Neal comes to Ferrum from West Forsyth High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she served the past two years as Assistant Wrestling Coach. She has also worked as an Assistant Coach at the School of Hard Knocks Wrestling Club, based in High Point, North Carolina.
Neal began her collegiate career at Campbellsville University in Kentucky. She wrestled at 109 pounds for the Tigers in 2013-14, earning a national runner-up finish at the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) national championships. She earned Dean's List, was a University Nationals All-American and qualified for the World Team Trials while at Campbellsville.
Neal transferred to King University in 2014-15 and picked up where she left off. She earned three more All-America finishes, including another WCWA national runner-up finish in 2015-16 and another Dean's List honor. She placed third at the 2016 U.S. Open.
Neal climbed to the top of the podium to cap her senior year in 2016-17, earning the 109-pound WCWA national title with a perfect 21-0 record, including 16 technical falls and a pair of pins. She also won titles that season at the Emmanuel Open and the Tornado Open, and helped King win its fourth straight duals title and WCWA National Championship. Neal was King's women's wrestling MVP in 2016-17 as well as the Female Athlete of the Year.
A native of Winston-Salem, Neal prepped at West Forsyth High School, where she was a three-time varsity wrestler and a three-time All-Conference honoree. Neal holds the North Carolina state record for female wins against males (111) and was the first woman to ever qualify for the 4A North Carolina State Tournament, the state's largest division.
Neal succeeds Jessica Medina, who left Ferrum in March to accept a position with USA Wrestling, the national governing body for the sport of wrestling in the United States. The Panther women's wrestling team posted a 4-4 dual meet mark in 2018-19 and placed 26th in a field of 36 schools at the 2019 WCWA National Championships.
Ferrum graduated one women's wrestler this year, while 16 others are eligible to return for the 2019-20 season. Anyone interested in joining the Ferrum women's wrestling program should contact Coach Neal at bneal@ferrum.edu or (336) 483-4997.
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