Frenship's Rebecca Vann takes unique path to wrestling greatness

WOLFFORTH — Rebecca Vann didn't quite know which extracurricular organization would catch her eye, but her mom knew it wouldn't be wrestling.

Vann showed her.

A little more than three years ago, Vann signed up for the Frenship wrestling program on a whim after seeing the group's display at an activities fair aimed at incoming high-schoolers.

"I said, 'Hey, mom, what if I joined wrestling?'" Vann said. "And she said, 'You'd never do that.' So I did. … That is how I got started: just to peeve my mother off."

Her mom can't be too upset, considering the decision set the course for Vann's college plans. She will soon join the wrestling program at Algoma University in Ontario, Canada. But first, she hopes to take care of a couple more meets.

Vann, and the rest of the district champion Frenship girls, head to the Region I-6A meet this weekend with eyes on Texas' ultimate competition. She can't wait, especially for the celebratory meal whenever the journey is over.

That was Vann's top priority after last year's state meet. When she snapped out of her "food coma" — which included a lot of Panda Express and Diet Coke — Vann was ready to start working toward a return trip.

She is just hoping for a simpler path this time.

Vann advanced to state "by the skin of my teeth" as the final Region I qualifier. She needed a challenge match for fourth place to get in, and her emotions poured out after the win.

"At that point, I was kind of beaten down, and I wasn't sure if I was gonna make it," Vann said. "… I cried. Very big, awful, ugly sobs. And coach was just laughing at me."

Clint Wood often has that demeanor when discussing Vann. The Frenship coach, who has led the program since its inception five years ago, said he enjoys the senior's "unique" approach to life. Wood joked he recruited Vann out of the library, where two of her biggest fans work.

"What's funny about Rebecca is her uniqueness as a person transfers right onto the mat," Wood said. "She does things on the mat that normal wrestlers don't do. … She has a unique wrestling style that fits her unique personality."

Wood said the 107-pound senior has one of the best bridges he's seen. The two-time district champion paired that with a renewed focus entering the season, and now Vann's a step away from one of her goals.

Vann said she felt "foolish" and unprepared for the level of competition at state, where she went 1-2. Wood has noticed Vann's emphasis on the mental aspect of the sport.

"I hadn't really considered exactly how much work I'd have to put myself through," Vann said, "and it showed in my matches at state. So that was kind of a wake-up call."

In a few months, Vann will be preparing for life in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The city, with a population of about 70,000, is north of the St. Mary's River on the Michigan border.

Although the lifelong Lubbock-area resident wishes the climate was a bit warmer, Vann's intrigued by the forest environment and chance to start a new phase of her life.

"I want to go places. I don't want to stay somewhere similar," Vann said. "If I'm going to go for college and spend the next four or five years, I'd like to go to a place that's different. That's a place for me to start my own chapter and learn and grown and just be with myself, I guess.

"So when I saw the offer from Canada, I immediately got ecstatic because Rome and Paris didn't take me up on their offers. I just thought this would be a great place to start."

Regional wrestling

Region I-6A meet: Friday and Saturday at W.G. Thomas Coliseum in Haltom City

Region I-5A meet: Friday and Saturday at West Texas A&M in Canyon

Lubbock-area district champions

DISTRICT 2-6A GIRLS

Rebecca Vann, Frenship, 107-pound weight class

Audrey Lockhart, Frenship, 165

DISTRICT 2-6A BOYS

Vincent Garcia, Frenship, 120

DISTRICT 4-5A GIRLS

Taylor Keith, Monterey, 107

Madison Pena, Lubbock High, 114

Mattison Goss, Lubbock High, 120

Lexia Suarez, Lubbock-Cooper, 126

Zoe Bennett, Lubbock-Cooper, 132

Kamryn Flores, Lubbock-Cooper, 138

Zhamarion Carter-Ross, Coronado, 165

Mohageney Casel, Lubbock High, 185

Mariella Prieta, Lubbock High, 235

DISTRICT 4-5A BOYS

Gabriel Garcia, Lubbock-Cooper, 106

Jordan Bulltron, Lubbock-Cooper, 113

Honor Trevino, Estacado, 144

June An, Lubbock High, 157

Xavier Montemayor, Coronado, 165

Jayden McClean, Lubbock-Cooper, 175

Keegan Davis, Lubbock High, 215

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Frenship's Rebecca Vann takes unique path to wrestling greatness