Lilly Lundy received a whirlwind of details after she left the wrestling mat.  

Officials spewed a plethora of information at Lundy, which she said was “a bit much” after her match. What stood out to the Lewis-Palmer junior, however, were a few words: “You’re on Team USA now.”

Lundy, who competes for Motown Wrestling’s club team, will represent Team USA in the 43-kilogram (95 pound) weight class after she qualified for the U17 World Team in Spokane, Washington, on April 12 during the qualifying tournament. The U17 World Championships will take place from July 27-Aug. 2 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

“The goal was to go out there and win it, but I knew it would be challenging,” Lundy said. “I knew there would be a lot of good girls there and I wasn’t going to be seeded first and I wasn’t 100% expecting that turnout, but I was definitely telling myself that it would happen.”

Lundy, who competes at 100 pounds for the Rangers during the 5A girls wrestling season, finished third this year at state as a junior, a one-spot improvement from her sophomore season where she placed fourth.

Rangers and Motown Wrestling coach Cole Jackson said the nod for Team USA illustrates Lundy’s dedication and hustle for constant improvement.

“Lilly making the team goes to show that we care about wrestling at Lewis-Palmer,” Jackson said. “You don’t have to be a private school kid to make the World team. … You see a lot of girls from private schools or wrestling-specific schools make the tournament. One of the cool things about Lilly is she’s a normal student. She goes to school like everybody else and she’s dedicated and has sacrificed to make it to this point.”

Lundy has traveled out of state to compete in prior tournaments, but never out of the country. That represents a new challenge for Lundy, but she said it’s a new frontier she’s happy to explore.

“It’s not something everyone gets to experience,” Lundy said. “I’m excited to represent my school and show everyone where this little Monument girl has come from. I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity.”

Lundy won’t be the lone Colorado representative in Azerbaijan. Sophia Valdez, of Betterman Elite Wrestling, also earned one of the U17 slots and will compete in the 40-kilogram category after winning her class with an 11-0 technical fall and 8-0 decision against Lanaia Selig, Mat Demon WC, to earn the spot.

Valdez is the younger sister of former Doherty girls wrestler and multi-time state champion Katey Valdez.