Meet Zorina Johnson, Undefeated 3x State Champion headed to Lehigh

In today’s episode, Jeff and Bill sit down with standout wrestler Zorina Johnson and her father and coach, Lance Johnson, who has been guiding her on the mat since she was just four years old. Zorina capped off a remarkable high school career at Ida B. Wells High School by going undefeated and capturing three state championships in girls wrestling.

Beyond the titles, this is a story about family, dedication, and the rise of a sport that’s taking the nation by storm. Zorina shares her journey to the top, while Coach Lance offers valuable insight into why girls wrestling is now the fastest-growing sport in America.

www.pilhalloffame.org

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Well, Jeff, podcast number two, pretty excited today. We've got Zarina Johnson, undefeated, three-time state championship out of Ida B. Wells High School in Southwest Portland, and her dad, Lance Johnson, and a legacy family of wrestlers. He wrestled at Stanford, and this is going to be an exciting interview because this girl is so mature and so well spoken and had the stage for so long, you'd think she's already a senior in college.

SPEAKER_02 0:39

It's just amazing, I think, Bill, to win a single state championship, let alone three state titles, and to go undefeated your senior year 35-0. Oh, and by the way, she's a 4.0 student as well. I'm just so excited for the audience to get to meet Zarina today. Fantastic. Let's get to it.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

Okay, Zarina Johnson. Welcome to the 12 and 32 podcast in Dad Lance. So, Zriana, I'm going to start out just by trying, you know, your reputation in the wrestling world is well known. You know, in your universe, uh, obviously a lot of folks know you and know your story, and we're trying to get your story out to such a broader Portland sports community audience, a lot of the Hall of Famers. Would you do me a favor and just kind of tell our audience who you are, where do you go to school, and a little bit about, you know, you as a wrestler and who you are today?

SPEAKER_03 1:36

Yeah, thanks for having me. Um my name is Arena Johnson, and I've lived in Southwest Portland my whole life. I wrestled for 14 years, and I've done a plethora of other sports like football, men's taco football, soccer, gymnastics, track, cross country, and swimming, all through Ida B. Wells and Ida B Wells Youth Sports. And I'm a I just finished state last weekend. I'm now a three-time Oregon state champ and a four-time Oregon State finalist and in wrestling. And I won my first national championship last year. Um those are my wrestling accolades. But yeah. Yeah. So I've been very blessed um to have success from the Southwest community.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

Absolutely. And and I think uh you're gonna resonate with a lot of the PIL Hall of Fame athletes that listen to us and follow us, and thinking the just thinking on a stage where you'd be undefeated and have three state championships as an ex-athlete, and and and that's my peer group, it's almost hard to even believe. It really is to think that that you could accomplish that much and and have that much of a success. So we're so honored to have you. Thank you. And and uh and and your dad, Lance Withis, who is your coach, which we'll find more about out here. I have to ask this question: when did you know you really truly loved wrestling? What age was it? Where were you at in your journey?

SPEAKER_03 2:56

Yeah, great question. So surprisingly, I used to think that I really hated wrestling when I was younger. Um my dad was always a wrestling coach, so I was always at the wrestling tournaments before I could walk, and I started competing when I was four, the earliest I could compete. And there was just so many nerves for me competing at that time. Um and I kept competing. I thought I kind of had to go to the tournaments. But I think it was fourth or fifth grade. I was at the tournaments, and I was always have to wrestle all boys, and it was really nerve-wracking for me. But the one of the only other girls at the 300-person tournament, she came up to me and she was like, the other coach, he didn't want me to wrestle his son because I'm a girl, but he cannot take me away from the sport that I love. And when she said that, her name's Maya, she now runs track at Western Oregon University. But it it just made me process. I was like, wait, you love this sport? And like that kind of somehow uh made me decide that I love this sport. And I was like, I do really love this sport. I love being with my friends, I love wrestling, and I can't let people take that away from me like they were trying to do for her. So interesting beginning moment, but great feedback. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:12

Oh, that's that's great, Serena. Um as a young girl, and you were entering a sport that's traditionally uh dominated by boys, what challenges or moments helped shape you shape your toughness and drive to succeed?

