BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — Grace Leota is literally all over the Hernando High wrestling room.

She’s on the wall, celebrating with her teammates when they won the girls’ state championship last year. And her individual accolades take up a good chunk with banners honoring her back-to-back state titles. 

What You Need To Know

  • Grace Leota is a three-time state champion wrestler from Hernando High School

  •  She recently capped off her high school career with her third-straight title

  •  Grace will continue wrestling at the next level at Presbyterian College in South Carolina

The school will be adding another one after Grace won a third-straight state title to cap off her high school career. There was a lot of pressure going for three straight championships, but Grace thrives when her back is against the wall.

“I actually do like pressure,” Grace said. “There are times when it does get too much. And so, that’s when I have to take a step back, breathe a little bit and just remember my why. Why do I wrestle?”

For Grace, the answer is simple. She loves an audience.

“I love wrestling in front of people,” she said. “I’ve always been that way, even when I’ve done other sports, like basketball and jiu-jitsu. I’ve always loved to compete in front of people. That’s just where I’m at my best, I believe.”

Grace is prepared to wrestle for a whole new audience when she goes off to college. She’ll continue competing in the sport she loves at Presbyterian College in South Carolina, which is one of just a handful of colleges with a Division I women's wrestling program. She likes where wrestling has taken her and what it taught her about herself.

“Wrestling has just given me a new wave of confidence,” she said. “Not only in myself, but in the people I surround myself with and the people that have really just taken me under their wing and guided me.”