Though the season is just beginning, the wrestling team has kept their reputation strong on the mat.

Since the start of their season in mid-November, both the boys and girls teams are getting into the groove and finding their footing.

“We have some pretty great win-loss ratios on both the girls and the boys,” wrestling head coach Roy Tambunga said. “It’s been the case for many years now, especially with the girls; they generally tend to progress faster.”

The team hasn’t moved backwards from last year, but instead feel they have improved since their previous year and can see themselves getting better in their future. Some have plans on applying their wrestling skills beyond high school.

“I was actually planning on going into the Marines after high school,” Robert Rodriguez, a third year wrestler. “There are actually jobs for wrestling in the Marines and I hope to incorporate what I’m doing now in there.”

In regards to the teams status on a district, regional and state level, the wrestlers agree that it is too early to tell exactly how they’ll perform but are off to a strong start. Team members said they believe the hard work they’ve put in will pay off into their matches and will hopefully earn them a place at regionals.

“Like I said before, the girls generally seem to progress a lot faster than the boys team,” Tambunga said. “I don’t believe that there is a particular reason why but they’ve been to state four times in a row.”

The team as also welcomed two new wrestling coaches to the team this year. The wrestlers said they appreciate their input toward improvement and supporting the dedication the success of the team.

Although going to state isn’t a new goal, the wrestlers also plan to take something new out of this year no matter how many wins they gain. For them, it’s more than just winning.

There is a tournament up in Frisco that tends to be the hardest tournament we face,” Tambunga said. “It’s usually there where we determine the status of our team, but no matter how things turn out, the team does it for themselves.”

The wrestlers have been on a majority win-streak, over half of the team with positive win-loss ratios. Coaches are particularly proud of the team’s performance

out on the mat and proud to to see the veteran wrestlers yearly progression.

“The more veteran wrestlers have shown a dramatic change in their wrestling since their beginning ” Tambunga said. “Just like with any sport, there are always going to be improvements if you practice enough.”

As a whole, the Austin wrestling program has been sponsored the shortest amount of time and therefore they must wrestle against other districts such as the Dallas and Houston districts, who have been in longer standing than others.

“You always have to be at practice to get any better,” senior Brenda Cacino said. “If we want to get any better, I advise all the wrestlers to always be at practice and for them to work on bettering themselves.”