Kylee Hoelzer received her introduction to wrestling at Gilmer High School, and she will continue her progression at the next level.
Hoelzer is a 2025 GHS graduate, and her new beginning coincides with the program she is about to join. Andrew College will field its inaugural women’s wrestling team this fall, and Hoelzer is one of the recruits who will help build a foundation.
“I heard about this school from my coach (Stacy Galloway) and went ahead and looked it up and got some information. It’s their first wrestling team, and their coach (Tristan Bundy) showed up at state duals, so that’s when we met,” said Hoelzer, who expressed gratitude to her GHS coaches, mom Kim Kitchens and friend Esther Bowman for their support on and off the mat.
“It’s a very small college, and they’re hoping to expand their wrestling facilities soon. I like smaller schools, and it’s better than a big school where you don’t know everyone. It will be smaller classes with more focus, and I think that will help me.”
Hoelzer’s senior year at Gilmer was her first at the school and on the mat, and she was a part of plenty of success.
“I do better with hands-on type learning,” she said. “With this, I got to visualize it and then I got to do it. That was very helpful when learning new moves. I got to practice it back-to-back-to-back. Wrestling is something based off aggression. It’s a very aggressive sport, and if you’re not aggressive, you’re going to get pinned.”
GHS posted a 3-1 record at state duals for third place. Gilmer defeated Oglethorpe County and Chestatee twice. At the traditional state tournament, Gilmer finished seventh.
Injuries at state duals brought an end to Hoelzer’s season, and she had already been dealing with some nagging injuries.
“Bundy saw the match where I got injured, which was the last match we had. We still placed third, and after I injured my shoulder, I couldn’t go on (for the traditional state qualifying process).”
In the classroom, Hoelzer is leaning toward studying a science-related field but is keeping her options open.
“Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to do marine biology. My horizons have expanded a little bit, but that’s what I’m sticking with,” Hoelzer said. “It’s a major the school has, and I need it for marine biology. If I decide against marine biology, I can still get into many other fields.”
Andrew College is located in Cuthbert and has an enrollment of just under 500 students. The Fighting Tigers compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association as members of the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association.