In a sport most often dominated by men, WSU women’s wrestling has shown their determination, skill and success in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association.
Although the team is open to all skill levels and experience, it takes a certain type of person to enjoy and succeed at the sport. Team member Marie Marbet, joined the WSU wrestling team after competing in middle and high school.
“[Being part of the team] is just choosing to be here,” Marbet said, “I think that everyone can wrestle. Choosing to go and let yourself get beat up every single day, it’s not a very easy thing to do.”
Volunteer coach Andrea Yamamoto, said that wrestling is one of the hardest sports out there because of the high intensity, rules and confined space.
“It’s physically grueling, it’s mentally grueling and it’s the absolute best,” Yamamoto said.
Despite the toughness of the sport, volunteer coach Cameron Bennett said that this year has the highest turnout of participants and the team has been surprising him in many ways. The girls’ experience varies from never touching a mat before to competing in state competitions, he said.
“There’s a lot of older more experienced helping out the young and I think sometimes in college that doesn’t happen,” Bennet said. “Those old people get selfish and think they’re too good. But we don’t see that at all which I think is really special.”
The comradery is one reason why the team has seen success in the 2024 season. They made it to NCWA National Duals and placed third. The competition was hard and they fought teams that they had not previously. Marbet said she was proud of WSU’s accomplishments.
“I think these girls are ready for war. We’ve been having a good season so far and we had a lot of successes last tournament,” she said.
Another reason for the team’s success is coaching style, Marbet said. The coaches allow students to prioritize their academics so they can succeed outside the sport as well.
Bennet said that he tries to keep them happy and excited to compete.
“It’s a very light-hearted crowd, but we can also turn it up when we need to,” he said.
The next competition is on March 2, the NCWA National Qualifier. Unlike the Duals, this competition will not be based on simply team performance, but individual performance. Each girl has the possibility to qualify for the NCWA National Championship in Louisiana.
