I.C. West’s Trinity Myers now has a passion for wrestling

MARION — Nearly three years ago, Trinity Myers didn’t know much about wrestling. As a matter of fact, she didn’t really want much to do with the sport.

But, thanks to some of her friends joining the girls’ wrestling program at Iowa City West, she jumped on board.

“I had no clue what I was doing,” Myers said. “I was only in there because my friends were in there. But, I really stuck through it and have gained a huge passion through it.”

The rest is history.

Myers has wrestled her way into a leadership role at West. From being a vocal leader during practices to cheering on her teammates during a match and wrestling at her best, she gives her teammates something to strive for.

“I hope that I am someone they look up to, someone that pushes them during practice,” Myers said. “I definitely want to have girls work as hard as possible. I never want to wrestle a match where I just give up or not wrestle my best. I want to remind my teammates to always give 100 percent in everything you do.

“That’s the most important thing as a leader. You aren’t just pushing your teammates, but you’re also pushing yourself.”

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West Coach Mike Mettenburg knows Myers pushes her teammates by being the type of wrestler she is.

“She’s setting a good example,” Mettenburg said. “She’ll vocally tell girls what to do. She leads a lot of stuff during practice. She also does things outside of normal practice time and sets a great example by how she acts.”

In Monday’s dual against Linn-Mar, Myers set an example of how to wrestle confidently and at a high level. She was the lone Trojan to win a match, pinning Linn-Mar’s Chloe Adamson in 2:50. The Lions went on to win the dual, 71-6.

Myers, critiquing herself, knew her match could’ve started better. But she felt herself settle in once she found her confidence.

“At first, I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself,” Myers said. “As the match went on, I knew my stuff. The biggest thing for me was finding my confidence. Once I did that, the match was done for.”

Finding her confidence seems to be what Myers has done ever since she started wrestling. From not qualifying for the state tournament her sophomore year to punching her ticket last season, she believes she’s capable of even more during her senior year.

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“This year, I’m hoping to place at state,” Myers said. “I know I have what it takes. It just comes down to believing in myself.”

Mettenburg agrees.

“That’s what we are pushing her to do,” Mettenburg said. “No one sets higher expectations for her than herself.”

While getting a state medal is the goal, Myers knows she has already won by learning what makes the sport of wrestling special — the people and sense of community.

It’s what she would want anyone who may be on the fence about girls’ wrestling to know before getting involved in the sport.

“It’s a sport where you really find a home,” Myers said. “You find community everywhere you go. I talk to random people from different teams. The greatest thing is finding people who have the same passion as you, the same integrity as you.”

In addition to learning how the wrestling community can become a home for some, Myers also will take a lesson on discipline and confidence into the future.

“If you are only going off motivation, you can only go so far,” Myers said. “Really working hard, whether you want to or not, is the biggest thing for me. It’s pushed me in wrestling, school, and my faith. It made me realize who I am.

“I am someone who doesn’t like to give up and fights for what I want. I love that about wrestling. You have to fight for everything you get.”