SPEAKER_03 4:26

Yeah, I was just reflecting on this last weekend because I wrestled this boy when I was like six years old. He was the returning state champion, and um it was the semifinals of a tournament, and if I won, me and my teammate would be the first girls to ever reach the finals in that tournament together. So it was a huge match for me. And I remember going out there and the whole time his dad was yelling things like, you can't lose to her, she's a girl. Like, you better man up to his son, and it was a crazy match, and I was just getting choked the whole time. Um so just being there and learning how to breathe through and be confident myself in situations where external or the different people are saying different things about me, um, it just helped me remember who I am and how I'm unaffected by what other people think about me. So I think learning that at a young age has totally shaped my confidence as a female athlete, um, and it was very important to my development.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

Oh, that's that's a great answer. That's great. Um and this I guess the next step or question I want to ask you as a reading is when did you realize that you could compete at an at an elite level?

SPEAKER_03 5:39

Yeah. So I have been surrounded by an amazing supportive community. Just the IW Wells community, um, my West Hills Wrestling, which is the Wells Wrestling Club for youth community, has always believed in me. My dad has always I can tell that my dad sees me at the top. He sees me winning whatever match I decide to put myself in. So from a young age, I think that belief in me soaked into me a little bit and I realized that I can compete at the highest level. Um and I think it's just been a struggle with remembering that and remembering that I have the skills and I have the training to do that as we continue. But really, like I think my dad's always taught me to believe in myself to achieve it great things.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

That's wonderful. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 6:26

Okay, we're gonna move on here and move to Lance. Lance, how are you doing this morning?

SPEAKER_01 6:30

I'm doing great. Thanks for having me in here, guys.

SPEAKER_02 6:31

This is wonderful. Um Lance, will you please provide our listeners with a brief overview of girls' wrestling in Oregon and maybe even the nation? And then how were you able to, with some of the other coaches at Wells, how were you able to have uh Wells High School bring this sport to full OSAA status? The history of girls wrestling and then Wells specifically.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

Yeah, yeah. Um well I don't know you know the exact dates, but in the last uh five to ten years, it's really taken off uh women's wrestling, girls' wrestling at the high school level, at the youth level, and um we've really seen it be incorporated with the men's programs at the high school level. And um it's um the fastest growing sport in the United States, and um it shows um um different high schools are adding it in different ways, um and and they're wrestling at all different levels. The number of, like Zarina mentioned, she was talking about kid tournaments and things where she was the only girl, uh, you know, and that was I guess uh 14 years ago or 12, whatever. Uh but since then uh you go to tournaments now, and there's there's plenty of girls um ready to wrestle and have their own division. So it's grown a lot. Um at the high school level, we're we're adding it um in different ways. Um many schools are just having a practice together with the men and the women, and then you break them apart um when you when you need to go live, but everyone needs to learn the same fundamentals and all that. And I also think it's been great for men's wrestling. It's really, I think, improved um the sport there. Um I think it's added numbers to the men's wrestling numbers too. So it's a good thing. And um in Portland and in Oregon, we've been on the leading edge of this. We're one of the first states to add it as an Oregon uh state wrestling championship. Um and now I think most of all states um have uh a women's uh wrestling state championship at the high school level.

SPEAKER_02 8:39

Well that's wonderful for that overview. Uh, do you feel that Wells will continue with a solid girls wrestling program? There's some younger girls coming along and uh following the footsteps of Zarena?

SPEAKER_01 8:49

Yeah, I I mean we don't have a ton of numbers at the youth and um middle school level, but in some ways that's kind of good. It's okay to get involved in wrestling as a freshman in high school. Um the key is to stay active in lots of sports and have um an open mind about competing and and uh wrestlers from all different other sports actually do really well. Um so yeah, I think Wells is in a great position to continue a strong women's um wrestling program along with a men's wrestling program.

SPEAKER_02 9:22

Okay, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

Zarina, both Jeff and I, I think we talked about a little, you know, pre uh pre-show that we were we have daughters that we coached and had high expectations, and and both of them played at a at a at a good varsity level. There were some tough moments for us as dads and for them. And uh could you share with us what's the greatest joy having your dad as a coach, and then maybe what were some tough moments?

