Winning and weight are always on the minds of two members of the women’s wrestling team.
“Everything revolves around being a champion,” Freshman Becka Leathers said.
Junior Cody Pfau and Leathers qualified for the Olympic Trials during the U.S. Open during Winter Break in Las Vegas, but qualifying for the qualifier doesn’t mean much to them, Pfau said.
Although the wrestlers didn’t think qualifying mattered, Pfau won the qualifier, which Coach Archie Randall said is a big deal.
Pfau has been wrestling for 13 years and has won nationals at multiple levels. She competes in the 48 kilos weight class and concentrates on hydration to maintain her weight, she said. Pfau focuses on balancing her weight, but she said ice cream is her favorite thing to eat.
Pfau said she only has time for wrestling and school.
“If I actually had time for a life, I would spend it painting and reading,” she said.
Leathers placed seve
nth in her division to qualify for the trials.
“I was actually disappointed in my performance because I didn’t perform well,” Leathers said. “There was no time to celebrate.”
Leathers has been wrestling for nine years and describes herself as a “decorated” wrestler due to all the titles and awards she has won, including bronze medals in Sweden and Brazil and a gold medal in Cuba.
Leathers hasn’t decided if she’s competing at 53 or 58 kilos, but her focus is getting her weight down. She is on the Dolce diet, which is an all organic and earth-grown foods diet, she said. Leathers doesn’t eat any sugars or dairy. She only has low-fat and low-carb foods and also focuses on hydration.
“If I could eat anything… I really like Chinese food and love breakfast food, all breakfast food,” Leathers said.
Like Pfau, Leathers said she doesn’t have much time for anything besides wrestling.
“When I’m not wrestling, I’m running. When I’m not running, I’m lifting. My world is kind of consumed by it,” Leathers said. “I have a really nice relief with Alpha Chi Omega, and I like to explore. That sounds so typical, but if I have a day off, I’ll definitely head down to the Wildlife Refuge in Lawton and go on a hike or go to the lake. I also love to bake, that’s one of my favorite things. But mostly wrestling, all the time.”
OCU alumna Michaela Hutchison and 2016-17 recruit Rachel Watters, a senior at Ballard High School in Huxley, Iowa, also wrestled at the U.S. Open and qualified for the trials qualifier. Randall said there are more qualifiers and he expects at least five to six more team members to qualify for the Olympic Trials.
The next qualifier is the Women’s College Wrestling Association Championships on Feb. 12-13 in Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center.
Pfau and Leathers agreed their focus is winning nationals. Then, they will focus on training for the Olympic Trials, which are scheduled for April 7-8 at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
“We have a good shot to get to the Olympics,” Randall said. “You never know who will win, but Cody Pfau is our best shot.”
For more information about the women’s wrestling team and schedule, visit http://www.ocusports.com/index.aspx?path=wwrestling.
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