Off to a great start: Miyamura grad moves up a weight class and finds success

By Barbara Boxleitner
Special to the Times

GALLUP

The move to a heavier weight class has brought even more success for wrestler Yele Aycock.

The sophomore out of Miyamura High School opened the North Central College (Ill.) season with a 16-2 record competing mostly at the 136-pound class after wrestling at 130 pounds last year, when she had a 25-13 record, including 16 technical falls.

She moved up a weight class after last year’s starter at 136 moved up.

“She competed very well,” North Central head women’s wrestling coach Joe Norton said about her freshman season. “A lot of her focus was on making the weight.”

By moving up, he said, she doesn’t have to think about losing weight to stay in her class and is able to focus every practice on improving her wrestling skills. “She’s extremely motivated,” he said.

“It’s been good,” Aycock said. “I’m getting better overall, cleaning up technique.”

She spent the summer at campus training for the season. She was able to wrestle teammates almost daily. With that amount of preparation, she wasn’t surprised to start with a 13-0 record. “Wrestling with the team really helped,” she said.

She was named Nov. 8 as the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin wrestler of the week, recognizing her for winning the 136 title at the Pointer Open.

As of Dec. 8, the National Wrestling Coaches Association ranked Aycock second in her weight class. She placed second at 136 in the Dec. 11 North Central College Women’s Open Championship. She won by fall, technical fall and decision before losing a 4-3 decision in the first-place match to an Augsburg foe who was first in the Dec. 8 rankings.

“She’s very athletic. She’s quick. She’s very, very smart,” Norton said. “She thinks about things quickly. She learns very quickly.”

She is applying what she learned from last year, when she placed fifth in the under-20, 62-kg class at the USA Wrestling Women’s National Championship.

“I learned a lot. I didn’t do the best job of implementing it,” she said. “I’m trying to be more offensive, working on my attacks. I wasn’t as confident getting to them last year. I’m getting on my attacks first instead of letting my opponent dictate what I do.”

Among her team-high 16 wins, seven were by technical fall and five by pin. “I can be creative when it comes to positioning. I have a pretty good gas tank. I feel more confident when they’re a little tired,” she said.

Her natural abilities are a bonus when she competes at different weights. Aycock won by technical fall 10-0 in wrestling at 143 pounds in a Thursday match against Augustana, the team’s final competition until action resumes Dec. 30.

“A lot of girls were pretty fast last year. At 136, girls are really strong,” she said. “My speed is something of an advantage that I have.”

North Central is a fourth-year program that had nine wrestlers its inaugural season and has 42 on the roster this year. It ranked second in the Dec. 8 team rankings and is seeking a national title.

“I’m trying to win the national title not only as an individual but as a team,” Aycock said. “We have the talent and the people to do that.”

In fact, she is considering a longer-term commitment to the sport, for Norton cited her potential to qualify for the Olympics.

“I’ve really thought about it as a realistic goal. It’s something that I definitely want to pursue,” she said.

“Coming out of high school, I didn’t really come from a state that is well-versed in wrestling,” she said. “I didn’t have super high expectations. But even if I keep working hard, I’m going to make a lot of progress. I’m working hard and doing the right things to see how far it can take me.”

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