West Ottawa trailblazer Isabel Anaya has 99 career wrestling wins

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.One hundred wins is a milestone many wrestlers aim to reach.But West Ottawa’s Isabel Anaya knows this 100 means a whole lot more.It takes being a strong competitor for three seasons or more to reach.”Honestly, it means so much to me. I have put in a lot of work wrestling since I was a little kid. So knowing that I will have that 100th win – and be the first girl to get that – really means a lot,” Anaya said. “It is starting to sink in (being the trailblazer).Anaya should become the first female wrestler from the area to ever reach 100 wins on Sunday at individual districts. After winning a tournament this weekend, she sits at 99 career wins.”It is nerve-wracking setting the standard for all the girls that come after, but hopefully I am inspiring them to do more than what I am doing.”Anaya’s goals are far from over. After finishing third in the state as a sophomore, she was fifth as a junior, leaving her hungry for a shot at trailblazing the first girls state championship in the area.“I am more focused this year. Last year I feel like I could have done better. Now I don’t want as many distractions and hopefully get first this year,” she said. “It is really motivating because I know I can do it, I just have to push myself to the next gear.”West Ottawa coach Mathias Sarli understands the importance of this milestone for the entire area.”It is huge. It is a big deal for the sport of girls wrestling. The sport has grown exponentially. It is the fastest growing sport in America,” Sarli said. “To have a female athlete like Isabel be the first to accomplish that is such a feat, but it shows how hard she works in the sport. She earns every single win. I hope that people in the area see her accomplishments and want to be like her.”Girls wrestling was an avalanche coming that finally reached a level that it became an MHSAA sport three years ago. But Anaya was wrestling long before that.”Seeing other girls wrestle started to open it up. It showed how many girls wanted to wrestle and how many people then saw it as an option,” she said. “There are so many more opportunities.”Even more impressive is that women’s wrestling has only been an MHSAA sport for three years and Anaya has reached the milestone despite not having as many matches throughout the years at the boys wrestlers do.Off the mat, Anaya is constantly smiling, one of the nicest people in the entire building let alone the wrestling team. But when it is time to compete – a switch is flipped and the intensity is unleashed.”It just happens. I have never been able to control it. I just don’t want to lose,” she said. “I love winning. Once I got to high school I was able to start flipping that switch.”And that immediately changed Anaya’s career trajectory from good to great.”She wouldn’t be where she is right now if she didn’t find that switch,” Sarli said. “It is her mindset, plus her takedowns and footwork – she has so many great features in her game.”Anaya is looking forward to blazing another trail and wrestling in college next year.”I am still deciding what college I want to commit to, but hopefully I will still be wrestling,” she said. “It is huge that it is even an option. Seeing the sport grow, it is an honor to try to be a part of it.”Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as  Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.