Vian junior Taya Hunt has found her way to success in a sport usually dominated by guys-wrestling. She wrestles on both the boys’ and girls’ teams for the Wolverines and placed second in the state tournament last year after finishing fourth her freshman year. So how does a little girl find her way to a wrestling mat?

“I kind of grew up watching my little brother wrestle and my dad kind of pushed me to get involved since I seemed interested,” said Taya. “I didn’t start until I was in the eighth grade but I’m super competitive and I grew up in a house full of brothers who were all kind of rough-and -tumble.”

Taya’s coach, Alvie Killingsworth, describes her as very committed and hard working and even though she got started a little late this year due to injury she has already won one tournament.

“I think the thing she’s most improved in this year is her confidence when she’s in the neutral position,” said Killingsworth. “She was kind of defensive her first two years but this year she’s being more aggressive and scoring more first period takedowns. She’s also very good in the down position which leads to a lot of first period falls.”

So, what’s it like being in the wrestling room with a bunch of sweaty guys?

“It’s really fun,” said Taya who often leads the practice warmups and helps keep the team organized. “I like the humor and it’s interesting all the time.”

Last summer Taya wrestled with Team Oklahoma and went to wrestle in national duals where she got a lot of experience. Her loss in the state finals last year is a driving force for her this year as she gears up to try and take the top prize.

“I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned in my two trips to state has been to have confidence in myself in the big matches and not psych myself out. Losing in the finals last year has really shown me I need to be in even better condition when it’s that time.”

Taya credits her father for being a main motivator for her success by getting her started in wrestling and being there for her all along the way. One of her main goals is to set a good example for her little sister Joely who is also a wrestler.