| Hi, my name is Arjun Mediwala. Before I was a wrestler, I did Jiu-Jitsu. Once I entered middle school, I figured Jiu-Jitsu had to be similar to wrestling (I was wrong—well, kind of). I began as a wrestler for Swope Middle School and became obsessed with the sport. After placing 3rd at Middle School Washoe Regionals in my 8th-grade year, I began club wrestling at Silver State Wrestling Academy. |
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| As I entered my freshman year at Reno High School, I was small for a 106-pounder, sometimes giving up nearly 20 lbs. This was frustrating because, despite how much work I was putting in, I was still losing so many matches. Towards the end of my freshman year, Coach Kivi gave me the opportunity to wrestle at varsity regionals, to which I immediately said yes. I ended up qualifying for state but went 0-2 at the tournament. |
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| Following the end of my freshman year, I began working with Coach Lavallee in addition to Silver State practices. I gained a significant amount of confidence and entered sophomore season excited and ready. |
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| Still, I was small for a 106-pounder, giving up around 10 lbs, but I began to see results. The first tournament we traveled to, I ended up winning first. I kept training hard under the guidance of my Reno High coaches: Coach Kivi, Coach Cartlidge, Coach Barbarigos, Coach Lavallee and Coach Killgore. Moreover, my partner Gavin and I pushed each other hard during practices . That year, I ended up getting 3rd at regionals, but still went 0-2 at state. |
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| Though discouraging, this motivated me. I entered the post-season with a chip on my shoulder. I switched to Nevada Elite Wrestling Club and continued working with Coach Lavallee off-season. I built up to a full 106 lbs, made blood rounds at Reno Worlds, and set a goal to win a state title. |
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| Junior year, that goal began to feel much more real as I won multiple local tournaments and ended up placing 2nd at SNC. I entered regionals as the number 1 seed, and through multiple hard-fought matches, I won. As a result of winning, I received a first-round bye at state. After winning 2 matches there, I was in the state finals. I lost that match, but I still haven’t given up on my goal. |
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| Entering my senior season, I have continued my work at Nevada Elite Wrestling Club under Coach Izzy, Coach Foster and Coach Mumm. Moreover, I’ve continued practicing with Reno High off-season under Coach Kivi, Coach Barbarigos and Coach Lavallee. |
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| I am beyond grateful to all my coaches, family and friends who have helped me in my wrestling journey. Now, it’s time to finish the goal I set. |
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