By: Julie Moreno
Tustin High School’s senior Jasmine Cordero competed in the 2015 CIF Girls’ Wrestling State Championships on the 27th and 28th of February. At the Visalia Convention Center, Cordero wrestled against 24 of the best girls in the 141 pound weight class. According to the Varsity wrestling team’s coach Greg Smith, “The competition at the state meet is at the highest level and each match is a grind. Jasmine was on a mission and came physically and mentally prepared. She definitely wrestled the best tournament of her life. To help put things into perspective, Jasmine finished in the top 8 at the 141 lbs. weight class out of more than 500 schools in the state of California.” As a returning State Qualifier, Cordero was determined to place this year. She wasn’t able to place in the 2014 State Championships, but this only pushed her to do better this year, which she did.
On the first day of State, Cordero wrestled three girls, one by one, and ended the day with two wins and one loss, giving her the chance to place as high as third if she wins two matches the next day. On the second day, Cordero won her first match but lost her second, allowing her to place eighth. Cordero claims, “My goal the whole season was to be a State Champion so getting eighth place was a disappointment but at the same time I am more than happy that I got to experience wrestling against people who are very talented.” Only the top six wrestlers earned a medal, but Cordero doesn’t need a medal to show who she is and what she has achieved.
Coach Smith has had the chance to know Jasmine during the years he has coached the Varsity wrestling team. He reports, “The wrestling accolades are great, but more importantly Jasmine has a 4.0 GPA, possesses tremendous leadership skills, has a great personality, and is the nicest person one could know, just ask her teammates. I am so thankful that we crossed paths and I was able to be part of Jasmine’s life journey. I am extremely proud of Jasmine’s accomplishments on and off the mat.”
Jasmine Cordero has worked hard to do better each year. She’s placed in every wrestling tournament this season and wrestled in the finals six times; overall she had a record of 36-10. Cordero, who is recovering from surgery done to remove her appendix, reflects about the ending to the wrestling season, “It’s really sad because for the past four years my whole world revolved around wrestling. To be honest it’s a bittersweet feeling. I’m happy that it’s over because I have more free time but I’m sad that it’s over because that’s all I’ve known to do.” Because she spent most of her high school years wrestling, Cordero became the first wrestling athlete to qualify for State in years at Tustin High. Many have come close at getting Tustin back into State, but Cordero was the one who succeeded. She ended the season powerful, and she’s ending her senior year strong.
