The Lady Cavaliers are ready for more.
Last season, Jacinda Espinosa became Capital City wrestling’s first district champion for either the boys or the girls, then earned the girls program’s first state medal with a fifth-place finish.
Espinosa swept her way through the District 2 Tournament with four pins, including three opponents who didn’t reach the final period. She then won three of four matches at the state tournament, including a 3-2 decision for the fifth-place medal at 130 pounds.
“Jacinda’s display at state last year was excellent for our team and excellent for her,” Capital City coach Jenna Germer said. “She was our team captain last year, we haven’t made captain choices yet this season, but I think she’s a natural leader and she really openly shares her experiences with her teammates and is a helper to them. I think she will continue to do that and she’s a fierce competitor and works really hard and sets the tone.”
This year, the Lady Cavaliers are hoping for more.
Espinosa, a sophomore, is back to lead a roster of 13 wrestlers mostly made up of sophomores and freshmen.
“We’re pretty excited about that, our team has kind of consistently grown over the last four years,” Germer said. “As well as girls wrestling in general as a category has grown and that’s awesome to see. Our girls have really bonded as a team and they’re all encouraging each other and pushing each other.”
Arya Ahmed is the lone senior on the Capital City roster, while Sinai Luna Antonio is the only junior.
“What’s cool about wrestling, especially for the girls, is everyone is relatively new,” Germer said. “… I think our upperclassmen have really stepped up as leaders and that’s been awesome to see.”
The other 11 competitors are all underclassmen.
“We have quite a few freshmen, which I’m excited for to see how they grow and develop and take our team over the next couple years,” Germer said. “They’ve really fit right in with our previous athletes. They’re just kind of soaking it all up.”
Capital City begins its season today at the Owensville Tournament.
The Lady Cavaliers will then kick off the dual portion of the season when they host Union and Southern Boone in a triangular Tuesday.
“For some of our girls, that will be their first competition experience,” Germer said. “I want them to come out of it with things they did well and I always focus on wanting them to think of what they did well, finding something they can improve on and then thinking about how they can take that experience to push them further in the season. I hope they all kind of find those three things.”
The Lady Cavaliers will go to the Fort Zumwalt North Invitational on Dec. 2, the Rolla Invitational on Dec. 10, the Blair Oaks Tournament on Dec. 14, the Battle for Katy Trail on Dec. 16-17, the Wonder Woman Tournament on Dec. 29-30 at Battle, the Republic Tournament on Jan. 14 and the Mexico Girls Scramble on Jan. 16.
Capital City will also host the Capital City Girls Tournament on Jan. 6.
This will be the first year with multiple classes in Missouri high school girls wrestling. As the sport continues to grow across the state, Germer said she thinks the more, the merrier.
“I think any growth for this sport is great for all the girls who participate,” Germer said. “Having more competition, different levels of competition, can only make my athletes better and make all the competitors better. I’m excited to see how the classes work out. Definitely excited to see just how the season unfolds.”