Girls-only wrestling is not recognised in North Carolina.
As is the case in many states across the US, there are not enough girls wrestling in secondary schools for a division to be formed.
So when Heaven Fitch set her sights on becoming a wrestling champion, it was always going to mean facing a field made up of mostly boys.
On February 22, 2020, she became the first girl to win a North Carolina High School Wrestling State Championship.
Heaven follows in the footsteps of Michaela Hutchison, who became the first girl to ever win a state-wide secondary school title in 2006.
In an Instagram post about the victory, Heaven proudly said: "I did it again, I made history."
But when she spoke to the BBC, the 16-year-old struggled to show anything other than modesty when discussing her success.
"I'm just like any other person," she said, before clarifying, "outside of wrestling".
"Last year I was the first girl to reach second place in North Carolina, but I never expected to win it. Just to place last year was crazy in itself - all I wanted was to place higher.
"I'm proud of how far I've come."
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