'She doesn't duck anybody': How Rock Bridge wrestler Anna Stephens' career has shaped her senior goals
Rock Bridge head wrestling coach Robin Watkins loves using a lesson from Olympic bronze medalist Nate Carr within his program.
Wrestlers need to love wrestling more than winning, because even after all the training, traveling and cutting weight, even the best wrestlers on the planet lose.
Senior Anna Stephens exemplifies that passion every day in the Bruins' wrestling room while pursuing a state championship. That goal has eluded Stephens in three trips to the state meet, where she has medaled twice but never reached the top of the podium.
“She's been through the gauntlet, and I love her attitude,” Watkins said. “She doesn't duck anybody; she wants competition. You can't run through cupcakes and expect to go far at state.”
Stephens has steadily improved each season at Rock Bridge. She has won two district titles, twice earned Missouri National Team honors and was named a 2021 Adidas National double All-American in freestyle and folkstyle.
Previously: Analyzing Columbia-area high school wrestling teams and players to watch for the 2021-22 season
Growing up on a farm outside of Columbia, Stephens admits to being a tomboy.
“I love mudding. I love going out in the dirt. I loved horsing around and wrestling around with the guys,” Stephens said. “I had really bad ADHD, I was super hyper, so when I joined this sport, it was kind of a help with that, and I just fell in love with it.”
The love of wrestling was in Stephens' DNA. Her dad was a wrestler at Rock Bridge, and she grew up watching his old videos.
“He is my No. 1 supporter, getting me into the sport and showing me how to do things,” Stephens said.
On the advice of her uncle, Stephens joined the Southern Boone wrestling club when they found out the club had a girls team.
“We gave it a shot and I got my butt kicked the first two years,” Stephens said. “That's normally how it goes when you first start wrestling.”
Stephens never gave up, moving to Rock Bridge for high school. She joined the Bruin grapplers and has never looked back.
“She's farm-grown strong. She wants to learn, and when I got her, that's the thing that stood out,” Watkins said. “She always came up asking, 'Coach, 15 more minutes here or some extra time there for some footwork.'”
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Stephens never let up on taking every opportunity she could to improve. Watkins took her to tournaments during the summer to get the experience of wrestling the best competition around and to prepare for the rigors of getting to state.
“'Let's go, let's go, let's go,' she would tell me,” Watkins said. “No was never the answer to any competition regardless of who was there.”
The big stages don't faze Stephens as she strives to learn and grow for when the competition matters most. Stephens wants the elusive goal of a state championship and hopes to get it in her final high school season.
But regardless of what happens, the love of wrestling will not leave her.
She is looking to continue wrestling at the collegiate level.
“It's up to her. To be honest, it's just crazy, but Anna is actually better at freestyle, in my opinion, than folkstyle,” Watkins said. “She's really looking forward to wrestling at the next level. Wherever she goes, she's going to take the same attitude. Hopefully her next coach is going to help her blossom further, because she'll do the work.”
Contact the Tribune's sports desk at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com or 435-414-3261.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How Rock Bridge's Anna Stephens' wrestling career has shaped her goals
