Hailey Thao — A Champion Today, World‑Championship Material Tomorrow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYe-v45Jpcs

Bermuda Run, N.C.— Hailey Thao of Davie County, North Carolina, is quickly establishing herself as one of the most exciting young female wrestlers in the country, a 14U standout who trains at Combat Athletics and has already built a national‑level resume across multiple major youth‑wrestling events. With titles and podium finishes at the USA Wrestling Kids Folkstyle Nationals, USMC Women’s Nationals, 10U Regionals, and other high‑level tournaments, Hailey has shown that she can compete with and beat the top girls in the country, not just the state.

Hailey first stepped onto the mat around age five, inspired by watching her older brother wrestle. She has said of that moment, “I just really wanted to go into the sport,” and quickly discovered that she loved wrestling from the very first practice. By the time she was eight, her family noticed that wrestling was no longer just a hobby but a consuming passion, something she wanted to do every day and pour her energy into without hesitation. That early foundation translated into steady success on the tournament trail, where she began stringing together results that showed she was more than just a local standout.

One of her first major breakthroughs came at the 2022 USA Wrestling 10U Girls Regional Championships, where she captured the 10U girls title at 55 pounds, winning the championship match by tech fall. That performance signaled that she could not only compete with the nation’s top girls at that age, but beat them in dominant fashion. Later that same year, she added a bronze medal at the 2022 USMC Women’s Nationals in the 10U girls division, finishing in third place and proving she could handle the high‑level, freestyle‑heavy environment.

Hailey also placed third at a national‑style 10U girls tournament held in Texas, again competing at 55 pounds and earning recognition as an up‑and‑coming standout in the bracket. In addition to those national and regional events, she went undefeated and won the girls division at a Deep South‑style girls tournament, going 5–0 against strong regional competition and demonstrating consistency across multiple formats and styles. Those early‑career accomplishments laid the groundwork for her move into the 14U age group, where the competition grows faster, stronger, and more technically sound.

By the time she reached 14U, Hailey had already learned how to manage the pressure of big brackets, long days, and high‑stakes matches. At the 2025 USA Wrestling Kids Folkstyle Nationals, she captured the 14U 80‑pound girls folkstyle championship wrestling for Team North Carolina, cutting through a loaded bracket before reaching the final. She has described that title match as “pretty crazy,” noting that it went into overtime before she clinched the win with a step‑out point. That outcome, she said, “was really important,” because in kids‑folkstyle and freestyle formats, even one small point can decide the match. Standing on the podium afterward, she called it “the best moment of my life,” a feeling that still resonates with her whenever she reflects on her first major national title.

Hailey’s style is built on a simple but effective philosophy: stay aggressive, stay calm, and hunt points smartly rather than recklessly. She has said, “I just stayed aggressive but calm at the same time, trying to be more smart, getting the points and all that,” a mindset that fits perfectly with the modified folkstyle/freestyle formats she regularly competes in. She leans into scrambles, hand‑fighting, and pressure, but always with an eye on capitalizing, not just overpowering, making her tough to pin while still grinding out advantages. That style has allowed her to win at the 10U level, then carry over into 14U, where the competition is faster and more physical, and the ability to stay composed matters even more.

At the 2025 Bison Duals, Hailey went undefeated and earned North Carolina Gold’s Outstanding Wrestler honors, wrestling several strong girls over the course of the day. Of those matches, she has said, “All the matches were good matches. I wrestled a lot of good girls. It was pretty fun over there,” a reflection of how much she enjoys going up against high‑level competition and using each match as a measuring stick. That stretch of dominance helped cement her reputation as one of the most consistent performers in the 14U girls’ division in the country, not just North Carolina.

In middle school, Hailey went undefeated to claim the Tri‑County Conference championship, a season she described as “really fun,” built on a lot of teammates and extra time on the mat. She emphasized that she wrestled “for fun, for extra time, extra mat time and all that,” highlighting how much she values the experience of simply being in the room and grinding, not just the trophies at the end. That approach has helped her maintain a deep love for the sport even as the pressure and expectations around her have grown.

Her coach, Josh Stanley of Combat Athletics, has noted that Hailey has “grown up in it,” with wrestling woven into the fabric of her daily life and family culture. He has highlighted that she comes from a wrestling‑heavy family that includes cousins like Yaleen and Jelina, both state champions and national‑level competitors, and that watching them succeed has given her a clear picture of what it takes to climb to the top. Stanley has said she is “kind of a face of our program,” praising her welcoming demeanor, constant smile, and eagerness to connect with other athletes.

Hailey’s training routine reflects that same work‑first mindset. She typically starts her evening with a strength and conditioning session at RISE Indoor Sports around 5 p.m., then moves directly into the Combat Athletics wrestling room. She helps younger kids before team practice, which she has described as beginning with “hard hand fighting and hard drilling,” then moving into “pace drills,” situational work from top and bottom, a water break, and finally live wrestling. That consistent, high‑volume training has helped her build the toughness and technique needed to outlast and out‑scramble elite opponents, whether she’s facing them at USMC Women’s Nationals, 10U Nationals/Regionals, Texas‑style national events, Deep South‑style brackets, or the Kids Folkstyle Nationals.

Stanley has also run one‑on‑one sessions with her on Tuesdays and Thursdays, where he focuses on refining small technical details and sharpening her mindset. Hailey has said of those sessions, “Josh would work and fix up on the little stuff that I’m not doing correctly or fix up on the little stuff that I need to put my mindset more into,” underscoring how much she values those micro‑adjustments. She has called him “an amazing coach” and “a really good guy,” emphasizing how strongly she connects with his coaching style and expectations.

When it comes to losses, Hailey treats them as fuel rather than finish lines. She has said, “The losses have a lot of losses. They’re hard, but they made me learn, made me push more, especially during workouts,” and explained that she will “put that picture in my mind of me losing and pushing,” then channel that feeling into extra work. She follows that by drilling the areas she’s weak in, turning each tough match into a targeted training session rather than just a disappointment. That mindset has allowed her to keep improving even as the competition around her grows stronger, from her early‑career 10U regional title all the way through her 14U national‑champ status.

Hailey has also been vocal about the kind of example she wants to set for younger wrestlers. She has said, “I just want them to go have fun. Let them experience how wrestling is, get tougher, and grow more,” emphasizing joy and development over medals and rankings. She wants younger girls to see wrestling as a lifestyle, not just a season, and to understand that the grind and repetition are what make the big moments possible. Off the mat, she keeps balance by staying active in other ways, telling people she “likes working out” and that she “works out mostly every day of the week.” She also plays pickleball with her family, saying it’s “really fun,” a way to stay sharp physically while also enjoying time with her relatives.

Hailey’s long‑term goal is as straightforward as it is ambitious: she wants to wrestle at the Olympics and compete on the world stage. She has said, “My whole entire dream and that put me into wrestling is going to the Olympics and winning the Olympics and wrestling other people that I don’t know yet from other countries,” previewing how much she looks forward to testing herself against international talent. She also talks about wanting to reach “world‑level wrestling” and “world‑champion status,” underscoring that she is not content with youth‑level success alone.

From her early‑career podiums at USMC Women’s Nationals, 10U Nationals/Regionals, Texas‑style national events, and Deep South‑style tournaments, to her 14U Kids Folkstyle Nationals title and Tri‑County Conference championship, Hailey Thao has built a lineage of major‑tournament placings that points toward a long‑term career at the top of the sport. Her humility, constant smile, and willingness to help younger kids, paired with her serious work ethic and clear vision, make her a standout competitor on the national stage and a role model for the next generation of girls wrestlers across the country.