You can’t pin these Lancers! Last weekend, the Saint Francis girls’ wrestling team continued their phenomenal run, winning the West Coast Athletic League (WCAL) for the second year in a row. After beating second place by over one hundred points in the 2023–2024 season, the team’s momentum is only growing as top placers in WCAL and Central Coast Section (CCS) look onto the upcoming CCS Masters Championship, where they ultimately hope to perform for a spot in the state championship.
Led by captains April Gao (’26), Maggie Tobacco (’26), Marina Garcia (’26), and Krithi Sagayaraj (’25), the team boasts a versatile roster of 34 wrestlers which allows them to be very competitive at tournaments and duels. With an impressive 7-0 record, they are certainly a force to be reckoned with on the mat. But their success is not the only thing that makes the team so special to many of its members.
Second-year competitor Nikki Kalina (’27) started wrestling as a freshman and has found a loving community on the team, as they support her goals in and out of the sport. She explains, “My favorite part about the team is how strong you can build friendships with other people because of how difficult the sport is mentally. My teammates help push me to become my best self.”
Supportive teammates are key to the team’s overwhelming success. Another factor is found in preparation for the relentless nature of the sport. Under the leadership of head coach Joey Bareng, the wrestlers’ season follows an intense schedule with team lifts followed by mat training every day of the week. All their hard work culminates at duels and competitions, but it’s not all smooth sailing. Tournament environments are stressful, and the pressure to perform is high, especially when winning or losing a match could determine your advancement in further competitions. To combat the anxiety of competition, WCAL champion Jalyn Wu (’27) prefers to take things step by step: “[I] first focus on making it to the tournament venue on time, exactly at 6:00 AM, then making weight, then surviving warm up, then just taking it one match at a time. At tournaments we are all super supportive of each other [and] there is also a lot of off time in between matches where we get time to socialize and cheer on teammates.” After the final strike of the mat, competitors can finally enjoy their success. For Wu, a win, especially at a high-level tournament like WCALs, means a slew of emotion: redemption, overwhelming happiness, and pride.
The exciting part of this team is that it only continues to grow. Such a supportive community has inspired more and more wrestlers to try out the sport. Valerie Lee (’27) joined the wrestling team this season and attests that, despite the stress of learning new skills amidst more experienced teammates, their support and encouragement made it an amazing experience.
Moving forward, the team hopes to prolong their already remarkable season as they continue on to CCS Masters with plans to make it all the way to the state championship! Come out and support the girls’ wrestling team in their upcoming matches!
