Jessica McCamish: First Girl to Win NCCC Wrestling Title

Avon junior Jessica McCamish became the first girl in history to win an NCCC title at last weekend’s conference championship at Suffield High.

“That was cool. I was really excited about that,” McCamish said.

Avon High School wrestling head coach John McLaughlin has two other girls on the team and has coached others in the past. He said that McCamish, who he called one of the best female wrestlers in the state, has a shot at medaling (placing in the top 6) in the Class M State Championship Saturday and advancing to the State Open at Hillhouse in New Haven the following weekend.

“This is a sport that’s mostly a guy’s sport and she really is not afraid of anyone and ends up winning a conference championship,” McLaughlin said.

That isn’t something that concerns McCamish.

“Because I’ve been doing it for so long, I don’t really think about it,” McCamish said. "I just know the boys are really the ones, not my team, but when I wrestle other boys, they’re not as accepting of the sport for girls. It’s still fun for me.”

Following in the footsteps of her father, Bernie, who was a high school state champion wrestler in Kentucky, McCamish started the sport at age 7.  She practiced with her brother in their basement, as well as with her dad’s former youth club in Avon. In middle school, she competed in tournaments with the Bristol Boys and Girls Club.

“My dad’s been my coach, my whole wrestling career. He wrestled in high school and college,” McCamish said.

Last weekend, McCamish wrestled freshman teammate Kiely Quijano, whose twin sister Kaely is also on the team, in the first round of the conference championship. She won the semifinals 17-0 and then pinned Somers High's Christian Andrade to win the finals.

“It was a good tournament,” McCamish said.

The best feeling in wrestling comes from winning a close, hard-fought match, McCamish said.

“Even though the boys might be embarrassed about wrestling a girl and losing, they’re still giving it their all,” McCamish said.

McCamish prepares both physically and mentally before every match. She visualizes the moves she is going to do. Her favorite is a “corkscrew,” a pinning combination that involves pulling the opponent’s arm in with two arms and spinning “around their head” to make the person land on his or her back.

“Everyone’s nervous before the match, even if you know you’re going to beat the kid bad,” McCamish said. “Once the match starts, your nerves disappear and the adrenaline kicks in.”

When she and her competitor are on their feet, she said she uses a more defensive strategy.

“I let them shoot more and just work off of them,” McCammish said.

If she is wrestling on the ground, it’s a different story.

“I don’t like to be on bottom, so I try to get out pretty quickly so I don’t have to stay down there.”

The physicality of the sport has taken a toll on McCamish, who had surgery after sitting out last season due to a torn ACL. She strained her elbow early this season and tore it two weeks ago. Between icing her elbow and protecting it with padding, she fights through it. She will likely compete in a girls wrestling division in the spring before getting surgery for the tear, she said.

“I’m still doing pretty good for being hurt,” McCamish said. “Winning conference was definitely a good thing.”

Mental toughness is important to McCamish.

“If you lose you can’t get upset about it. Realize what you did and how to get better. It’s not all about strength, it’s also your mentality.”

Knowing her work ethic, McLaughlin said she has the potential to be a state champion.

“She’s only a junior, so she’s going to end up with a state medal at some point. She’s just physically and mentally tough,” McLaughlin said. “She works so hard in the room and she’s technically as good, if not better than anyone on the whole team.”

Editor's Note: E-mail photos of the tournament to Jessie.Sawyer@patch.com. If you think any corrections need to be made to this article, contact Avon Patch Editor Jessie Sawyer via e-mail or at 860-356-6339. Join in on the Avon Patch conversation on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AvonPatch) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/AvonPatch). You can also add your own announcements and events or apply to blog on Patch.