By Hayden Swope

As a sophomore, Lydia Dong, a wrestler at Salina Central, was a state qualifier and named first team all-league. 

“As an athlete being chosen for the VYPE Magazine it is both an honor and a privilege I don’t take lightly,” Dong said. “It actually came as a surprise to be chosen.”

Dong spent the offseason training and pushing herself to improve heading into her junior year. Working with multiple coaches and teammates has given Dong the competitiveness she needs to get the work done on the mat. 

“When preparing for this season, I trained year round because of how dissatisfied with my state tournament outcome,” Dong said. “When it came to training I attended summer wrestling camps and practiced weekly with my dad. Throughout the offseason I worked on improving my take downs, being able to scramble in matches, and having a competitive mentality.”

Looking ahead to the state meet, Dong has many goals of her own she would like to accomplish, but is also focused on leading the Mustangs to a victory. 

“Goals I am focused on this season would be wrestling confidently, using my whole six minutes, placing in the top five as a team, and placing at state individually,” Dong said. “This season I could improve on my level changes in shots and positioning.”

Dong has aspirations to continue playing the sport she loves after high school, while also entering the dentistry world. 

“After high school I plan on attending college to compete in women’s wrestling and get a degree in any major for pre-dentistry,” Dong said. “My options for college are very open, as I have not decided where to attend yet. After College I would love to travel around the world, and become a coach for wrestling.”