SPEAKER_03 9:48

Yeah, well, having my dad as my coach has really overall been a joy. We've grown so much, um, both of us by having each other. And I think just traveling all over the country with him, going through these really difficult matches with him always at my corner, like I can imagine a better dad for that. He's always supportive of of me. Um he no matter what, no matter wins or losses, um, he tells me that his greatest joy is to see that his children are walking in the truth and um following God. And so I think that's just a very healthy and stable way we've had. But honestly, like it's just so much fun wrestling with my dad. Sometimes at tournaments, he even decides to enter the master's division. So we both wrestled. So I think it was my sophomore or junior year. I think sophomore year at Nationals. He entered the master's division, and it turned out where we all were weighing in at the same time and wrestling at the same time. So we couldn't even coach each other because we were wrestling at the same time. But that was just a great joy. Um, and I loved competing with him.

SPEAKER_00 10:54

So no tough times, huh?

SPEAKER_03 10:56

I mean, I'm trying to think of anything. Like, I guess sometimes when it's like me trying to manage my weight and him thinking that it's easier to get off weight than because he's a man and it is easier for men. Sometimes it's hard because I'm like, Dad, you don't understand though. It's different for women. But he's been really understanding. He's like, all right, all right.

SPEAKER_01 11:18

Yeah, it's an amazing blessing to have your daughter or son on the team with you. I started coaching in right out of college. So I've been coaching my whole life, 32 years now. And um I've loved coaching and I love uh being with the kids. I've always been an assistant coach because I'm uh not in the schools, so I'd rather be that way just for that. But uh once my kids came along, it's been uh you know a great joy, but also uh a lot of stress uh when your kids are competing and you're in the same room. You sometimes have to um talk to other people about it and handle it that way. Um but Zarina's been great because she keeps the right perspective for me. I think I've learned a lot about coaching properly, um, coaching the person instead of the the wins and losses. She always keeps the right perspective and she's thankful uh for everything. So um it's been really great to you know grow in my own coaching and understand um things above that matter rather than um the things that you know the wins and losses on the mat.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

And so well, well said, well said. Um moving back to Zarina, uh being undefeated, wow, that brings expectations, doesn't it? Yeah, how do you handle potential like pre-match jitters or um the pressure uh before you're gonna step on the match, especially a big match? You know, how did like maybe off-season competition help you make that possible? So talk about pre-match jitters.

SPEAKER_03 12:48

So I've noticed that I wrestle the best when I'm not focused on winning, I'm focused on dominating. And I've learned that throughout my high school career. Um when I'm just focused on winning by like one or two points, sometimes I'll just not wrestle to my full potential. And like I've trained so hard, and I can wrestle better than that. So now just in every match, I really try to go out there with the attitude like I want to tech fall, which is the wrestling equivalent of win by so many points that they just stop the match, every person. Um, and also I wrestle number one to glorify God's my first goal. My second goal is to have the most fun out of everyone in the gym because I love it. And then my third goal is just to wrestle as hard as I can. So I think going into my match, thinking about that, wrestling as hard as I can, having the most fun, and just conducting myself well and giving glory to God has totally shifted the way I enter matches. And it helps me focus on I just want to dominate instead of I just want to win the match. And that's just made the hugest jump in my wrestling um performance.

SPEAKER_02 13:54

Okay, that's great, great, great answer.

SPEAKER_00 13:56

Let me ask a quick question to Lance. Just uh we asked this of Zarina earlier. Um, and again, as as uh Jeff and I as dads and now grandfathers, and looking at our grandkids and thinking, you know, what's their involvement in sports, what's their skill set, are they, you know, what do we want for them in today versus yesterday? It's it's just it's on the mind all the time as a father and as a grandparent. When did you see in Zarina that she could be elite and really have this kind of uh a journey and career?

SPEAKER_01 14:25

Um yeah, I mean, always in gymnastics. She didn't talk about it, but she has a a gymnastics past and did a lot of gymnastics, and I remember taking her to gymnastics every day, and that was a fun part of my day, along with other um girls from our community who became amazing athletes, uh, like Avery Coker, the s the um hurdler from Wells, who's now at I think Pacific or something. But the two of them I'd take them to gymnastics a lot, and uh so I could tell that their attention and what they were learning in the gymnastics room, um uh as well as their character development, which is always the most, you know, the important thing that you as a grandparent, as a parent, as a are really care about is how do your students and your athletes treat other people rather than I mean, would you want an Olympic or a national champ who's a jerk or or someone who's um you know at uh enjoys their sport but is nice to someone at every level. Um I think the former most of us would take any day. Um so she applied you know herself to to wrestling very well and she was successful. Um I think it was when she really learned that the technique, the focus on technique, uh could make a huge difference. Yes, she's strong and fast and and and very good condition and all those signs, but all those things. But um I'm kind of a technique nerd. And so when you realize that, yeah, it matters how you grab the hand and it matters what leg you lead with, and all these little things, um, which is kind of makes the sport kind of fun to really look into that. When she started paying attention to those I call them college-level wrestling uh attention things, uh then at in as an early age, she was doing it in in before high school. Um, then I was realizing, well, um she could have success, you know.

