Noise spills from the wrestling room as two freshman girls stand outside, hearts pounding and nerves spiking. The sport is male-dominated, the room full of boys, and neither has ever wrestled before. Still they step onto the mat.

Four years later, seniors Raye Aldag and Maia Ruben have made history as the first LSE girls to wrestle all four years of high school helping build the program from the ground up. Little did they know, the sport they walked into would become a source of confidence and they themselves would leave a legacy of achievements and standards for players beyond their own graduation.

When they joined as freshman, neither had experience on a wrestling mat. Aldag had never even watched a match. But, that didn’t deter either of them from exploring outside their comfort zones.

To alleviate the nerves of trying something new, pre-wrestling season open mats, organized by coaches in the gym’s wrestling room, offered both the opportunity to get acquainted with the sport and with other wrestlers.

Although joining a male-dominated sport was still intimidating, Aldag found that the other members of the team made the beginnings of the program “really fun”.

“I think our first group of girls were all very into the sport and we all had a good bond. It was fun to start something new and be part of something new,” Aldag said.

Because the program was in its first year, even upperclassmen were beginners. There were no veteran female wrestlers to look up to.

For example, during Aldag’s freshman year, her practice partner was then senior Katelyn Rutledge, but since this was the first year of the program, it was Rutledge’s first year participating, just as it was Aldag’s. This meant that for Aldag, as well as other underclassmen, there wasn’t the opportunity to look up to an experienced female wrestler.

Over the years though, Aldag and Ruben were able to develop the experience that the seniors lacked in their freshman year.

“Now, since I’m experienced, I feel like I can help [freshmen] excel more in the sport and give them a lot more advice, not only on being a hard worker, but also on technique,” Aldag said.

From the start of her first season to now, Aldag believes she has grown not only as a wrestler, but also as a person.

“I’ve changed a lot since my freshman year. I was very timid and shy and I really didn’t talk a lot. Since then I’ve gained a lot more confidence,” Aldag said. “Not only in wrestling, but outside of wrestling I’m a lot more confident, like at school. It’s helped me become a hard worker and know how much I’m able to handle. I can make it through harder days because I built my mindset up so much.”

Ruben shares a similar perspective, believing that wrestling has improved her mental toughness.

“I’m confident [now], which is something freshman Maia would have never guessed because she lost all the time and was constantly crying,” Ruben said.

As both seniors have grown mentally, their relationships with each other have also grown.

“Me and Maia have been on the team all four years and we’re very close. The bond our team has is very close. It’s like a family. And I feel like it’s easier to get better when you have other girls who are also wanting to get better and because you’re doing it together,” Aldag said.

Ruben agrees that the relationship which has been built by the team over the years is a close and accepting one.

“It’s just been such a great supportive atmosphere to grow along with my team,” Ruben said. “I feel very comfortable sharing lots of things with my team. I can be myself around my team. I don’t have to be reserved, or anything like that and I do think that my teammates feel the same way.”

For sophomore and returning wrestler Isabella DeBonis, the support and community created by Aldag, Ruben, as well as senior Lili Huegel, who joined her sophomore year, has been influential in recruiting new wrestlers.

“They shaped it to what it is this year,” DeBonis said. “We’ve never had this many girls try out, and I think that’s purely because of the relationships we built the past couple years. It is like a family.”

DeBonis herself was even partially convinced to join the team because of its seniors.

“They’re kind of the reason I did it in the beginning,” DeBonis said. “They’re just amazing to be around. They work super hard, so that motivates me to work hard. I’m never afraid to ask them if I need help.”

Head Girl’s Wrestling Coach Kim Hall says the seniors lead by example, often mentoring younger athletes.

“They take [new players] under their wing and show good leadership qualities,” Hall said. “They’ve just been really good examples of what it takes to be successful. So, if our younger underclassmen take note of that, then they’re gonna be able to find that success later too.”

Aldag also became the program’s first state medalist last year and Wednesday Feb. 18, Aldag won state champion, giving younger wrestlers a name on the wall to work towards.

With their various accomplishments and status as the first four-year female wrestlers in LSE wrestling history, Aldag and Ruben have left a legacy behind for future wrestlers.

“I’d like to hope I’m leaving some type of legacy in a way that younger girls can look up to it and they can dream of going high, way higher than I did,” Ruben said.

Hall believes the legacies of Aldag and Ruben expand beyond set records or future goals. The past four years these seniors have set the foundation for the program, shaping its present and future.

“Maia and Raye have been with us since the very beginning. [They helped] build the program from the ground up,” Hall said. “This senior class has left such big shoes to fill. Their impact on the program is astronomical.”