Before winter season began, Alexis Garcia, Nipomo High School’s star heavyweight wrestler, laid out her goals for her senior year. She kept them simple, and wrote them down.
They’re twofold:
1. Undefeated
2. State champ
“My coach [Justin Magdaleno] made me write them down,” Garcia told the Sun. “I have them in my room, on my fridge, in the bathroom—basically everywhere.”
Garcia is well on her way to achieving those goals, recently showing just how talented she is by placing first in the esteemed Queen of the Hill tournament in Riverside, Calif., on Dec. 30. A destination for some of the state’s best wrestling programs, Queen of the Hill was a great measuring stick for Garcia.
“I went in and Magdaleno told me it was one of the difficult tournaments in California and I’d be seeing a lot of wrestlers I’d see at masters or state,” Garcia said. “I wasn’t scared, but [I was] nervous. It was a really good tournament.”
In the championship match, Garcia triumphed over Stephanie Maldonado of Claremont High School—the No. 1 ranked heavyweight wrestler in the state.
“The first period, we were both kind of just on our feet,” Garcia said. “The second or third period, she was down on the bottom, and, from there, I pinned her.”
Winning such a prestigious tournament was a storybook moment for Garcia, who just a few years ago, discovered a passion for wrestling she had no idea was there.
“It felt pretty great. I never knew I’d ever accomplish something like this, at all,” she said. “I was very happy and hugging my coach and being like, ‘Wow, this crazy.’”
Coach Magdaleno’s mentorship of Garcia, and the Nipomo program, is hard to overstate. The team is only 4 years old yet has quickly developed into a thriving and competitive program.
“He’s been an amazing coach,” Garcia said. “He’s definitely shown me that I’m more capable than I ever thought possible. He’s pushed me and made me believe in myself.”
Looking forward, Garcia awaits the final meets of the season where she hopes to achieve that goal of winning a state championship. Last year, she came very close to placing in the top eight. Beyond the season, Garcia wants to pursue college wrestling.
“I’m hoping that’s an option,” she said humbly.
