BRUSH PRAIRIE — Back in January when three-time Washington high school state wrestling champion Faith Tarrant earned her 100th career pin, she called that day a top-10 moment in her young 17 years. It wasn’t because of the accomplishment, but because she met her wrestling idol and an athlete she aspires to be. Ask Tarrant about Amit Elor, a 21-year-old Californian who won Olympic Gold in women’s freestyle wrestling at last summer’s Paris Olympics, and the Prairie High senior talks at length about the champion’s impact. The thing is Tarrant’s impact on others is just as great. Like the time a youngster approached Tarrant at a tournament, beaming with joy meeting the multi-time state champion. Or when Tarrant’s visit to one of Prairie’s feeder middle schools ended with a hug from a future Falcon, who explained that Tarrant is why the girl picked up wrestling.

Tarrant doesn’t take those moments for granted. “It really makes me reflect on how much of an influence I have on people and the wrestling community,” she said. “I didn’t realize how much I impacted people.” Tarrant’s accomplishments speak volumes. Already a three-time state champion at 235 pounds, she’s aiming to be just the 23rd wrestler all-time — boys and girls — to win four state titles. Mat Classic 36 runs next Thursday through Saturday in Tacoma. Should Tarrant complete the feat, it not only would put her among the state’s all-time greats, but also cement her as the only Clark County wrestler to be a four-time champ. Tarrant is proud to be a wrestler and represent Prairie. That representation also extends beyond sports. She’s Prairie’s student body president; her peers elected Tarrant in only her second year in student government.

She’ll graduate in June as one of the school’s most decorated athletes ever. More importantly, also a well-spoken leader driven to shape others to be the best version of themselves, Prairie students said. In school and on the mat. “She is a leader,” said teammate Mira Thompson, a state-bound wrestler at 170 pounds. “She treats everyone with such respect, and she knows that if we are holding ourselves accountable, she brings that up. And she tells us when we aren’t being accountable for ourselves, so we can push ourselves further and keep lifting each other up.” FIRST PERIOD Southwest Washington became home to the state’s first four-time champion when Pat Connors of R.A. Long won titles from 1991-94. Since then, 22 other wrestlers statewide have won four titles, including four on the girls side. In fact, next weekend could see two girls in the same classification cap their careers with a fourth title. Libby Roberts of Spokane’s University High is going for her fourth after winning three at 105 pounds.

Tarrant doesn’t personally know Roberts but said when she and Roberts are at the same tournament, Tarrant watches Roberts compete because talent recognizes talent. “She’s a really good wrestler,” Tarrant said. “She’s very clean in the way she wrestles and is very smart.” Washington became the first high school state association to debut a girls state wrestling tournament in 2007. More states followed, including neighboring Oregon in 2024. The sport’s popularity in Washington — especially for girls — continues to soar. Mat Classic is now a three-day event with expanded brackets across all classifications. New on the girls’ side are tournaments for 4A, 3A and 2A/1A/2B/1B, an increase from an all-classification event from 2007-22.

Tarrant glows when speaking on the growth of girls wrestling. Before arriving at Prairie in 2021 to begin high school in a new state, she shined in youth wrestling, then starred at left tackle on the offensive line in middle school growing up in Colorado. She still reminisces what football’s toughness and teamwork taught her, but the competition, camaraderie and community of wrestling is what Tarrant cherishes. “There’s no other sport where you’re around people six days a week sweaty, nasty and gross,” she said. “Everyone is so supportive because it’s so physically hard. … Nobody else understands that wrestling is super hard, and we bond over the fact that it’s hard. “I like to be challenged, and I love to compete. I get that from wrestling that I haven’t gotten from any other sport I’ve played.”

For a recent assignment in English Communications class, Tarrant wrote a paper highlighting Elor, the Olympic gold medalist whom Tarrant met at January’s Gut Check Challenge. There, the two spoke at length, posed for photos and Elor autographed Tarrant’s winner’s belt with a personalized congratulatory message. Tarrant said Elor is a source of inspiration and aspires to follow a similar path because she believes Elor is a model of what a world-class athlete is. “She gives every girl like me the opportunity to be in a positive community and thrive as a woman in athletics,” Tarrant said. SECOND PERIOD Last spring, fresh off Tarrant’s second undefeated season and third state title, Prairie’s student body voted Tarrant as ASB president for 2024-25. She served as junior class president as a student government newcomer.

