that she definitely had athleticism, she had the physicality, she had the passion; it was just a matter of being able to get her to finally go against some girls.”

     Making her official debut on the girls team in the 2025-2026 school year, Lovett caught on quickly and began rolling through her opponents. Beyond her technical skill and athleticism, she stepped up as a leader on the mat.

     “She's a captain this year, and she earned that title,” Scott said. “People are falling behind her that are younger, they're watching her and just saw how much work she put in, how much time she put in, the effort, the dedication, the consistency…, so they know that they have to put the same amount of work in order for them to get to that point too.”

     A season record of 36-10, Lovett is the first girl in Rose history to become a state runner-up and the only Rose wrestler to make it to states this year. While she fell short in the state finals, Lovett set a strong precedent for the girls team's first year back since COVID-19.

     “Since 1989, we only have seven, I believe, state finalists, so again, for her to make it that far was just huge,” Scott said. “She's going to lay the foundation for our program moving forward for years to come.”

     Lovett’s journey to states was not a straight path, but rather a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences. Navigating both a knee injury and a high-pressure sport, she kept a steady theme of persistence. 

     “[Going into regionals] I was scared; I thought for sure I was going to lose at least once, but I didn't,” Lovett said. “I knew my first match was probably going to be easy, and then, before my second match to get me into states, I had a nervous breakdown… it was over within 20 seconds, and, obviously, it ended up being fine.”

     It was not Lovett’s experience or technical training that carried her to the state championship, but rather her grit and spirit. Through injuries and seemingly insurmountable hurdles, Lovett persisted, earning herself the “Fire Award” from her coaches. 

     “[Nyima is] just definitely a firecracker, and you can tell that she's passionate about everything that she does; if you got to know her and you were able to crack her shell back [in freshman year], she has a great personality and was really funny and just overall, just a great student, great person,” Scott said. “[She] has that desire to win and just that drive to be the best, and we saw that in her really, really early on.”

     Despite the obstacles thrown in Lovett’s path, her teammates and coaches remained a steady source of support throughout her journey, pushing her past her doubts. 

     “Beyond support, actually, I never had that much support; being with them throughout the whole season… it just means a lot,” Lovett said. “Coach Trey… is the one that actually put in my mind I was making it to states; he watched film with me, he sent me [my competitors’] Facebooks where I could watch.”

     After going undefeated at regionals and winning both of her initial two matches at states, Lovett fell to Sydney Mark from Asheville High School in the 6A finals. No matter the final results, her passion for wrestling has persisted, and she hopes to wrestle for East Carolina University in the fall while continuing to make an impact in the halls of Rose.  

     “The year coming up, I'm going help coach the girls wrestling team,” Lovett said. “I would love to, honestly, because it's really not about the money, I just love the sport, and I love to help the girls get to where I was and better, make first [place].”