Bennett said she has always been a track athlete and that she started wrestling a couple of years ago as a joke. She said she began to get more serious about wrestling last summer.

“Track has really helped me with wrestling,” Bennett said. “I am in a lot better shape than a lot of the other wrestlers out there, with more endurance.”

Bennett said it is surreal that she is the first Frenship Wrestler to advance to the state competition.

“It is pretty crazy,” Bennett said. “I feel like I have been working at this for a long time, so it almost feels natural to be going to state, but at the same time state is a really big deal!”

Bennett said that this season was a little different than her season last school year.

“This season was a really short season,” Bennett said. “Usually, a season is about 10 weeks long, but this year we only had a five week season from pre-season to post-season. We did have a lot more time to prepare and get ready to compete at a high level though.”

Bennett said that wrestling is a “mano a mano” sport.

“Other sports you can lean on teammates and you don’t have to be in peak physical shape to compete, but wrestling is a sport that is based on toughness,” Bennett said. “You are alone, earning your accomplishments by yourself.”

Bennett explained that to her, wrestling is as much about the physical as it is the mental.

“Wrestling is kind of a flashy sport,” Bennett said. “People will walk in with their jackets with all the patches on it, they will have all the medals on their bag, and they have cool shoes, it just gets in your head a little bit. You have to be ready mentally to not let them get to you and to be ready to go out on the mat and take them down.”

Bennett said to prepare for state she is watching her previous matches to find areas of improvement in herself.

“I came in third at Regionals, so I am not seeded at the top of the pack,” Bennett said. “It is just about making sure that I know what to do when I get there.”

Bennett is already ranked in the top 12 in the state. She said her dedication and her drive have helped her get there.

“I show up to practice every day and I put in the work,” Bennett said. “My dedication, heart, and need to succeed have gotten me here.”

Bennett will compete on Saturday, April 24 at Berry Center in Cypress, TX. She said she is hoping to leave the tournament with one thing.

“I want a state jacket,” Bennett said. “That is what I want most!”

Bennett said she wouldn’t have gotten this far with out her amazing support system.

“I don’t think I could be here without my teammates,” Bennett said. “It was them everyday in practice that helped me get better. Coach Wood has been such a great coach, I was a total newbie at wrestling, but he saw something in me and helped me get here.”