Junior Itzel Contreras, ASB’s current vice president, urged Tarrant to be her running mate in what’s now the Tarrant-Contreras Administration at Prairie. Tarrant’s wrestling accomplishments and love for Prairie made Contreras believe Tarrant to be the ideal fit to lead the student body. Tarrant hasn’t disappointed. “I knew she could make a huge difference in the position that she’s in right now,” Contreras said. “I wanted to work with someone who knows what motivation is, what hard work is, and what dedication is.” Depending on the day, Prairie’s ASB class has various on-going projects and tasks. That includes planning for upcoming school events, and more recently, helping incorporate Battle Ground Public Schools’ new pilot program for social emotional learning (SEL). On Fridays, the class does team bonding exercises for student engagement. At a recent class, Tarrant and Contreras led a class-long exercise on friendship. Contreras said Tarrant’s impact on the class and school is visible because of the motivation to make Prairie a better place.

“Sometimes,” Contreras said, “it’s really hard to find somebody with that amount of maturity as someone who wants to work hard.” Both Tarrant and Contreras are students of color. Tarrant highlighted the importance of students seeing diversity in leadership roles. One of Tarrant’s goals in ASB is to showcase what leadership means so all students can improve others’ lives. “I can teach you how to order supplies off Amazon or to put up prom,” Tarrant said, “but how can I teach you to be a good leader, do the right thing, and encourage you to genuinely be a good person?” For years, people told Tarrant she was a leader in wrestling and it now goes beyond that. Without hesitation, Tarrant said attending Prairie has changed her life because it opened her eyes to new opportunities.

“I didn’t realize until I met some of the people that I know now that all the things I’m capable of here,” she said. “I’ve never been told I’m incapable of doing something. “There’s no such thing as no goal is impossible here.” THIRD PERIOD USA Wrestling ranks Tarrant No. 8 nationally for her weight class. Her high school career record is 109-3. She surpassed 100 career pins in January and hasn’t lost a match since freshman year. In Prairie’s second-floor mat room, large posters of its state champions are displayed. Before 2022, the year Tarrant won her first title and then-senior Alex Ford won the 3A boys 160-pound title, Prairie’s last state champion was Jay Rogers in 1986 and 1987. How do longtime Prairie coach Rob Smith and girls coach Cailey Mendez keep Tarrant challenged in a career dominated by dominance? It starts by holding her to the same standard as everyone else. No special treatment here.

“There’s no expectations,” he said. Thompson, Prairie’s state qualifier at 170, is Tarrant’s practice partner. The freshman said she’s a better wrestler because of Tarrant and works her senior teammate hard by defending everything Tarrant throws Thompson’s way. “And if she gets it, then she gets it,” Thompson said, “and then she knows how to defend harder wrestlers.” Another practice partner is Aaliyah Young, a 2024 Prairie graduate who placed fourth at state last year at 170. She and Tarrant became friends in 2021 when Tarrant joined the team. Now that Young is a volunteer coach, her mission with Tarrant hasn’t changed. “We’re there for each other,” Young said, “and we really work through anything with each other.”

Smith, who’s led Prairie wrestling for 21 seasons, calls Tarrant a patient wrestler. She was quick at last weekend’s 4A/3A state-qualifying district meet, pinning Shelton’s Aurora Marcy in 43 seconds for first place. Smith said Tarrant is capable of quick pins, but that’s not her approach. Patience is a good quality to have, he said. “She will stalk her opponent and get them to where she wants them,” Smith said. “She’s not rushing into anything.” The topic of going for a fourth state title comes up frequently in Tarrant’s circles. She remains poised, humbled and confident in her abilities.

That goes for leading a school and being on the mat — all while looking for the next opportunity to inspire and impact. Said Tarrant: “I’ve never been one to settle.”