SPEAKER_02 16:25

Uh Serena, I just want you to spend a little bit of time uh explaining to us what do people most misunderstand about the preparation and conditioning required in wrestling?

SPEAKER_03 16:36

Yeah. I think people really misunderstand how hard it is for all types of wrestlers to get to the level where you're able to compete. Um I think in every single practice, every day, I try to have a moment where I push past genuinely wanting to quit, which is hard for me because I'm a very strong-minded person. Um and wrestling is just a sport that will humble you and break you every day. Um and that's kind of what I love about it. There's always someone out there who can beat you. Um, and there's always something out there that can make your body hurt so much and really humble you. So I think people I think wrestlers understand that, but I think other sports don't necessarily understand exactly how r that makes wrestlers feel. Um and then also I don't really participate much in it, but there's some part of the cutting weight. I think people misunderstand um cutting weight a lot, just in even wrestlers misunderstand it. But I think you can do it in a healthier way, um, and you can also do it in an unhealthy way. Um and I think outside people think all cutting weight is bad, and um sometimes there's uh more healthy ways you can um just manage your weight, and also I've just had a lot of discipline and growth in that when I've had to make a lower weight class, and so yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:02

That's great. Well, Bill and I were football players here. We also played at college, and so we were excited to talk with you about your football journey and because wrestling being an individual sport where you go out and compete by yourself, even though you're on the team, and I know you have a team attitude as well, but wrestling is just you know, mono mono, so to speak. Uh in football, tell us about your football journey and what you why you competed and how you competed and what you maybe received from that or contributed to that.

SPEAKER_03 18:33

Yeah, I I love football, and I think it has been almost more giving of growth to me than anything else in my life. In eighth grade, my brother played football for the high school team, and he came home one day and was like, hey Zarina, there's a open football practice for all eighth graders to come try football. You should come do it. And I kind of thought to myself, and I realized, when else in my life do I have a chance to play men's tackle football? So I decided to go to the practice um and see how it went. And it I was so scared because there are all these senior boys, and my first drill ever, I was lined up um in the push the bag drill against our 300-pound Division I committed um football player. And I was like, I was a 105-pound eighth grade girl, and I was like, wow, this is crazy. But some of the drills I was good at, and I just love doing hard things. I I can't I have no purpose in my life when I'm not doing something that physically makes me want to quit. So I really just enjoyed that about football, and um I enjoyed the challenge of trying to fit in on a men's team. So I decided that I was gonna do football that year because why not? And it just ended up being the biggest blessing I've ever had. Like all of my coaches were so supportive. There were definitely major challenges with trying to be the only girl on a men's team. Um, but I was able to have a lot of success on the field um in football and just like have so much growth with my teammates, and I think I'll be friends with some of them forever.

SPEAKER_02 20:16

So that's exciting. So you were able to play all four years in high school?

SPEAKER_03 20:19

I played three years. So my freshman year I started as the only girl. My sophomore year I got eight other girls to join, which was so much fun. It felt yeah, that was amazing. And then my junior year I had a little shoulder injury, so I played soccer, and then senior year I finished it off this year.

SPEAKER_02 20:35

Oh, that's that's so neat. That's really exciting. Uh Bill and I uh had the experience of football, and football is such a camaraderie and such a team and esprit de corps and things that so I'm sure it's exciting for you to to be able to be part of that compared to wrestling. It's a little bit different, things like that. Okay, thank you very much.

SPEAKER_00 20:55

So we you know, your dad brought up this point that I've been researching too about this growth of this girls' wrestling sport. Um it's it's it's it's really interesting to look at the numbers, uh look at other sports. I just read that girls' basketball is down 16 percent year over year. We you know, you don't really understand culturally or what those what those factors are, you can always sit back and guess. And this is really uh along those lines. You know, um I I guess uh you see it as this fastest growing sport in the country. What changes have you personally witnessed during the four years you're in high school in the sport? Yes. It's rapidly changing.

