TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Sunnyside wrestler Audrey Jimenez made history when she became the first female to win in any weight class in the 56-year-old Peoria Tournament of Champions.
“She’s just a cavalier of women’s wrestling,” Sunnyside wrestling head coach Anthony Leon said.
The 17-year-old junior went 4-0 before taking home the 106-pound title.
Her opponents were all boys.
"You couldn’t ask for a better representative of women’s wrestling, Tucson and Arizona,” said Leon.
The two-time state champion is currently ranked first in the nation among high school girls, according to FloWrestling.
“It’s great seeing how much the wrestling community has grown to accept me as a wrestler and just women in general. Going into a male dominated sport, at first it was like ‘What the heck',” Jimenez said.
Besides going for a three-peat in February's state championship, the female standout says her next big goal is making it to the 2024 Olympic Games.
“Being an Olympic Champion is my biggest goal. So I am shooting for 2024 which is already next year,” said Jimenez.
Leon says it's her will to seek improvement, and her drive to win, that sets her apart from the others.
“She is relentless. She is ice-cold. She is calculated.”
Not only has Jimenez created a name for herself, but her success has carved a path for other girls to strive for success in the male-dominated sport.
“Just knowing what I did can help wrestling grow- especially in our community, so at Sunnyside, South Tucson- is really cool because then I know other girls are going to feel comfortable coming into the sport,” she says.
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Breanna Isbell is a reporter for KGUN 9. She joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after receiving her bachelor’s degree in sports journalism from Arizona State University in May. Share your story ideas with Breanna by emailing breanna.isbell@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
