ST. GEORGE — It’s hard to imagine a better season on the wrestling mat than the one Snow Canyon High School’s Nia Hagler just completed.
The rising junior won a Utah high school state championship in March, completing the so-called Triple Crown: she won state titles in Folkstyle, Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling all in the same year.
Hagler capped off that performance by earning All-American status at the Fargo Nationals, considered by many in the sport to be the most prestigious national wrestling tournament of the year.
This was Hagler’s third time earning All-American honors after she had already done so at the Folkstyle Nationals and at the Women’s Freestyle Nationals.
A wrestler earns All-American status if they finish on the podium (eighth place or better) in a USA Wrestling-sanctioned national tournament.
After battling back through the loser’s bracket at Fargo, Hagler finished seventh against some of the best wrestlers in the country in the 136-pound division.
“I love that tournament,” Hagler told St. George News after returning home from Fargo earlier this week. “I wrestled hard against some super tough competition and it ended up being very good for me.”
After a disappointing performance in Fargo a year ago, Hagler said she was highly motivated to get back to North Dakota and have a better showing.
“I trained really hard last year, and this year I doubled it,” Hagler said. “I got even more personal coaching and made sure to condition every single day. I ran three miles, most days, in the St. George heat.”
Wrestling is a grueling sport, hard on the body and the mind. Both need to be fully rested and taken care of. Hagler said she has no doubt which is more important for her.
“Mental, 100%,” she said. “You can be wrestling someone that may be technically better than you, maybe has more experience. If they have a weak mindset and you start scoring on them, they beat themselves mentally, even if they’re a better wrestler.”
Wrestling is so difficult because it wears down the body and the mind.
“It’s so important to have a good mental game,” Hagler said. “I definitely have won matches that in anyone’s eyes I should have lost. I just had that drive and kept a good head on my shoulders and won matches I probably had no right winning.”
After nine months of intense wrestling, Hagler said she is looking forward to taking some time off.
“The rest aspect doesn’t get talked about enough with wrestling,” she said. “Working hard and doing more than everyone else is really important but recovery time is also really important. You don’t want to burn yourself out.”
Hagler’s family provides support and is a strong balance against the all-consuming nature of the sport.
“When you’re training hard, balance that out with friends or family,” she said. “At the end of a really intense day, be with people you can fall back on and have those relationships.”
Another thing that doesn’t get talked about enough in wrestling, she said, is the difficulty some wrestlers have making weight.
“My mental has been improving a lot since not cutting weight anymore, since my freshman year,” Hagler said. “It’s just not smart, if you have in mind to cut a lot of weight.”
She added that a lot of the wrestlers she sees have anxiety because they feel like they have to gain or lose weight in a short amount of time.
“Especially for females, wrestle where you’re at,” Hagler said. “It helps not just your performance but your mental state as well. It prevents a lot of burnout.”
One of the things that separates wrestling from other sports, Hagler believes, is the mutual respect among competitors and allies.
“The community is super close,” Hagler said. “We all know how hard we work and there’s that mutual respect we automatically give each other. We know how grueling practices can be and we know what it takes to win. Naturally, we have respect for one another. It becomes a friendly bond.”
Photo Gallery
Nia Hagler with her parents Brandon and Rashell Hagler after Nia won All-American honors, Fargo, North Dakota, date not specified | Photo courtesy the Hagler family, St. George News
Nia Hagler finished seventh at the Fargo Nationals, one of the most prestigious wrestling tournaments in the country, and won All-American status, Fargo, North Dakota, date not specified | Photo courtesy of the Hagler family, St. George News
Nia Hagler placed seventh to earn All-American honors at the prestigious Fargo Nationals, Fargo, North Dakota, date not specified | Photo courtesy the Hagler family, St. George News
Nia Hagler placed seventh to earn All-American honors at the prestigious Fargo Nationals, Fargo, North Dakota, date not specified | Photo courtesy the Hagler family, St. George News
Nia Hagler displays her trophy after winning All-American honors at the prestigious Fargo Nationals, Fargo, North Dakota, date not specified | Photo courtesy the Hagler family, St. George News
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.