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Arkansas crowns first female state wrestling champion

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Arkansas crowned its first female wrestling state champion over the weekend. Destiny Nunez, a 17-year-old junior at Beebe (Ark.) High School, won the 106-pound weight class title at the 5A state meet.

It's a goal she's been working towards since placing fourth at the championships as a freshman. She placed third last year.

"I don't want to be just compared to girls," she said. "I want to be compared to good wrestlers."

After her performance in the state tournament, she should gain the respect she deserves. According to Arkansas Online:

Nunez, the No. 3 seed at 106 pounds, beat No. 1 seed Aiden Menchaca of Maumelle 5-2 in Saturday's final at the Jack Stephens Center to win the Class 1A-5A championship. She became the first girl to a win an individual state championship in the seven years the state tournament has been held.

Nunez is the fifth girl in national history to win a state wrestling title, the first since a Massachusetts wrestler did so in 2013, according to THV11.

She seemed calm after the win, according to local media, but said she was sure she would be "freaking out" later in the day.

"It makes me feel good about myself," Nunez said. "At the same time, I'm not saying I expected it, but I'm saying I have high goals."

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Danielle Elliot is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at delliot@yahoo-inc.com. Or, follow her on Twitter!