Reyes becomes Big Bend's first All-American wrestler

Big Bend Community College
Office of Communications

Big Bend Community College freshman Maria Reyes became Big Bend Community Collge's first-ever female wrestling All-American after her showing at the 2019 Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) National Championships last week.

She finished seventh in the 109-pound weight class earning the status facing a handful of wrestlers that she was seeing for the first time this season — including the nation's top-ranked wrestler at 109 pounds.

Before signing with Big Bend, Reyes finished 4th in the state and 8th at the Fargo nationals as a sophomore (105-pound) and 2nd in the state and 7th in the Fargo Nationals as a senior (105-pound). 

"I started wrestling in my freshman year of high school, and it started because I really wanted to pursue MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) but my mom wanted me to wrestle," said Reyes. "She promised me that if I did a year of wrestling that I could do a year of MMA — to date I still have zero years of MMA because I just fell in love with the sport.

"I always dreamed of wrestling in college since the beginning," said Reyes. "One of the biggest things that keep me going is my family. They are usually the loudest people at all of my tournaments and the most supportive people in my life ... they back up every decision that I make."