Aniyah Smith is a national champion.

The Mason City native traveled to Fargo, N.D. over the weekend along with several teammates to participate in the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals, one of the biggest tournaments in the nation.

Smith competed at 235 in the 16U Freestyle competition and took the bracket by storm. She defeated opponents from all over the country including wrestlers from Utah, Washington, New York and South Dakota.

She had to battle through a ton of adversity from all directions including overcoming several deficits in the later rounds.

Smith has done nothing but put work in since placing fourth at the state tournament this year. She knew that she was better than a four-place finish and decided to have a strong showing in the offseason in tournaments and duals.

“Jus

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