by Jared Jensen
The Paducah Sun
May 10, 2023
Used with permission.
Kendra Johnston has made history at Paducah Tilghman High School as she quickly made a name for herself as a female wrestler. The two-time Kentucky State Girls Wrestling Champion and two-time All-American signed a Letter of Intent on Tuesday afternoon to continue her wrestling career at University of the Cumberlands.
She made history as Tilghman’s first ever state state champion and the first girl wrestler to sign a wrestling scholarship for college, as well as the first female All-American.
“I’ve definitely had to work a lot harder than others that have one those things,” Johnston said. “I’ve wrestled with these guys since fourth grade so finally being able to show everyone what I can do has been nice and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my team.”
As the only female wrestler for Tilghman Johnston had her fair share of success against males throughout her career, but the last two years she found the majority of her success in female tournaments.
“The transition she’s (Kendra) made and the commitment she’s given to the sport and the love for the sport is what we love to see,” Paducah Tilghman head coach Seth Livingston said. “I remember the first girls tournament we took her to, she pinned her way to the finals and beats that girl in the final who was nationally ranked. That’s when we knew Kendra had arrived.”
Johnston will join a competitive roster as a Patriot as a team that strives to keep Kentucky wrestlers in the state. They held a record of 12-10 last season in the Mid-South Conference.
“We are all about getting Kentucky girls to stay in Kentucky and get them to wrestle in college and work on their education,” University of the Cumberlands Interim Head Coach Sarah Allen said. “We’ve been able to watch Kendra at the state tournament over the last couple of years and her hard work and dedication on the mat really made us interested in having her wrestle for us.”
With female wrestling becoming a sanctioned sport in the state of Kentucky starting next season, the path that Johnston has paved for female wrestlers at Paducah Tilghman High School is bound to be one of success for others down the road.
Along with continuing her wrestling career, Johnston will pursue a degree in nursing.