SPEAKER_03 21:36

It's rapidly changing, that's exactly correct. Um so I think the biggest change from when I was a freshman to when I was a senior is I think the girls' wrestling community has a claimed our sport. We've made it our own and we've brought so much culture to it. So when I was a freshman, it was the makeup of women's wrestling in high school was a majority of trailblazers. Who were a little bit disconnected because there was so much hardship you had to go through to become the only girl on your team, and maybe you could bring in a couple more. Um, but just over the course of the four years, I've seen the sport explode. When I began wrestling in my freshman year, I it there was just a lot of isolated trailblazers, is kind of what it felt like, and they were amazing women, but we just hadn't built our own culture um and been able to stand alone. But through the course of the four years, we've gained so many more women wrestlers, and it's gone from just being a ragtag group of trailblazers to being a cultured sport. We have our own inside jokes and things that only girl wrestlers will understand, and um I guess something that's different is like I'm having a giant party this weekend with all girl wrestlers to watch the first ever NCAA women's wrestling tournament. Um so there's just so much community that was built, and just we've claimed wrestling as our own, um, separate from the boys. It's women's wrestling. So that's I think the biggest change I've seen.

SPEAKER_00 23:10

You know, I remember uh watching on TV like the 1980s Salt Lake Olympics and watching women's volleyball, and and the way they bond and cheered and acted was so different culturally than men. And I've seen some of that ooze into the men's sport where they're more vulnerable and more team-oriented because of women and that interjection. I I definitely see it in women's sports. I do the uh the social media for the Hall of Fame, and I f I follow all the wrestling programs from the PIL, and I see their activity and and their posts and the joy that they're they have, and I think that that's probably what your dad's talking about, maybe infusing the the boys' side of it a little bit in terms of just bringing that energy and love and passion that might not be there naturally for the boys' culture.

SPEAKER_01 23:57

The whole the whole wrestling world has changed because of the bringing in the women's program. Like we just got done with the state tournament, and it's I had so many coaches come up to me who have known for 30 years saying, it's so different here this year. And the difference is um people are interacting more. There's not this um uh tense stare-down culture of competitors. Competitors are talking to each other about their trials and about their matches, and it's just a a whole different way that the way this sport should be uh handled is um we love each other and we want to compete against each other, not I'm gonna get you um because you're my competitor. There's some of that going on just because that's the way the sport, and that's the way the MMA world and the pro wrestling world like to try to um paint things. But our our sport is more about we care about each other, whether it's your fiercest competitor or your teammate. And um I really appreciate how women's wrestling has brought that.

SPEAKER_03 25:03

I think this is a good anecdote that will like really paint the picture is there's so many women's matches where I've seen absolutely go at each other, go into double overtime. They're just swinging, they're wrestling as hard as they possibly can. And after the match, they didn't know each other before, but they'll hug each other and be like, You're amazing. Um, and they're friends for life. Yeah. So I think that's what he's talking about and what's really seeked into the boys.

SPEAKER_00 25:27

Well, speaking of that, you're you know, you're you're gonna be a voice and and and an image that people look up to for advice uh in your near future, your four years of college go by awful quick. But I want to put you in that role of advisor today to a young kid that's that might be starting in the youth program, uh in your dad's program or at the high school as a freshman. What advice would you give them if you had the opportunity to sit down with them and say, here's how you can make the next four years great, or your your time in the in in wrestling great?

SPEAKER_03 26:01

Yeah, I would really say buy into the programs and participate in the culture as well as be a culture maker. Um this sport is so great because of the community, and we go through so many hard things together. Um so just really buy in, go your hardest at practice, and then just participate and lift each other up, and you will get so much more out of it than you put in.

SPEAKER_02 26:25

Well, I that kind of is a nice little uh segue into the question I have here. Um and this is uh for first for for Lance. Um being at Wells High School, I actually had the privilege of working in the PIL uh after I'd retired. I was able to work in the district office for about seven years, and one of my jobs and roles was to go out and oversee each of the athletic directors at the schools. And what a pleasure that was to do that. And during that time, we ended up uh hiring Mike Nolan as the athletic director at Wells High School. And it has been just an absolute pleasure to see Mike uh develop and develop as an athletic director, but also to to what he's done with the all the athletic programs at Wells High School. And so, Lance, is there any way you could talk a little bit about some of the things that that you do or that that Mike does at Wells that are kind of above and beyond?

