By Ken Hansard
Jade Plank, a junior wrestler for Wichita West High School, like many others who engage in the sport, comes from a wrestling family, “My love for wrestling comes from my dad and my siblings. My dad is really big on wrestling, and he would take me to my brothers’ and sisters’ tournaments when I was young. I always thought it looked really fun.” That energy and love for the sport has paid off in a big way, and Jade is now the winner of our VYPE girls’ wrestling poll for February.
As a sophomore last year in the 115-pound weight class, Jade battled her way to a remarkable record of 32-6, and her season ended on the mat at the state tournament, which was an eye-opening turnaround from her first season with the Pioneers, “My freshman year I wasn’t very good. I had a record of 2-30. I decided that if I wanted to win, I had to put in work, so I competed all during the offseason. The improvement last year was very rewarding, and it shows that hard work truly does pay off.”
So far this season, Plank has compiled a record of 15-8, and with the championship part of the schedule just around the corner, she is hoping to finish with a flourish, “I’m looking forward to finishing the last couple of tournaments off strong. I’m excited about the City League meet on February 8th because it’s the last tournament where the whole team will be together. After that, I am really hoping to place again at regionals so I can go to State.”
When not on the mat for the Pioneers, Plank wrestles club in the off-season. Jade is also a standout in the classroom, with an impressive 4.0 GPA.
