All-American Taylor Schiesser is set to continue her wrestling career in the college ranks.
She is a 2024 Gilmer High honor graduate and the most decorated wrestler in the brief history of the girls program. She earned the distinction of All-American six times, was a four-time state placer, two-time finalist and won the state title in 2023. Next season she will take the mat for Lindsey Wilson University (Ky.).
Schiesser said she fielded interest from around 20-25 schools, and settled on LWU while also considering Life University, Brewton Parker College, Emmanuel University, Montreat College (N.C.) and King University (Tenn.).
“It’s a Christian-based college, and that was the No. 1 thing,” she said. “It felt really homey like Ellijay, and it’s pretty small. They have a really good nursing program, and I think that’s what I’ll be studying.
“I had a really good time on my visit. I stayed for a complete 24 hours. There was a boys wrestling match when I was there, so I got to see them wrestle. I got to go out and eat with the girls, and I had a really good time.”
Just as Schiesser helped usher in a new era of wrestling in the state and locally, she will be a member of the LWU’s first women’s team.
“I think it’s cool that I get to be part of something new,” she said. “I think the girls will do what Gilmer did, and we’ll probably be around the guys a lot in the beginning. We kind of have to grow off the guy’s program, because it’s really hard to just start by ourselves.”
While Schiesser is on the verge of becoming a collegiate athlete, one may have had a difficult time convincing her of that when she attended Clear Creek Middle School. Schiesser referred to herself at that time as “probably the most unathletic person you’d ever met,” but that is not the case six years later.
Schiesser joined the team at CCMS when it was first available to girls. There is no separate division for middle school girls wrestling, and she eventually practiced with and competed against boys.
“It was kind of surreal,” she said of her first day of practice. “It was tough, but I had so much fun. I’ve always been kind of strong because I basically grew up on a farm. They put me with the girls, and I was the biggest one and would destroy them. Then I started wrestling the guys. Back then, I was the biggest girl and the only one who could wrestle the guys.”
Girls wrestling had its own division by Schiesser’s freshman season at GHS, though the girls and boys shared practice space at the Noah Harris Center and were under one set of coaches.
“Coming in my freshman year, oh my gosh. Going from middle school to high school is a different level,” Schiesser said. “I did some workouts before my freshman year because I was terrified. I worked a little harder, lost some weight and got stronger. When you’re going into freshman year, you’re not thinking, ‘Let’s go win state.’ I wanted to do my best, and didn’t think I was going to get that far.”
Schiesser began her feat of becoming Gilmer’s first four-time girls state placer when she took third as a freshman at 170 pounds. As a sophomore, she was back at the state tournament and finished third once again.
As girls wrestling continued to flourish in the state, more changes came by Schiesser’s junior season. The Georgia High School Association held its inaugural area and sectional tournaments for girls. At the state level, team scores were kept, and duals were introduced. Unlike boys, girls all compete in one classification regardless of school enrollment.
Gilmer also changed the way its wrestling programs were structured. Stacey Galloway was officially named head coach of the girls program, and they no longer practiced in the same room as the Bobcats.
Schiesser continued her ascension and captured individual area and sectional titles. At state, she mowed though the competition and pinned each of her opponents. She also secured a pin in the finals at 190 pounds to become Gilmer’s second-ever girls state champion. She finished with a 47-1 record on the season.
As a team, GHS claimed third at state duals in 2023. When it came to the traditional tournament, Gilmer tied for second place.
“It was a good year overall. That year was a little different for me because I was an upperclassman,” Schiesser said. “I really didn’t have a goal freshman year. I was just seeing where I was at. Sophomore year, I wanted to do better and I got third again. That really hurt.
“Going into junior year, I knew I had to step it up, and I don’t think I’ve ever trained that hard. I was able to go to Morris Fitness, which is a travel team I wrestle with. I saw myself improving faster than I ever had. At state, my bracket was people I had already wrestled. I can’t even explain the feeling of winning it. I still get chills thinking about it.”
Schiesser earned All-American status six times by placing at national USA Wrestling tournaments. Last March, she took fourth at the NHSCA Nationals in Virgina Beach Va., which is one of the top tournaments on a yearly basis. She then won the Viper Pit Nationals Open the following month and was crowned a national champion. She won the 200-pound folkstyle title and also earned a runner-up finish in the freestyle portion of the event. Her placements added more All-American honors to her resume.
However, her summer took a turn for the worse at nationals in Tulsa, Okla., last June. Schiesser shredded her knee when her foot got stuck in the mat while her opponent applied leverage that further strained her ligaments.
“I kind of folded and it was really nasty,” Schiesser said. “I tore my ACL, MCL and meniscus. They call it the ‘unhappy triad’ because it’s one of the worst knee injuries you can get. At the time, I didn’t know I tore anything. I just heard a lot of popping and cracking.”
The injury set Schiesser on a yearlong recovery. She was projected to miss all of her senior season but returned to the mat ahead of state qualifying tournaments.
“I was thinking it’s my senior year, and the team needs me,” she said of her decision to return. “I felt like I have this commitment to my team and I do, and I’m glad I came back.”
Schiesser went on to win area and finished third at sectionals. Once again, she pinned her way to the state finals at 235 pounds. This time, Schiesser found herself on the losing side to Southwest DeKalb’s Ayla Evans.
While she came up just short on the mat, Schiesser did receive some good news at the event. Along with fellow GHS senior wrestler Carson Farist, they were named the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Wrestling’s male and female wrestlers of the year for the state of Georgia.
“I really wasn’t expecting that, but it means a lot,” said Schiesser, who posted an 81-5 record at GHS. “It’s almost more meaningful than winning state. That’s what really matters is my faith. I didn’t get first, but maybe they (Evans) needed it. Maybe they needed that win and hadn’t gotten that win. I already got that win so maybe God had a plan, and I just had to follow it.”
LWU competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics as members of the Mid-South Conference.