SPEAKER_01 27:16

Well, yeah, there's definitely a great culture there, and Mike's a big part of that. And I have to lift up the teachers, the staff, the all our coaches. Um uh we were just awarded the highest GPA in the state of Oregon for our women's wrestling team. And we were just awarded the highest GPA for men's wrestling team. And I don't know if that's ever happened. I mean, teachers are telling me. And and uh I think you know, Mike's a big part of that culture, our athletic director. Um there's also a great culture of um, you know, trying to get everyone uh involved with sports, whether it's cross-country or wrestling or basketball or track, get everyone involved. And he Mike has been great at this. We went through COVID. I think that's what triggered this is um they've been great about allowing kids to try um different sports even in the same season. Um it is difficult, it can bring conflict, but with the right communication and the right um uh students and coaches working together, and especially Mike going, yeah, let's give it a try, because Zarina has done wrestling and swimming in the same season. My son Gus did, he went to state and wrestling and swimming on the same day. Um and so um the those were things that they let us try, or cross-country football and soccer. Um, you know, so those are typically, you know, this you know, a sport you do one of. But um Mike and the the staff at uh Wells have allowed people to try to do different sports. I think that's important.

SPEAKER_02 28:56

That's awesome. Uh Zarina, I know one of the things, one of the uh one of the disciplines or one of the techniques that I believe cutting-edge athletic directors in school athletic programs are is that they work with their athletes to get them to try to and their coaches to become teaching the process of the skills. Like you talked about earlier with your techniques and your father talked about it, and and focusing on just becoming the best technician you can become, and basically thinking about that and not worrying about the results of of winning and losing. So basically process versus results. Uh too many times athletes in high school um they preordain, they they expect that I have to hit like baseball, ten home runs, being a former baseball guy. I have to take ten home runs, about four fifty, or on a failure. Well, the young man, young girl might go out there and hit three straight line drives, get caught by the shortstop. And they won 0 for 3. Their batting average is zero, but they executed the skills 1,000 percent positive. And so the process was they were outstanding. But the success shows that they were 0 for 3 for 0. So um, you know, maybe the Lance or even Zarina, how you've talked a little bit about that earlier about, you know, character ed and things like that. So do you guys focus on things like that? You were where process first, you're not worrying about the results and things?

SPEAKER_03 30:11

Yeah, so I really believe in focusing on the process rather than the product. Um and I think applying that to wrestling and even to football and other things. Um for me, I even I get better products even when I'm focused on the process. Like for me, wrestling is not about the wins, it's about the journey. It's about the community. Um and same with football. It was about how much I grew, how much I was able to contribute to my team and just do something that no one had really done before. Um and so yeah, this for me the process is so important. I find myself sometimes like thinking about like the wins and everything. Um and that's really dangerous for me. That's when I stop training as well as I normally do or stop competing as well. Um, but I think that's the biggest thing in high school athletics that can take people to the next level is really focusing on the practice and what you're getting out of it and the actual action of what you're doing.

SPEAKER_01 31:10

Yeah, I'll add to that. Uh Zarina does really well at this. When you go into a match, you see a com you know, you don't really see a competitor, you see um a goal. I need to hit a high crotch to the left and a single to the right, and I have to finish it this way. Um or that would be a technical goal. I'm gonna hit these moves and uh accomplish them. And if they're there, they're there. If not, I'm gonna hit these other moves. Another goal that Zarina has is to get physically exhausted in her match. Doesn't matter how high or low level the competitor is, she will make sure she gets um breathing hard at a high rate and the workout she needs to have and wants to have for that match. And and those are good, you know, keeping your eye on things that are not wins and losses, but um things that help you get better at your own game.

SPEAKER_00 32:02

We're starting to wrap up here, and I'm you're moving on to college. Um Dad's probably crying privately and and uh and and have a little fears there that we all do as parents at this time. But at the it at the end here, sounds like Lehigh is your choice? Yes. Can you tell me a little bit about recruitment, non-recruitment, choice, and how that kind of all came out?

