Lewis Center wrestler Mackenzie "Kenzie" Carder pinned her way to a national championship in July.

The Olentangy Orange senior went 8-0 with four pins at the Junior Freestyle National Championships, held July 16-18 at the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota, as the Columbus Dispatch reported. Carder defeated Arizona's Martynique Davis in 1 minute, 5 seconds in the 125-pound final.

The national title caps a breakout stretch for Carder. She won her first OHSAA state championship in March at 120 pounds, beating Marysville's Cami Leng 14-4 in the state final. She finished her junior season at Orange with a 46-2 record and was named the Dispatch's Girls Wrestler of the Year.

Fargo was familiar ground. Carder competed in her third national tournament there, motivated by a runner-up finish at 115 pounds in the Junior Division last year and a fourth-place finish at 118 in the 16U Division in 2024.

Heading into the tournament, Sports Illustrated's national rankings had Carder at No. 7 at 125 pounds. Davis, her opponent in the final, was ranked No. 5.

Orange head girls wrestling coach Brian Nicola credited Carder's consistency. "She's very steady," Nicola said, according to the Dispatch. "She really put the work in, and obviously being able to stay steady throughout the whole [national] tournament allows her to stay at that level."

Nicola also called Carder a leader on the Orange team and on Team Ohio.

In a profile published Nov. 3 by the Olentangy Orange student newspaper, Carder described her in-season routine.

"A day in season for me usually starts with a normal school day, followed up by lifting, school practice and then typically club practice after that," Carder said. "Then, I get home, shower and eat dinner with my parents before I go to bed."

Nicola, who also teaches English at Orange, said the biggest coaching challenge with elite wrestlers is convincing them to rest. "The most challenging aspect about coaching high level athletes is encouraging the 'rest day,'" Nicola said.

Carder said she manages the mental side by keeping perspective. "I make sure to not put too much pressure on myself," Carder said. "A really good thing that many people have told me is that my mom, dad, family, friends and people who truly care about me aren't going to love me any differently depending on the outcome of my match."

Olentangy Orange's 2026-27 girls wrestling schedule lists the FIGHT Tournament on Dec. 18 in Findlay and a Jan. 23 meet at Northwest High School in Canal Fulton.