Kenidi Nine, left, and Alex Garcia are Wawasee’s two state qualifiers for this weekend’s IHSGW Girls Wrestling State Finals. (Photo by Camdyn Deak)

Wawasee wrestling has prided itself on the family facet it has built over generations. Friendships and brotherhoods galvanized on and off the mat have defined the program, proof in the number of former athletes that are still involved in some regard.

The bonds are obvious, and one of those will travel together this weekend to Kokomo. Sophomores Alex Garcia and Kenidi Nine are inseparable, and that bond has helped carry to the two to the biggest stage in girls wrestling. Both will compete in the IHSGW Girls Wrestling State Finals, Garcia for the second time and Nine in her first trip.

Both are each other’s biggest fans during competition, and both have become vocal leaders in the wrestling room for the emerging sport of girls wrestling. A year ago, Garcia barely spoke as she ventured through her first year of competitive wrestling, and Nine was in a similar boat while her brother, Carson, was morphing into a veteran leader.

Now, the two continue to learn and develop as if they have been superstars their entire lives.

“I feel like I have more of a motivation, especially since my dad passed away,” said Garcia, who is the only two-time state finalist currently in the Wawasee wrestling program. Her father, Ricardo Garcia, who was a role model for her and part of the drive for her to become a wrestler, passed away in a car accident in late November. “I was doing this last year to make him proud. And he was. Now I feel like I can carry on that feeling and motivation to make him proud, even though he’s not here to watch me. It gives me a lot more strength and motivation than I had last year. I do definitely notice the difference.”

Added Nine, “I know I am capable of beating just about anyone. I just have to have the mindset that I am ready and just wrestle the way I know how.”

Garcia returns to the IHSGW State Finals after finishing eighth in the state tournament a year ago. Being the historical footnote of ‘first’ female to reach the state finals at Wawasee, Garcia isn’t settling for just making a return trip. Admitting her technical approach to her sophomore year is much more refined than her freshman year, she’s learning from mistakes and adjusting to what opponents are giving her. Or taking away.

“I feel like I am recognizing what my opponents are trying to do, and even watching my teammate’s matches, I would put myself in that match to see what I would do,” offered Garcia, who was a 155-pound runner-up at the Penn Semi-state last week. “I feel like there have been times where I am mid-match and I can see 10 seconds ahead to visualize what I need to do. That’s changed a lot of how I wrestle now than what I did a year ago.”

Nine was a round away as a freshman, which she carried that loss with her into the offseason. Determined to take that next step, she achieved that moment in the quarterfinals at Penn this past week, where she defeated Honesty Lacy of Merrillville with a pin to make the top-four of the 135 bracket.

“I was so excited, I didn’t know what to think,” started Nine of the moment. “I didn’t care about anything else other than running straight up to my dad and gave him the biggest hug and started crying.”

What’s next for the two is getting at least one win Friday in Kokomo to make the podium.

Garcia is paired against Leah Soots of Southport in round one. Soots is listed as 18-10 this season and was third at the Muncie Central Semi-state. Soots was also third at the regional, and placed sixth last season at the State Finals wrestling way up at 195 pounds. The other two in the pod are top-seed Josie Hause of Monrovia and Kaily Bussard of New Haven. The only other area wrestler on the top half of the 155 bracket is Madison Raper of Penn, who Garcia beat at the semi-state. Penn Semi-state champion Makenzie Shumaker of Bremen, who has beaten Garcia twice in the state tournament, is one of the favorites on the bottom half.

Nine draws top seed Maddie Marsh of Pendleton Heights, who is listed at 29-7 this season and one of the top wrestlers in the 135 bracket. An upset for Nine would shake up the bracket, but force her to potentially have to get through Columbia City’s Alexes Spaulding in round two, who has 39 wins – 34 by pin – this season. Spaulding is paired against Neveah Hultgren of Mooresville in round one. Haylee Selis of Penn and Kaylee Smith of Mishawaka are also in the 135-pound grid, Smith owning a win over Nine in the semi-state.

For those not able to make it to Kokomo, Track Wrestling will have all the action live updating. You can find the link to the IHSGW State Finals here.