Inside the wrestling room at Metea Valley, a new chapter begins. For years, girls wrestling was part of the boys’ programs for Indian Prairie School District 204 schools. But this season, that’s changing. For the first time, the girls have a program they can call their own. This story is sponsored by Fair Oaks Ford and Fair Oaks Lincoln.
Beginning to grow
“Having their own sport, having them being recognized as their own sport, is huge. It gives them their own brand, their own identity,” says first-year head coach Eric Tecuanhuehue.
Despite the change becoming official this season, first-year head coach Eric Tecuanhuehue says the foundation for Metea Valley’s program has been years in the making.
Tecuanhuehue continued, “What originally started as two girls eventually turned into five, to like eight, 12. And now at this point, I have currently 22 girls registered for girls wrestling right now.”
That includes senior wrestler Rosie Picari, whose entry into the sport as a freshman started with a decision to try something new.
“I wasn’t really that big into sports, but I knew I really wanted to start one… After hearing about it on the announcements, I decided to give it a try,” said Picari.
That choice would lead to a third-place finish at the state tournament last year – and a chance to help pave the way for the next generation of Mustang wrestlers.
Picari noted, “I think the pride that comes from my third place [finish] was not only doing it as the first girl in the district, but also because I’ve had, throughout the past three years, four years of wrestling, I’ve lost a match really early on, and I’ve had to learn how to wrestle back up, back to third.”
The impact of now having a team of their own goes beyond results on the mat.
The beginning of a legacy
Before this season, the girls often had to share practice space and coaches with the boys. For Rosie, that sometimes meant feeling like their work wasn’t taken as seriously.
“It was a little bit difficult because we would have to be in 30 separate locations all at once. And the boys, I don’t think they ever really took the girls’ team as seriously because we weren’t a real team,” Picari shared.
Now, with dedicated coaches, practice time, and a team identity, that environment is changing. Picari says the support from her teammates has been a big part of why she’s stuck with the sport.
“I don’t think I would have achieved much at all without my teammates. Honestly, I think a lot of the girls from my team when I was a freshman, they were the reason I didn’t quit,” added Picari.
“They make me feel welcome. They make me feel like I belong in the room… I want all the girls on the team to feel like we’re close to each other, like we’re a family. Because I never want any of the girls to feel alone.”
And as one of the athletes who helped build the program, Rosie hopes her accomplishments are just the beginning.
Rosie’s excitement comes from her leadership: “I’m really happy that I can kind of lead the way for new girls on the team… I think of how I was when I was a freshman. I was looking at all the boys’ plaques, and I wanted to do that. There was no girls’ plaques to look up to, so I’m glad I could give the new people on the team that.”
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