SGT Areana Villaescusa

Freestyle Wrestling

Wrestling was deep in Areana’s family, with uncles, father, and a brother who wrestled. She started competing in 6th grade against the wishes of her father, who was also the high school coach. As a youth she took second at the largest high school wrestling competition in the country, the Asics Vaughn Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota, during her freshman year. At 17 she moved to Colorado Springs to train at the Olympic Training Center for three years while going to university full time and working nights as a nursing assistant. Since joining the Army and WCAP in 2016, Areana has focused intently on perfecting her wrestling skills – and winning the next match.