournament begins Thursday at Frankfort Civic Center.
Brownfield sees no reason why she can’t make it to the final rounds on Saturday.
“I believe so, and my coach believes so, “she said. “We definitely believe I can place.”
Brownfield won three of four matches in the regional qualifier to raise her season record to 39-15. In the consolation finals, she defeated Simon Kenton freshman Robbie Vaughn, 5-3, to earn a bronze medal.
“That was probably the best match she had all day, “said Campbell County coach Mike Bankemper. “In her first match she wasn’t aggressive at all. It was like she had a mental block and couldn’t get over it. But she finally came around and went after it.”
The top four finishers in each weight class qualify for the state tournament. Brownfield had already clinched a berth when she took the mat against Vaughn, but she didn’t take it easy.
Brownfield, 18, scored two points on a takedown in the first period and got another takedown in the second period to build a 5-0 lead.
“That was a big accomplishment for me, “she said. “This year, I haven’t been doing a lot of takedowns. I haven’t wrestled as hard as I wanted to.”
Vaughn scored two points on a reverse and one point on an escape to cut the lead to 5-3, but Brownfield held on for the win.
“That was my fourth time wrestling (Vaughn) and every single time we wrestled it went into double overtime or sudden death, “she said. “This time I said, ‘I’m going six full minutes, and that’s it.’ “
Brownfield said qualifying for state “relieves a lot of stress ” after working six years to attain that goal.
She started wrestling when she was in the seventh grade and came up through the Campbell County feeder program. After sitting out her sophomore season with a dislocated left elbow, she wasn’t able to make the Camels’ starting lineup for last year’s regional tournament.
Brownfield hurt her right elbow earlier this season, but she stayed in the starting lineup. She wears a protective wrap on her elbow, but she didn’t let that hold her back during the regional tournament.
“I just had to get out there and say, ‘I’m going to do this,’ and if I don’t at least I can say I went out and did everything I could to win, “she said.
Earlier this season, the 4-foot-9 senior said she never had any qualms about competing against boys in such a physical contact sport.
“It just feels natural to me and I love the competition, “she said. “It’s not just a sense of going out and beating boys. It’s the satisfaction of knowing I can win against another person.”
Brownfield has received recruiting letters from several colleges that have women’s wrestling programs. She plans to attend the University of Cumberlands in Kentucky and carry on her wrestling career there.
What she does in the state high school tournament won’t have much effect on her future. The most important thing to her is being in the bracket.
“When I got in high school everybody said I’ll quit, but I didn’t, “Brownfield said. “This is my dream. I really love this. I don’t care if I lose or if I win, I still love it.”
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