Kasandra Villarreal, better known as Kasie, is a senior who has broken barriers and made history here at Santiago with her remarkable journey in wrestling. She has put in so much time and effort to perfect her skills. She has the drive and perseverance to accomplish what she puts her mind to wrestling.

Getting into wrestling:

Last year, Kasie went into wrestling, not knowing this would be a life-changing experience. She also wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as she does. When she started wrestling, she was looking to try something new. She also wanted a new experience with something she had never done before. After realizing how much she enjoyed wrestling, she plans to pursue girls wrestling in college. 

Accomplishments:

During Kasie’s first wrestling season, she became the 2023 Big VIII league champ and decided to continue wrestling for a second year. She thrived, broke barriers, and accomplished milestones no girl wrestler at Santiago had ever achieved after winning the league for the second year in a row. She made it to CIF, where she dominated by winning every match on the first day. She returned on day two to win and bring our school their first-ever girls’ wrestling CIF championship title. Kasie made history at Santiago and plans to continue making history for girls wrestling. 

Setbacks in her seasons:

Last year, Kasie suffered from an Achilles injury and a deep bruised tibia. Although this was painful, she pushed through and still won league placing 1st. She had a sprained shoulder/ deltoid, ankle, and Achilles tendinitis this year. These injuries caused the end of her season, but she wrestled her matches with every last bit of fight she had left. 

Training:

Kasie doesn’t only practice wrestling at school every day for 2 hours. She also gets extra training whenever she can, most days before school, whether going to the gym for weight training or jujitsu to help her with her strength and technique. She is always looking for a way to dedicate her time and energy to improving her physical ability. 

Plans after high school:

After Kasie graduates high school, she will pursue a wrestling career in college. She also plans to start doing freestyle wrestling when she is finished with her physical therapy. Kasie is also planning to attend the 2028 Olympics. She would like to continue making history and plans to make it possible for other girls to accomplish what she has done.

After all, that being said, Kasie has made history here at Santiago by being the FIRST-EVER girl CIF champion.