SPEAKER_03 32:23

Right. So women's wrestling is a very unique sport for recruiting in college in that it since it is so new, um, there's not a ton of opportunities like the men's and like all other sports. There's currently, I believe, six Division I programs in the country, um, and all of which are at least on the other half of the country. So um, and then there's quite a few division two, division three, and NAIA. Um and a unique thing about women's wrestling is all the divisions compete together. So it just creates an interesting recruiting standpoint and process. But I knew I wanted to wrestle in college, and I knew that I wanted to get the best education that I could. So I was looking at a lot of places like Columbia and Brown, um, but they didn't have a varsity program yet, and I really wanted a varsity program. That's when Lehigh turned varsity, it was actually last spring. Um and it was amazing for me. I looked into the school, I was like, what's this Lehigh? I've never heard of it. Um and they had amazing academics for STEM, which I want to study, and they were getting a varsity team. Um, and really that's kind of the only place in the country that seemed just perfect for me. Um so I was able to connect with the coach and I eventually was able to go there. But it's just it was an amazing process because it was always kind of unknown. I didn't know what I want to do, there wasn't anywhere that seemed perfect for me. And finally Lehigh just came out out of the blue and it was just a gift from God.

SPEAKER_00 33:57

So that's you know one of the top academic schools in the country. It's well known. Um you must be, you know, obviously academically oriented and and uh thrive in that environment. Um I wasn't that way, Jeff was that way, but uh it's all a different gift. Your dad obviously went to a prestigious college at Stanford and wrestled, but uh that's great. Um it's a long way. How many times have you been back there?

SPEAKER_03 34:20

I have been once for my visit in October. Um but yeah, I'm excited for a new experience. Um and just another thing I wanted to say about the recruiting process in the podcast is just letting people know that women's wrestling it's growing. It's growing at the Division I level. Um and just all the support we can get for pushing for Division I programs everywhere just grows our sports so much. Um and we have so many people advocating for that. But just that's something that I care deeply about is more opportunities for women to wrestle in college.

SPEAKER_00 34:52

Yeah, I think that um you know, we we've seen women's sports grow from the time Jeff and I were just about juniors or seniors in high school when it really became official sports, and then Title IX and other things that have changed and our daughters playing, and it's rapidly changing. And it, you know, and it'll be interesting. By the time you're done, it'll probably be dramatically different in terms of scholarships, in terms of number of programs, competition, and and I hope, you know, and you're gonna be so blessed with being able to look back and say, I was one of the difference makers, I was a catalyst for a lot of this, I get to be the face of a lot of this, and you get to tell that story to the next generation or to the people that you get the opportunities with. I I think it's gonna be beautiful. I you know, we a- I asked this question a little differently earlier, and I'm gonna wrap up with and Jeff's got a closing question. But if you could give advice to a younger self walking into her wrestling practice, what would you say?

SPEAKER_03 35:44

I would say appreciate every moment you get doing wrestling because um you'll look back at every practice and everything you remember, every tournament and even the hard times and then the good times, and you'll just be so grateful um for all the people who have helped you in these situations. So I would say just really appreciate it. Make sure to thank everyone at practice um and just enjoy wrestling because it's such a fun sport. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 36:14

Well, this is the final question, so here's your chance, Serena. Um what do you want people to remember about your impact at Wells High School and on girls wrestling?

SPEAKER_03 36:26

Yeah, that's a good question. Um I hope when people think about me and my IW Wells career, I hope that they see a leader who changed the culture for the better, um, who was welcoming to everyone, and who was focused on her relationships to others, um even above her athletics. But you just that people can see my character through my competition as well. But I really just hope to have built our programs and our sports um to be more receptive to everyone and more welcoming to everyone.

SPEAKER_00 37:03

That's a great, great answer, young lady.

SPEAKER_03 37:05

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 37:06

Thank you so much for spending time with us. Uh this is a new podcast that uh we are enjoying so much. We want to get better at it, and we get better at it because we get such great opportunities to meet these students in the Portland area that are just making an impact on their communities and uh the people they're around. So thanks again, Lance, and Serena so much. You're a beautiful family, uh focused on all the right things. And we'll be praying and hoping for your best out there in uh eastern Pennsylvania over the next four years and for your dad. Yeah. Uh plane trips he flights back to see you.

SPEAKER_01 37:40

Well, thank you guys for all you do for PIL sports. This is awesome, and I I think it's great to get the visibility on these students coming through.

SPEAKER_03 37:48

Yeah, thanks for having me and telling the story of Southwest Portland wrestling. There you go.

SPEAKER_00 37:52

Really appreciate it. Thank you.