The world of women's sports is ever changing and evolving. Paraskevi (Vivi) Christopoulos '23 recognized that she wanted to be a part of this change early on in her high school career. Her freshman year, she attended Knoxville Catholic high school, where she started a girls' wrestling program. Her sophomore year, she transferred to Baylor, saw the absence of girls' wrestling, and worked hard to bring about change. Although denied many times, her perseverance helped the dream come into fruition.
I had the honor of wrestling alongside Christopoulos at state this year. Let me tell you, the videos do no justice to exactly how amazing her wrestling is. In her first matches, she dominated quickly and had no mercy towards her opponents. It almost amused me that the girl who was doing her statistics homework thirty minutes prior was now pinning a girl into the mat. The energy she poured into every practice showed in competition. Goosebumps rose on my skin as I watched her wrestle, and every match, she took another step towards equality within the world of wrestling at Baylor.
The image is burned into my mind: her last match. Christopoulos was up against the defending state champion, who she had a prior run in with at a previous tournament. We all knew she could do it, but it was the anticipation that made everyone nervous. I could not tell you how many times I would look away in nervousness only to avert my eyes back to her match. There were eight seconds left and Vivi was up by two points. I could tell by the roaring of the people around me and the faces of coaches Schaack Van Deusen '61 and Edward Holland, Christopoulos had won her first state title. Tears and laughter arose from everyone around me. I hugged her father "Baba" and ran onto the floor to hug her.
Her journey towards a state championship title was a treacherous one at first, but Christopoulos fought for her passion. The title is one not just for her, but it is also for future generations of girls who wrestle for Baylor to look up to. This story shows that if you have grit anything is possible.
Story by Madison Ellis '23
https://www.baylorschool.org/the-baylor-notes/single-post/~board/bn-sports/post/vivi-christopoulos-23-making-baylor-athletics-history?issue_id=758
