Before senior Elayna “EJ” Moackler walked out onto the wrestling mat, her anxiety and nerves were already driving her to win. Even though Moackler had previously lost to this opponent, she directed her fears on the match. After shaking hands with her opponent and the whistle blows, Moackler rushed forward to go into her signature headlock-and-throw move. What she didn’t expect was to accidentally smack her head onto her opponent’s head. Taking advantage of the shock, Moackler head locked her opponent and pinned her within 12 seconds.

The ref grasped Moackler’s wrist and raised her hand in victory. As the disbelief faded, Moackler slowly realized she beat the third ranked wrestler in the 235 weight class. Looking back at her high school career, Moackler didn’t expect to excel at wrestling, let alone be an athlete and receive wrestling accolades.

After deciding to try something new, Moackler’s first year of wrestling turned out to be a success for Fremont High’s girl’s team.

“I didn’t expect to be an athlete,” Moackler said. “I thought I was going to be in theater.”

Moackler had never participated in a sport prior to wrestling this 2021-2022 season.

“It was my last year of high school and I already kind of hated my job,” Moackler said. “I quit so I could wrestle.”

Despite this being Moackler’s first year in wrestling, she went all in with training and working out.

“EJ has performed very well regardless of this being her first year,” head wrestling coach Ben Wilcox said. “In wrestling there is always a lot of training. EJ didn’t start competing until after winter break but she has been training with us since November.”

Many people, including Moackler, were excited about the success she had this season. Moackler is 10-5 so far this year and has placed in every tournament.

“I am pleasantly surprised by EJ’s success,” Wilcox said. “We really didn’t know what we had in EJ until her first competition and are thrilled to see the success she has had up to this point of the season.”

The victory at the Weeping Water invite led to Moackler defeating the #1 and #3 ranked wrestlers in the 235 weight division.

“I wasn’t told she was champion until after I beat her,” Moackler said. “It just made my heart race. I was like, ‘Oh my god! Did that actually happen?’”