No one can dispute Lauryn Bruggink made history Thursday, though her true moment of achievement actually occurred last week.

That is when Bruggink, a freshman from tiny Soroco High School in north-central Colorado, earned a berth in the 2009 state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center.

Raised in a family where wrestling ruled, it was an overwhelmingly emotional accomplishment for Bruggink, who became only the second girl to qualify for state in the tournament's rich seven-decade history.

It is easy to wonder what emotions overcame Bruggink when she earned her historic berth.

Did she feel as if she had struck a small blow for gender equality?

Was she brimming with pride to have succeeded in the sport that had been so good to her father?

Or was she just another wrestler preparing for the next opponent on the ledger?

Turns out, it was none of the above.

When Bruggink earned her berth, she mostly was trying to avoid losing her lunch.

"To be honest, I was really, really sick," Bruggink said. "Getting better was what went through my mind. I was really excited, but you couldn't tell right then and there. I was not feeling good at all. Throughout the week, it definitely sunk in, with the posters up in the school and the pep rally. It definitely has been a trip. It's been a ride."

The journey was met with disappointment Thursday during the opening matches of the state meet as the 103-pound Bruggink was pinned in her first-round match of the Class 2A tournament.

Bruggink will have another shot at becoming the first female to win a match at state Friday in the consolation round, yet no matter the outcome, it is safe to say she is following her destiny.

Family matters

There is little mystery how the petite Bruggink was lured to the sweaty mats of a sport traditionally pursued by boys.

While in many families youngsters are plied with baseball gloves or footballs, wrestling was ensconced in the Bruggink family lore.

Bruggink's father, Travis, was a two-time state champion, winning the 126-pound title in 1983 and 1984.

Travis Bruggink always has been involved as a coach in youth wrestling and also serves as an assistant coach for the Rams.

In fact, so influential was wrestling in the elder Bruggink's life that he named Lauryn Marissa Bruggink after two of his biggest influences in the sport - former Soroco assistant coach Mark Rossi and Loren Kirby, his wrestling partner in high school.

"We were going to use those names whether she was a boy or a girl," Travis Bruggink said. "I wrestled back when rocks were soft, according to her. The first time she was on the mat, she was a little kid. She kind of naturally was there.

"As a coach, you are always happy to get a kid to state. We were hoping to have more here. As a father, what can I say? The thing is, we look at her as a wrestler. Gender doesn't really have anything to do with it."

A strong all-around athlete, Bruggink had other interests, including basketball. But the lure of continuing the family tradition was too strong, no matter what kind of diversions her father attempted to throw at her early in her career.

"I actually tried to steer her away from it. She's my little girl," Travis Bruggink said.

"The first year she wrestled, I really didn't try to teach her anything. But she wouldn't quit. That backfired on me, and here we are. This is really where her heart was, and she followed it. I've never, ever been able to tell her no."

Sauer the trailblazer

The first girl to reach the state meet was former Golden High School athlete Brooke Sauer, another coach's daughter, in 2006.

Having only one other wrestler setting the path before her could have been intimidating to Bruggink, but she reports having encountered no prejudice, subtle or otherwise, throughout her freshman season.

"If there is any (problems), it's with them, and that's their own fault," Lauryn Bruggink said. "I'm not going to let that worry me at all. If they can't accept that I'm a girl wrestling, then that's their own fault. When I get on the mat for six minutes, gender does not matter. The guys that wrestle, most of them have respect for me and I have respect for them. That's what wrestling is about."

Bruggink still has an opportunity to make history Friday in her consolation match because Sauer failed to win when she became the female pioneer in 2006. If it can be done by Bruggink - who knows much of her mountain town will be listening in on the radio - her heritage would make the moment somewhat fitting.

And with three years remaining in her high school career, Bruggink will have plenty of opportunities to record that historic win, regardless of what unfolds Friday.

"I've grown up with my team, and they are like my brothers," Bruggink said. "At this point, I'm going to finish this tournament and just look at my next match. I'm not going to look forward any further than my next match at this point. I'm just another wrestler, to be honest about it. That's how I look at it."

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