Britten signs to wrestle at Wartburg College

Grace Britten is taking her love for the sport of wrestling to another level, as she has a lot of accomplishments and lessons learned on the mat she can take into college.

Britten made her college choice official last Thursday, May 9, signing to wrestle at Wartburg College in Waverly, joined by parents Brian and Laura Britten and a host of coaches from her high school program.

She is the first girl who attends Nodaway Valley to sign to wrestle in college. During high school, she wrestled for SWAT — the program that has included a handful of schools in the region over the last three years.

“It’s a great feeling to be the first girl, and I hope there’s going to be several girls who follow in my path and dedicate enough time to the sport that they want to pursue it after high school,” Britten said. She made the decision to pursue wrestling in college during a camp last summer, where she talked with University of Iowa women’s wrestler Felicity Taylor.

While in high school, Britten was one of three to be the first girls to wrestle at a state-level tournament her freshman season. She graduates having two state medals to her name — sixth place in 2023 and eighth in 2024.

She has numerous other achievements from outside the high school season, a few highlights being a two-time Disney Duals Bronze All-American, an All-American in Virginia Beach and a seventh-place medalist at AAU State her sophomore year.

Most of all, Britten said she’s proud of the growth she’s been able to achieve throughout high school. The relationships she’s developed are what she’ll remember the most.

In college, Britten is excited to learn freestyle wrestling, which requires a faster pace, more shots taken, quick movements and tying each shot and move together to score points.

“I’m really excited to wrestle at this higher level because in high school, there weren’t too many girls in this area, at my weight class, that could push me very well,” Britten said. “Every college, there’s going to be a girl who can push me, regardless of where she’s from.”

Britten, who will major in English, said her decision came down to Wartburg because of a variety of factors. She spent a lot of time weighing her options.

“It came down to it being a really good program — [my former teammate] Ady Lundquist spoke very well of the coach there, so she was a part of that, as well — and the overall opportunities the school mentioned, like they have a May term where I can travel abroad without taking a semester off.”