It was as if there was no learning curve when Cameron Millsapps took up the sport of high-school wrestling two years ago.
The Wakefield High School grappler was pretty much a natural at the sport the first time she took the mat last season as a junior. She lost just four matches last winter and placed sixth in the state at the 152-pound weight class, in what was a new girls high-school sport for Virginia public schools.
This winter, gaining more experience by wrestling in numerous offseason tournaments, Millsapps improved significantly. She finished undefeated at 28-0 with 26 pins, 25 in the first period.
Millsapps capped her season by winning a state title at the Feb. 26 Virginia High School League Girls Championship competition. She was 3-0 with two pins and a major decision at the 152-pound weight class.
Her two-season career record was 55-4.
Millsapps pinned Elena Carter of Courtland High School in just 35 seconds in the championship match at the Henrico Sports and Events Center. After a first-round bye, Millsapps recorded a 2-minute pin in her first match, then won 13-3 in the semifinals.
“I’m very excited about that,” Millsapps told ARLnow about winning the state title. “I was thinking about this for a year after finishing sixth last year. Winning the state was my priority.”
Since girls wrestling is such a new sport in Virginia, Millsapps is the first girls state champion from an Arlington school. She also won a region championship this season with a 4-0 record and four first-period pins.
She also won other high-school tournaments this season, despite missing about a month of action with concussion and vertigo issues.
“That’s darn impressive for a two-year wrestler,” Wakefield coach John Leinberger said. “She is a next-level wrestler and very strong, has no fear of shooting on opponents, and loves competing and being on the mat.”
When he began coaching Millsapps last year, Leinberger initially taught her two wrestling moves that she perfected and used for the entire season.
“She went with those moves very well,” Leinberger said, then perfected additional moves for this season.
In a few weeks, Millsapps will have the chance to show off her prowess when she competes for Virginia in a Battle of the Borders high-school wrestling tournament.
Originally, Millsapps was a gymnast at Wakefield and for the Arlington Aerials. She switched to wrestling full-time when Wakefield started a girls team and was encouraged by teammates to join.
“I liked wrestling right away and decided that was the sport I wanted to do,” Millsapps said.
Millsapps had a good base and family genes for wrestling — her father is an adult Jujutsu martial-arts champion.
Millsapps herself participated a bit in Jujutsu, which emphasizes technique over strength.
Millsapps plans to continue wrestling in college at Lehigh University, which is planning to soon begin a women’s program.
Also at this season’s VHSL girls state wrestling tournament, Yorktown High School senior Charlotte Bowman finished third with a 5-1 record at 145 pounds.
After winning her first-round match by a pin, Bowman was pinned in her second by the eventual champion. She then won four straight consolation matches to finish third.
Two of those wins were major decisions, including an 11-3 win in the match for third.
Bowman, a team captain, finished her wrestling career for Yorktown with a 30-6 record. She also won district and region titles.
“Charlotte is truly a pioneer for women’s wrestling in Arlington,” Yorktown coach Andrew Adams told ARLnow. “We can’t wait to see what she accomplishes when she continues her career at Ursinus College.”
