National, State, and Regional titles have become the norm for Spalding’s Taina Fernandez. As the Cavalier heads into her sophomore season, she has upped the bar for herself by claiming a World Championship on her first ever trip to such an event.
“Overall, I’m just so happy, and in a way, I feel a sense of pride in myself and my work ethic,” Fernandez said. “It (the World title) has been one of my goals for so long, so it’s really meaningful to me that I was able to accomplish it. It also reassures me that all my hard work hasn't been for nothing.”
In the same way Fernandez locks down the crowns stateside, she replicated that on the world stage dominating the competition in Amman, Jordan during the U17 World Championships, where none of her opponents scored on her and the last three were dispensed of with pins.
“At times, it does feel like a lot because thoughts of “What if I don’t have a dominant performance? What would people think?” come up in my head,” remarked Fernandez about her continuing domination on the mat. “But I think I keep that edge because I know that if I focus on wrestling MY match, the results will come. And I always tell myself that I'm not trying to impress anybody; I just want to go out there and showcase my training. So, no, I haven't altered or changed my training, but I have reinforced my confidence and trust in it.”
Fernandez’s opening bout with Turkey’s Ozdenur Ozmez was the only one that did not result in a fall, but Fernandez did rack up an 11-0 technical superiority victory 2:30 into the match. In the ¼ Final match, Fernandez built a 5-0 lead before planting Hungary’s Eda Balasz with 18 seconds left in the first period, 2:42.
In the ½ Final, the phenom was holding a 6-0 edge over Kazakhstan’s Zhaidar Mukat before decking her foe with a cradle halfway through the first frame, 1:35.
This setup a 61KG finals showdown with Japan’s Sae Noguchi, which saw Fernandez once again jump out to a 6-0 lead before registering a fall. Noguchi was the only opponent to make it past the first period, but that didn’t last long as she succumbed to Fernandez 23 seconds into the second, 3:23.
“The next thing for me as far as women’s competitions is Super 32,” said Fernandez. “Super 32 is a tournament I always look forward to, and I’m glad I have at least one more opportunity to wrestle freestyle before I transition into the season.”
“I think this high school season, I expect to bounce between the two again (boys and girls matches/tournaments). I feel like bouncing between the two last year allowed me to get different looks and opened my eyes to areas I needed to improve on, which, in turn, helped grow my wrestling.”
“Specifically, with the college opens, they provided me opportunities to freshen up my freestyle while going against competition I may see in a few years. Overall, I want to take advantage of the opportunity I have to do both, and I always remind myself that my overall goal is not to be the best “girl wrestler” but the best “wrestler” I can be.”
Gilman’s senior Emmitt Sherlock captured Double Golds at the U17 US Open in May, so he was the US Representative at 80Kg in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman in Jordan.
Sherlock fared better at the Pan Am games in FS than GR (earning Gold in FS and Bronze in GR). That pattern continued in Jordan where he reached the bronze medal match in FS while not placing in GR.
The loss in the bronze bout placed Sherlock fifth in FS, which helped propel the USA to the team title over Iran, 73-60. The bronze match featured an overturned call that changed the match with Romania’s Darrius Sas. Instead of being up big with a 6-0 lead, Sherlock saw the ruling knock his tally down to a 2-1 lead.
Sas took the lead in the second period, but Sherlock was not going down easily, eventually battling back to within two before falling, 8-6.
Sherlock won his first two matches by technical superiority versus Japan’s Takeharu Nishihara, 11-0 in 2:43. Then won a tight match that saw him score last for a 2-2 win against Aldat Kesaev (Individual Neutral Athletes). In the ½ Final, Sherlock was handed an 8-0 defeat by the eventual champion from Iran, Reza Afshar.
In GR, Sherlock lost his one and only match in the 1/8 finals with Armenia’s Arame Arakelyan, 11-1.
“Worlds was a cool experience,” Sherlock said. “All the best wrestlers of these countries in one spot are opportunities for great wrestling. Ultimately the goal was to come back to the states at the top of the podium. However, that didn’t happen but it’s still good for my confidence to be able to say I’m the fifth best wrestler in the world for U17.”
“If you watch my matches last week and you can tell I’m right there. If I clean up a few things and win a couple exchanges that didn’t go my way I’m a world champion. Truly knowing that motivates me to get back in the room and keep polishing my wrestling. Elite 8 is next and then the season is on the horizon. I’m looking forward to my last season for Gilman and doing something special.”
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