ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Helen Maroulis, of Magruder High School, is an Olympic hopeful who's been doing more than just hanging out with the boys -- she's beating up on a few of them.

The 112-pound wrestler burst onto the Maryland wrestling scene as a freshman, when she became the first female wrestler to place at the state tournament, where she finished sixth.

She ended up wrestling against boys because she tried it and liked it at age 8 thanks to her brothers. She is fresh off a career-best second-place performance in the county tournament, which is the highest finish for a female wrestler in Montgomery County history.

Maroulis' record is 31-3 heading into the regional tournament on Friday. The key to her success is technique, which her teammates rave about. Alex Tolbert, who sports an impressive 31-3 record of his own, has known Maroulis since elementary school and has no problem with the attention she gets because of the skills she has.

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High school wrestling almost didn't happen for Maroulis. Her parents made her quit because there was no future in the sport for a woman. Then women's wrestling was added to the Olympics, and their outlook changed. Wrestling went from a hobby to something that could earn Maroulis a scholarship and maybe, someday, a gold medal. She has already spent time at the Olympic training center.

For Maroulis, there is still plenty of time to achieve her dreams. She is only a junior, which means another summer at the Olympic training center and a senior season that could make her the winningest wrestler in the history of a very good Magruder program.