PEIGHTON MULLINS

FORT GIBSON HIGH SCHOOL

You might say that Fort Gibson senior Peighton Mullins is a pioneer. She was one of the first female high school wrestlers around when girls’ wrestling got its own place on the high school scene four years ago.

“When I was eight years old growing up in Keys, our PE coach Casper Petty got me interested in wrestling. I wrestled in the youth program in Muskogee and then came here,” said Mullins.

She breezed through the competition her freshman year going 25-1 and won again her sophomore year going undefeated.

 “But I think she felt a lot of pressure from everyone around her to make it a three-peat her junior year and wrestling became more of a grind instead of being fun”, said her coach Sammy Johnson. “She lost in the state finals, and I think that has renewed some of the fire she had earlier. Her work ethic this year has been much better and now there are three freshmen girls in the wrestling room and she’s pushing them and being a senior leader.”

The fact that she was in their shoes when she was a freshman but without any other girls to work out with, she feels helps make her a good leader.

“I’m sure some of these girls are saying to themselves ‘I’ve got to do this for four years?’ But I think with what I’ve accomplished since that freshman year, it helps them see that the effort can be worth it.”

With a goal of reclaiming her territory at state this year, Peighton feels she has a renewed since of purpose.

 “I think I’m better preparing myself mentally for practices. While a lot of folks might say ‘I have to be here’ I say it’s just a couple of hours a day that I GET to do this, and I see it as more of a privilege to be a part of this team.”

Peighton’s future plans are still unclear due in part to different wrestling styles.

“All my time I’ve wrestled folk style but in college they wrestle free style, so I’d have to learn a whole new style. So we’ll see what happens.”