It’s not often you see a high school athlete try a sport for the first time their senior year, and walk out with a scholarship. 

Sydney McCleary entered her senior year expecting to take the next steps in her softball career. When City High introduced its first women’s wrestling team, Sydney wasn’t initially inclined to try out.

“My softball and wrestling coach, Jeff Koenig, talked me into it. I told him there was no way I am ever going to do wrestling, and now I thank him everyday for making me do it and pushing me out of my comfort zone. It was the best experience I’ve ever had.”

Going into an unfamiliar sport has its setbacks. Sydney describes her many challenges early on in the season. 

“I would get pinned at a tournament and think that I’m never going to be able to do this. I hate to admit it, but I think I left a lot of practices crying, and I was thinking that I never want to do this again, but I think that pushed me even more to learn that I can grow as an athlete”.

After a rough start, Sydney talks about how she overcame her major doubts and began to see significant progress. 

“There was a point in the middle of the season that I felt that I’ve never been stronger. I noticed I was genuinely happier and seeing improvements, even in softball.”

Sydney has been playing softball all her life, and has been on the City High varsity team for 4 years. Sydney recounts how surprised her friends and family were when she decided to commit to wrestling instead of softball. 

“They all expected me to go play college softball somewhere, and I always thought I would too. But it was a pretty clear decision in my mind when I thought if I wanted to do softball or wrestling, and wrestling was the answer.”

Sydney is the first female to commit to wrestle in college inat City High history. Sydney describes the feeling of achieving such an accomplishment. 

“It’s a pretty crazy feeling to know that in 30 years, I could come back here and see how much the team and program has grown, and to be able to say that I was on the first team ever and that we all paved the path.”

Being on the first team can feel intimidating, but the team was ready to work together through the challenges. Sydney recounts how her teammates and coaches helped her through her rough start. 

“My first match I ever wrestled was at Prairie, and I got pinned three times that day. I went off the mat and I was crying. I was so embarrassed and I never wanted to do it again, until every single one of my teammates came up to me and told me it was going to be okay. They didn’t look at me any different, and they all continued to push me further. They made the whole season really special.”

Sydney announced her commitment via social media to William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on March 4, and had her signing ceremony on Wednesday, March 9. She has left her mark on City High history, and has paved the way for more female wrestlers to follow in her footsteps.