Jefferson wrestler Theresa Gonpue celebrates senior night with a pin

CEDAR RAPIDS — In any sport, senior night brings a mix of emotion, like remembering your high school career and looking forward to the next phase of life.

That was exactly the case for Cedar Rapids Jefferson’s Theresa Gonpue on Thursday night. But, wrestling in front of a packed home crowd in the J-Hawks’ gymnasium, she used senior night as her motivation.

”It feels surreal,” Gonpue said. “All I kept thinking about is me going out there and fighting hard. I did not want to get beat up on senior night. I wanted to go out there and give it my all, no matter what.”

Gonpue gave it her all against Iowa City High’s Izzy Brown, pinning Brown in 1:40.

Jefferson Coach Justin Hlubek said the senior has been focusing on her offense leading up to her final home dual.

“She’s not super confident on her shots yet,” Hlubek said. “We’ve been working with her on taking shots and getting to it. It’s been touch, go, touch go. She was being aggressive and believing in herself.”

The J-Hawks won the dual, 51-28.

Hlubek knew it was going to take all 14 wrestlers to not only win the dual, but remain undefeated in duals this season at 9-0.

”We knew it was going to be a team effort,” Hlubek said. “City High is a good team. We knew we had to be all in. I’m confident in any of the girls that we send out on our lineup. As long as they keep fighting and try their best, that’s all we ask for.”

Throughout her three years in Jefferson’s girls’ wrestling program, Gonpue has done just that.

One of the big changes the senior has noticed is how she approaches the sport.

“I feel like I was just doing the sport and wasn’t all that serious about it,” Gonpue said. “I had this mindset that it was OK to lose. It didn’t matter.

“This year, I’ve changed that. I want to go out there and keep fighting, no matter what.”

It’s led to her finding where she belongs — with the J-Hawks on the mat.

”I went to one of the open mats and wanted to give it a try,” Gonpue said. “I was looking for a sport where I felt like I belong and enjoy doing.

“Wrestling is that for me.”

A big reason Gonpue has found where she belongs is in part to her teammates. The J-Hawks have cultivated an environment where they not only have bought into wrestling, but each other.

“Our team is amazing,” Gonpue said. “A lot of our girls are supportive. There are times when people wouldn’t have confidence in themselves, but the girls give each other a lot of encouragement.”

While Gonpue is proud of the friendships she’s gained through wrestling and her time as a J-Hawk, she’s equally excited for her post-high school plans.

She has her sights set on the Army National Guard, after meeting with a recruiter at her school.

“Every time people would ask me what I wanted to do after school, I always told them I had no idea,” Gonpue said. “I talked with the recruiter, and I learned about all of the different jobs I could do. I knew that was what I wanted to do.”

But, she’ll miss Jefferson when it’s time to move on from high school.

She might even miss wrestling a little bit more.

“I’m just going to miss the sport,” Gonpue said. “It’s bittersweet. Sometimes, you hate the sport, but I am going to miss it. I’m also going to miss my school. It’s been an amazing four years.”