Foothill’s Lilly May – Las Vegas Sun News

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Lilly May’s basketball career lasted just one season, but the aggression she brought to the hardwood found a much better home on the wrestling mat.

Known for her physical play and frequent fouls, May channeled that intensity into a sport that rewarded it.

The results were immediate. Over the past two seasons, she compiled a 70-7 record, capping her senior year with a 130-pound state championship — a fitting crown to a remarkable run.

“I was so excited when I won,” she said. “I went over to my coach and he was like, ‘go to your mom, go to your mom.’ I looked over at my mom was crying.”

The title carried extra meaning because of who was standing across from her. Liberty’s Chanity Faletoi had been May’s most familiar rival, the two trading wins throughout their careers.

When it mattered most, May got the last word, winning their final meeting 10-3 to claim the championship. It was also a moment bigger than just May herself — the first girls state title in Foothill history.

“It was exciting to see her hard work and dedication come to fruition,” Foothill wrestling coach Jason Lundblad said. “I wish every wrestler we had was as dedicated as her.”

That drive to compete didn’t stop at match time. Lundblad said May’s dedication to her craft was so relentless that he occasionally had to pull her back just to let her body recover.

May credited the environment inside the Foothill wrestling room as a key factor in her development.

Her sparring partner, Taleigha Ross, was no ordinary training companion — Ross went on to finish second in state at 135 pounds, her only loss coming against Slam’s Mika Yoffee, a four-time state champion and one of the best wrestlers in the city.

Pushing each other every day in practice, May said, made both of them better when it counted. For May, the work is far from over.

She continues to train this spring with Gold Rush Wrestling Academy, an offseason program that attracts some of the top grapplers in Southern Nevada. As for college, she’s still weighing her options.

“I keep telling myself, ‘national champion,’” she said. “I am working to make that happen.”