Trinity wrestlers stay busy, successful over summer

It has been a busy and prosperous summer for members of the Euless Trinity wrestling team.

One boy and five girls qualified from the school to be on the Texas Nationals Boys and Girls Wrestling Team. Job Ayala (170 pounds) qualified among the boys, while girls Savannah Bye (junior, 128), Paisley Zandi (junior, 148), Mack Beggs (sophomore, 112), Natalie Rodriguez (freshman, 102) and Passion Hollins (junior, 165) earned spots.

All six will be competing at the USA Wrestling National Championships in Fargo, N.D., beginning Thursday and running through July 23.

Ayala also recently competed for Team Texas at the National Junior Duals in Tulsa. He posted a 6-2 record in Greco Roman and was 6-3 in freestyle.

“For these individuals to make the national team, it is very prestigious. That means they had to beat out some of the best wrestlers in the state to show that they belong near the top of their weight class,” Trinity head coach Travis Clark said. “By traveling with the national teams, they will be able to showcase their talents against the best wrestlers in the country.

“Besides wrestling, they will meet people who come from all over the country with all types of backgrounds and stories. This is good for the wrestlers to get out of Texas and learn about other places.”

Also, Zandi became a Bodybar Womans Freestyle All-American this year.

While Ayala is moving on to college and will wrestle at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside next season, Clark is thrilled that all five of the qualifying girls will return next season for Trinity.

“This group of girls is pretty special. It is not to often a coach gets several wrestlers at the same time with so much potential,” Clark said. “These girls have given up their free time and holidays to help prepare for tournaments that will make them better. They are focused and determined to showcase their talents. I am expecting some pretty good results from them at the national tournament.”

Clark is also counting on the summer success carrying over into the coming high school season.

“There is an old saying, ‘Summer wrestling makes winter champions,’ ” Clark said. “I couldn’t agree more with this.

“Breaks are needed to allow your body to recover from the tough training, but just like any job, if you are not consistently improving your skill set and techniques, it will be very difficult to grow as an athlete. That is why the wrestlers spend so much time in the weight room and on the wrestling mats in the summer, they are determined to be the best around and most importantly, are willing to work for it and earn those top honors.”

As for Ayala, he is projected to wrestle at 174 pounds as a freshman in college. Clark sees him being very successful in college, where he will also study pre-med.

Ayala ended his high school career with a fourth-place finish at the 6A state tournament. He was also runner-up at the Greco Roman state tournament and at the Greco Roman and Freestyle junior duals.

“His mentality and work ethic is far beyond his age,” Clark said. “When he sets his mind to something, you can be sure that he is going to do everything in his power to succeed.

“He is not afraid of competition and will seek out tougher competition to make himself better. The sky is the limit for this young wrestler and I can’t wait to see his success at the college level.”

This story was originally published July 11, 2016 at 11:05 AM with the headline "Trinity wrestlers stay busy, successful over summer."