It’s not every day any high school athletics team can just add someone midseason with championship pedigree to their roster — but in the opening stages of girls wrestling, flexibility and grace have been afforded to such moves. And for Pella, they were able to add a multiple-time title winner before she ultimately gets her diploma, and perhaps another championship, this May.

Macy Schroeder has been a key contributor to the back-to-back state cross country champions, and for the opening stages of winter, shifted her focus to helping get the track and field program back to similar heights in May. But the younger sister of current Northwestern and former Pella wrestler Logan, the sport has always caught the eye of the distance standout, and after some discussions, Macy joined the team just before winter break.

“I’ve always just wanted to do it,” she says. “I love watching it, and getting to watch my brother wrestle in college, and is one of the main factors of me doing it. Ellison Ritzert, one of my great friends, is always talking about and I was always hearing about the fun.”

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While wrestling clearly isn’t Macy’s first sport, she’s been a quick learner, according to head coach Adam Hale, and has added needed depth, as well as tenacity from her other sports, to a growing program.

Macy, now 4-6 overall, has likely wrestled more matches than she has left, barring a deep postseason run. But she’s excited nonetheless to enjoy these final moments in her new sport before hitting the oval in March.

Pella’s girls wrestlers are tentatively next in action Tuesday at Colfax-Mingo.