Michelle Gavilanes didn’t really know what to expect as she flew to Fargo, North Dakota for the 16U Women’s Freestyle National Championship and by far the biggest tournament of her young wrestling career.
“I really didn’t know what to expect going to Fargo because I didn’t really go to any tournaments of that level, so I was really just going out just to see how it was,” said Gavilanes. “It was my first year going and it was really cool to be there with so many girls who are the best in the country.”
So while Gavilanes returned back to Nutley without a medal, the soon to be freshman at Nutley was pleased with her July 13. Competing at 142 pounds, Gavilanes went 3-2 on the day as she became the first Nutley girl to ever compete at Fargo.
“I was really happy with how I did,” Gavilanes said. “I didn’t have too many expectations for myself going out there and the fact that I was able to go 3-2 is something I’m really proud of myself for doing.
Gavilanes first got her start with Jiu Jitsu, a sport she still does. That experience led to her first foray into wrestling in November of 2022 with Nutley Recreation. After that initial season, she decided to also do club wrestling with Scorpions Wrestling School out of Fairfield.
“I kind of always knew I wanted to continue wrestling,” said Gavilanes. “I started Jiu Jitsu in 2019 at Momentum, so I kind of always knew that I liked the contact sports.”
Despite an injury during the winter, Gavilanes worked her way back and in May, placed second at the New Jersey Freestyle State Championships, to earn her national team spot.
In Fargo, Gavilanes was seeded 26th among 42 girls in her weight class. Her tournament run began with an impressive 8-0 major decision over Kezrey Benning of South Dakota as she scored a takedown late in the first round and never looked back.
“It calmed my nerves a lot after that first match,” Gavilanes said. “I didn’t know how it was going to go, but after I won, I kind of realized, and after looking at some of the other matches, I wasn’t really as nervous anymore. I realized the level and the work that I’ve put in was good for me to be there.”
In the round of 32, Gavilanes was defeated by seventh-seeded Kelice Luker by 8-1 decision. Undeterred, Gavilanes, in the wrestlebacks, defeated Melani Monckton (OR), 4-0, and Amber Luderback (Illinois), 9-0, before being eliminated by Victoria Alvarado of New York
“It was kind of crazy,” Gavilanes said about the experience. “We were there all day and to have those five matches, it didn’t feel like we were there for that long. It was such a great experience to wrestle nationally ranked girls. That was really cool for me.”
One thing Gavilanes’ performance shows is why she will enter her freshman year as one of the top wrestlers in the state in her weight class.
This spring, Isabella Bobadilla (126 pounds) and Carina Rivera (165) each took home state medals becoming the second and third Nutley girls to medal in the state tournament. Becoming the fourth, is a goal firmly in Gavilanes’ sights as she prepares for a freshman year where, thanks to a change in NJSIAA rules, she will be competing solely against other girls.
That rule change is another sign of how much girls wrestling has grown in such a short period of time. While Nutley High School’s girls wrestling program has grown from two to nine in a span of two years, a similar boost has come on the rec level.
Gavilanes was the only girl when she first started with Nutley Recreation. This past season saw as many as 10, something she’s proud to contribute to.
“It was really cool to see the more girls that got into the rec level,” Gavilanes said. “Some of them I already knew because of jitsu and I got some of them to join and they’ve always liked contact sports and I can tell they’re going to be really good in the future. And it’s so cool to see the sport growing at such a young level.”
Now Gavilanes is set to be the latest face of the growing movement.
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)