Saint Francis girls wrestling team caps historic season

• By Annabelle Eaton Town Crier Editorial Intern
• Apr 8, 2025

In only three years, the St. Francis High girls wrestling team has grown from six girls practicing with the boys to 38 athletes excelling at the league, regional and state levels this year.

"We (became) one of the largest teams in the whole state of California," head coach Joey Bareng said. "And as we've been winning, I think it's been attracting more people and more notoriety to our program."

The Lancers growth in numbers culminated in their most successful season yet. After going undefeated in the West Catholic Athletic League and taking first place in the final league tournament, 14 athletes qualified for the Central Coast Section championships. 

"I credit everyone on my team and my family and everyone who's just been supporting each other through it," junior team captain April Gao said. "I think wrestling is a really difficult sport, and although it is individual when you're out on the mat, in the room, we all depend on each other's support." 

The team went on to take first in the CCS Northern Regional tournament, bringing home two individual championships courtesy of Gao and sophomore Katherine Love. This marked the first time in St. Francis girls wrestling history that a competitor has claimed a CCS title.

"I stayed really focused," Gao said. "I didn't overthink it. And I knew a lot of my opponents were gonna be good, but I just trusted in myself, and I knew what I was capable of, which I think helped my getting first in North and then in Masters."

From the regional tournament, eight girls moved onto CCS Masters, where St. Francis took second place, leaving only four girls to compete at the state championship. There, sophomore Eva Bhattacharya took seventh, becoming the first girl at St. Francis to place at that level. 

"She just has the talent, she has the mindset, she has the discipline," Bareng said of Bhattacharya. "She's bought into the lifestyle of wrestling, the first part that has to happen with every athlete. She's already done that, and she was lucky enough to have gone through as a sophomore."

Bhattacharya credits her mom for being the biggest supporter of her wrestling lifestyle, including helping her cut weight.

"I genuinely do not believe that I could have got as far as I did this season without her," she said. "She's like, 'I know you're tired, Eva, but you can do this.' She pushed me through it all." 

According to Bhattacharya, however, her seventh place on the podium is not something she will settle for. Despite recovering from an MCL tear that happened in the first week of season and upsetting three girls at the state tournament to finish the season, Bhattacharya hopes to become state champion during her high school career.

"I'm so young that the hunger needs to be … there," Bhattacharya said. "(The state tournament) was a very big deal to me, but in my heart, I know I can go … higher than that."

This hunger is shared among many of Bareng's athletes and is one of the foundations of his coaching philosophies. 

"Successful programs always come from good philosophies," Bareng said. "As we get better on the mat, the philosophies have to change." 

According to Bareng, his first year of coaching established a philosophy of having fun with winning as a secondary goal. However, his second year, the team was hungry for more success. 

"This season was like, well, we were good last year, why don't we shoot for some amazing goals this year," Bareng said. "Now we're at the point where we are one of the top teams in the state and one of the top teams in the CCS, for sure. So, we have to own that and wrestle to that level." 

As Bareng prepares for the next season, he expects growing interest. However, his focus will not be on growth, but rather developing the players he currently has.

"If we are allowed to have a (junior varsity) team, which we don't have now, that will definitely grow the program," Bareng said. "But as of now, I may actually have to do some cutting." 

In the coming months, Bhattacharya hopes to improve her skills by wrestling outside of school, hoping to win nationals to become part of the world team. Gao also competes in the off season and, as a junior, is working toward her goal of playing in college. 

"I'm definitely looking to get recruited," Gao said. "I just want to put in a lot of work this summer so then I can use that experience to propel me during my last high school season and also after."