Oswego senior Kiyah Chavez is the Record Newspapers Girls Wrestler of the Year

Kiyah Chavez’s motivation for first trying wrestling had nothing to do with success on the mat.

She just wanted to stay in shape for softball.

The Oswego senior and Iowa softball recruit, the 2024 Record Newspapers Player of the Year in that sport, had played basketball during the winter before. But she wasn’t getting the reps, and the corresponding cardio, she felt she needed.

Chavez took up wrestling last school year. And this year added another chapter to quite a 12 months athletically.

Eight months after helping lead Oswego’s softball team to third place in Class 4A in the program’s first state tournament appearance, Chavez made history on the mat. She took second place at 155 pounds, becoming Oswego’s first medalist in girls wrestling.

For that achievement, Kiyah Chavez is the Record Newspapers Girls Wrestler of the Year.

Here is her Q&A with Sports Editor Joshua Welge.

What did placing second at state mean to you? How did it compare with what you did with the softball team last year?

Chavez: To me, it was incredibly special. The two sports are so different because one is a team sport, and one is individual, so each felt different. With softball, it’s so fun because you have teammates to celebrate with, and it’s great to see a whole team coming together. In wrestling you just feel incredibly accomplished, because in reality it was all your hard work. Overall, though, I really can’t put one over the other.

You had nine losses coming into state. Were you surprised that you were able to get to the final - and if not what gave you the confidence that it could happen?

Chavez: I wasn’t wildly surprised to be honest with you, but it also wasn’t a for sure thing in my mind. I knew I could get there, but I also knew it was going to be incredibly tough. If I’m not mistaken, all of my losses (except for one) were to ranked wrestlers. Two of those losses were to the girl I beat in semis (Plainfield South’s Teagan Aurich) which allowed me to go out there with a game plan.

To be honest with you the losses are what helped me the most. They gave me incredible levels of motivation and they exposed what my weaknesses were, which allowed me to get better. Outside of the physical work part, I was in a mental spot where I was able to tell myself that I was just doing this for fun, and at the end of the day I’m a softball player trying to wrestle. This put me in a fairly relaxed state and removed a lot of pressure from my shoulders.

How would you assess your wrestling season otherwise?

Chavez: It was a heck of a ride. I got pretty close with some of my coaches (Kevin Alvarez and Greg Scott) who are just absolutely amazing dudes. They put so much time into my growth and I seriously could not have done it without them. It couldn’t have gone better for me. Everything started clicking at the right time and I was able to learn from all of my losses. For it being a side quest, I really couldn’t ask for more.

You’ve told me before, but how did you get into wrestling? What have you taken out of your experience wrestling for a couple years?

Chavez: I was playing basketball to stay in shape during my softball offseason and I wasn’t getting the reps I needed to get the right amount of cardio, so I turned to coach Scott who had previously approached me before basketball season. I originally told him no because I had already told the basketball coaches that I would play, and I hate going back on my word, but at the end of the day I had to put my athletic career first and do my best to make myself a better athlete. Thankfully, the basketball coaches and athletic directors were super supportive, and I was able to make a very smooth transition.

Honestly, I will say that wrestling has taught me how to work hard, and that if you want something, you can go earn it. I’ve worked hard in the weight room before and I’ve worked hard on the softball field, but the amount of literal blood, sweat, and tears that goes into wrestling is far beyond anything I’ve ever done.

If a younger girl asked you for your advice about trying wrestling, what would you say?

Chavez: I would tell them to get out there and try it. Wrestling has a weird stigma to it, especially for girls, and to a certain extent I can understand it. The sport was really weird for me when I first got into it, but it really becomes part of who you are. I think I’ll always have a part of me that identifies with that.

The sport also allows girls to understand that being strong and being tough is cool. I think a lot of young girls, especially young female athletes, feel like they have to be tiny, can’t be too muscular, and have to be passive. Wrestling teaches you that being muscular, being aggressive, and properly fueling yourself is all incredibly beneficial to not just yourself as an athlete, but also yourself as a woman.

You’ve done softball, basketball and wrestling. Are there any other sports you tried growing up before you stuck with softball and later wrestling?

Chavez: Like just about every other kid, I did gymnastics, soccer, and I was a huge fan of some backyard football. My neighbors (who were all boys) had their parents try to convince mine to let me play tackle football with them multiple times. Unfortunately, my parents kept saying no. None of those sports were ever too serious though. Mostly just to occupy my free time.

A quick softball question: You had such a breakout junior year as a player and as a team. What is next for you and the team?

Chavez: I think the obvious answer is that we want to win state. Being there last year we know what it takes and what if feels like to be given the wrong medal. We are locked in this year and we have a goal. For me, I’m just taking everything one pitch at a time. This is a year full of lasts for me, and I want to be able to enjoy it all and soak it in. Overall though, I’m just as driven, if not more, as last year.

What do you plan to study at Iowa while playing softball?

Chavez: I’m currently enrolled as a criminal justice major, but I plan to change it to something within business. Ultimately though I want to pursue a career in law enforcement.