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Heritage girl earns letter in wrestling
Woenkhaus compiled a 6-7 varsity record in her freshman year.

By Jeff Wiehe 5/16/03
for The News-Sentinel

Heritage freshman Amy Woenk-haus wanted to stand apart from the flock and do something different. So when eighth grade rolled around, she decided to step onto the wrestling mat.

Taking the unconventional route has paid off.

Heritage announced Thursday that Woenkhaus has a new badge that not only allows her to stand apart, but allows her to stand alone. That something is a varsity letter in wrestling. Woenkhaus is the first female athlete to earn the honor in East Allen County Schools, according to a Heritage High School news release.

"I wanted more of a challenge to see what I could do," Woenkhaus said of getting into wrestling. "I wanted to see how far I could take myself. Not many people wrestle."

Woenkhaus finished the season with a 6-7 varsity record, splitting time between the 112- and 119-pound weight classes. It was the first time Heritage coach John Heller encountered the situation of a female wrestler in his six-year career, and he wasn't sure of how things would play out.

"I was really skeptical this first year, but I'm happy with the whole situation," Heller said. "She went to practice and worked hard. Amy is a gifted athlete."

Heller made sure the issue of a female competing in male-dominated arena did not hamper Woenkhaus' or the team's progress.

"Everyone got along with her," Heller said. "I told them everything would be straight above the board wrestling."

"Every teammate supported me," Woenkhaus said.

Not everyone was thrilled to step onto the mat with Woenkhaus. She scored two pins at the varsity level and three more while wrestling on the reserve team.

"When they hear about how many guys I've pinned before, they get nervous," Woenkhaus said. "Getting pinned by a girl and getting beat by a girl are two different things."

"What guys don't understand is that I'm in it for wrestling, the sport."

"A lot of times it was good because she would pin a guy, and they'd throw their headgear, and get a team penalty," Heller said.

Woenkhaus also showed her resiliency to the boys she was going one-on-one with on the mat.

"Amy was only pinned one time this season, and (her ability to avoid being pinned) helped the team win some matches," Heller said.

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Alaskan hopes to wrestle in Olympics

Associated Press 5/14/03

ANCHORAGE

When the Olympics roll out the welcome mat for women wrestlers next summer, Tela O'Donnell hopes to be among the first to walk across it.

The Alaskan established herself as a contender Saturday when she captured a U.S. Open national wrestling championship in Las Vegas.

O'Donnell, a 2001 graduate of Nikiski High, knocked off the top two wrestlers in the 55-kilogram (121 pounds) weight class for the title. Next she'll compete in the U.S. team trials in Indianapolis, where a berth in August's world championships is at stake.

O'Donnell, ranked third in her weight class entering the competition, eked out narrow decisions over top-ranked Tina George in the championship match and second-ranked Stephanie Murata in the semifinals.

In the championship match, O'Donnell beat George, a heavy favorite who wrestles for the Army, 6-4.

"It was back and forth the whole time and I won in the end," O'Donnell told the Anchorage Daily News.

In her semifinal victory, O'Donnell took an early lead and held off Murata for a 9-8 victory.

"The last time I wrestled her she beat me, so it was exciting to see the improvement in myself," O'Donnell said.

During her senior year of high school, O'Donnell, who grew up in Homer, became the second girl in Alaska to place in the state wrestling tournament.

She initially enrolled at Pacific University in Forest Grove, where she competed on the school's women's wrestling team. Last year, she was selected to the U.S. Olympic Development program at Colorado Springs, where she has turned her focus to wrestling while attending classes part-time at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

O'Donnell, 20, said that even if she doesn't qualify for the world championships, she will take her wrestling prowess on the road. A trip to a wrestling tournament in Sweden last year gave her a case of wanderlust.

"Next year, regardless of how I do it, I'm going to go on tours to some places," she said. "It's neat to go to places I'm not used to."

There's one specific global destination she has in mind: Athens, the host of next year's Summer Olympics, which will feature women's wrestling for the first time.

For now, O'Donnell is savoring her victory in Las Vegas.

"It was exciting for me," she said. "I smiled really big."

And has she stopped smiling?

"Only when I fall asleep. And I'm not even sure about then."