As her feet step on top of the mat and she faces off against another competitor, senior Kaylan Sullivan prepares to win a wrestling match.

     “I really love wrestling, and I feel like it sparks my competitive drive in a big way,” Sullivan said. “I am super excited and ready to compete for  Lampasas High School.”

     Sullivan has three years of experience under her belt after wrestling for Copperas Cove High School. With year four approaching, Sullivan has high hopes and expectations in her abilities.

     “I think that this year will be very good for me, and I think the team will compete very hard as well,” Sullivan said. “I am interested in seeing who all works hard and puts forth a lot of effort in wrestling, and how we compare to all of the other teams.”

     Natalie Denoso is a junior who has wrestled and competed with Sullivan in the practices to prepare for all of the upcoming matches.

     “I like to compete against Kaylan because she pushes me to work harder and harder each day we practice against each other,” Denoso said. “I feel as if she has made me better and more prepared for the competitors that I have to go against in the matches.”

     Denoso also competed in the Capital Classic Tournament on Dec. 1st and 2nd in Austin. Competing against many other competitors at different schools, Denoso went in to compete on what she had learned in her practices.

     “I am pretty happy about the way I performed because I know that i will get better and learn many more moves,” Denoso said. “I am glad to get the first tournament out of the way, and now I see what I need to work on harder in practice so that I can perform to my best abilities in the matches.”

     Sullivan competed on a select team as well as her previous high school. According to Sullivan, wrestling is a very serious sport that is tasking mentally and physically.

     “Wrestling is a very challenging sport,” Sullivan said. “I love lining up in front of another person and just giving my absolute best effort to beat them and win the match.”

     Sullivan said she is looking to be a big threat against other teams this season and has high hopes for the upcoming matches.

     “I really think that this team has worked very hard in the practices to learn all of the new moves and techniques,” Sullivan said. “I like to see that everyone on the team is putting in their all to get better and gear up to compete.”

     According to the teammates around her, Sullivan is a leader who has made a big impact on their drive and competitiveness, and that she pushes all of the Lady Badgers to work hard throughout the entire practices, and to gear them up for their live matches.