At first, coach Rich Morton thought Mushirah Sheppard was almost "too nice" for the wrestling mat.

Sheppard took up wrestling as a seventh grader, joining Morton's modified program.

"She had all the makings and the right attitude to be in the sport," said Morton, the former longtime varsity coach. "She never had wrestled before but she had a lot of interest in the sport, and she's very coachable.