It can happen. It is a shame but yes, sometimes, the more success a person has the more other people want to see them fall. I can speak from experience as it has happened to my own son in football and baseball. (funny, he never had a problem with wrestlers).

When my son was in grade school, he was unfortunate to be in a bad class. No one liked him. He was a great athlete that really showed when he played Salvation Football but the kids in his class would always be there to criticize every single mistake he made. Same thing happened during baseball. He could pitch 60 straight strikes but the minute he pitched one ball, they would sit and laugh. He was a straight A student in a room full of D's and F's. To them, he cheated or was a brown-noser and that is how he got the grades. Gratefully, we moved soon after. He is now in a class that is full of very talented athletes who all push each other to succeed both academically and athletically. It has been like night and day. My son would not be who he is without his wonderful classmates and friends.