BALLSTON BEATDOWN: LOCAL WRESTLER TAKES THIRD AT NATIONALS

by Dylan McGlynn Saratoga TODAY

FARGO, ND — Ballston

Spa rising junior wrestler Mia Collins returned to Fargo, North Dakota this summer with a goal in mind.

Collins had competed at the USA Marine Corps 16U & Junior Nationals in 2022, and entered the tournament again this year looking to improve on her results from the previous summer.

“Last year, I got into the blood round and I lost, so I didn’t end up placing,” said Collins.

In her second appearance at the tournament this July, Collins earned a third-place finish, posting an overall record of 9-1.

“I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself before matches,” she said. “I think the biggest challenge at Fargo this year was being able to kind of separate myself from the outcome of the match, and be able to focus on just going out and scoring points more than anything.”

Collins overcame a talented slate of opponents in order to earn her third-place finish, opening the tournament with victories over Aleiya Cullinan (North Dakota), Avery Losiewicz (Wisconsin), and Millie Bradley (Oklahoma), according to results posted by FloWrestling.

Collins lost in the Round of 16 to the eventual champion, Isis France of Arizona, but responded with six consecutive wins in the consolation bracket to finish in third place.

Collins opened her portion of the consolation bracket with wins over Hayden Bratland

(Iowa), Savanna Franklin (Missouri), and Emma Chacon (Arizona).

She then defeated three wrestlers who are nationally ranked in Lilliana Banks (Wisconsin), Timberly Martinez (Colorado), and Cassandra Gonzales (Minnesota) on her way to a third-place finish.

Collins said that while the final three matches were the most stressful, the key for her was “just focusing.”

“You can’t get caught up in the worry and anxiety that comes before those matches,” said Collins. “You really have to get yourself in the right mindset to be able to go out there, do your moves, and score points.”

Gonzales, who Collins beat to earn third place, is ranked 18th in the country in the 132pound weight class in national rankings released in early July by USA Wrestling, FloWrestling, and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum.

Martinez ranked 28th, while Banks ranked 29th. Isis France, the eventual champion who gave Collins her only loss of the tournament, ranked ninth.

Collins said her time in Fargo this year was “a really good experience.”

“It was super nice for me to be able to have my third-place finish this year,” Collins said.

She noted her results from this summer’s tournament were meaningful after falling in the blood round at the 2022 tournament.

“It also makes me more confident as a wrestler, because now I know how I rank,” said Collins. “So I think, having achieved it, I can now set my goals even bigger.”

In addition to competing with the Ballston Spa varsity wrestling team, Collins also said she recently began training at Curby Training Center in Troy.

Now entering her junior year of high school, she said she is hoping to continue her wrestling career in college, adding that it is “exciting” to see more opportunities arising in girls wrestling.

“There’s more and more opportunities opening up as I’m progressing through high school, so that’s pretty exciting,” said Collins. “I’d definitely like to wrestle at the collegiate level.”