Judge Weighs in on Pa. Girl's Quest to Wrestle With Boys

The 12-year-old Pennsylvania girl whose court victory yesterday will allow her to stay a member of her middle school's all-boys wrestling team is pleased she can continue to pursue her passion.

"She was excited and happy," Angie Beattie, the mother of Audriana Beattie, told GoodMorningAmerica.com today. "She's very passionate about wrestling and just wants to continue doing what she enjoys doing."

Beattie and her husband, Brian, of Dornsife, Pa., filed a lawsuit in October on behalf of their daughter when the seventh-grader was told she would not be able to compete on her middle school's wrestling team.

Audriana began wrestling in third grade, following the lead of her two younger brothers, and was a member of her elementary school's wrestling team. When the Beatties argued their daughter's case before the Line Mountain School District board, they were told that girls were prohibited to play on contact sport teams with boys.

"At the time they said that, as parents, you have the right to allow your daughter to wrestle boys but it is unfair for the boys for her to be on the team and have to wrestle her and be uncomfortable or they have to forfeit their match," Beattie said of the school board's response.

The Beatties filed a lawsuit in the Middle District of Pennsylvania in October claiming the district was discriminating on the basis of sex. They won a temporary injunction in November that allowed Audriana, a 145- to 155-pound wrestler, to start the wrestling season on the team.

"She has won some and she lost some," Beattie said of her daughter's success on the team so far.

Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann ruled that the Line Mountain School District failed to justify its reasons for preventing girls from wrestling with boys.

"We were very pleased with what the judge had to say," Beattie said.

Beattie says that the family has not heard from the school since the ruling. She hopes, however, that officials are able to put the lawsuit aside in support of her daughter and her teammates.

"I feel the kids have no issue with it," Beattie said. "I feel it's more the adults."

"Hopefully it'll all go smoothly," she said. "I don't know if there are any girls out there in the school district or not [who want to wrestle] but I think this will help other girls if they are interested in it."

The Line Mountain School District did not reply to ABC News' request for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.