Cheyenne Cruce finds her sport and then wins state title in it

Middleburg’s Cheyenne Cruce celebrates her state title after the 190-pound weight class final at the FHSAA State Wrestling Tournament at Silver Spurs Arena back in March. (Photo courtesy of Cheyenne Cruce)

BY BRANT PARSONS — Cheyenne Cruce started out in many different sports and each time she never felt like she belonged.

Then the Middleburg junior tried wrestling and found her sport - and then excelled in it, winning the FHSAA girls state wrestling title in the 190-pound weight class last year as a sophomore.

“Wrestling makes me feel like I belong and it makes me really care with every bit of my life for it,” Cruce said. “In life you realize that things can go by in an instant and you don’t realize that until you find something that you really love that you don’t want to lose.”

Cruce started wrestling in eighth grade and in her freshman season she placed fourth at the 2022 state wrestling tournament.

That experience further cemented her commitment to wrestling and her desire to be the best in the state.

“After I wrestled my last match at state,” Cruce said of her freshman season. “I decided that next year was going to be my year to finish on the top of the podium.”

Cruce’s attack on that goal started in the practice room and that’s where she knows the success comes from.

“I’ve always been told that you play how you practice and so I always want to go hard in practice,” Cruce said. “I’m showing up to every practice possible and I’m not slacking off.”

Next up for Cruce is a return trip to Fargo and then she will begin her defense of her state title with the goal of finishing high school as a three-time state champion at the forefront of her mind.

“Winning makes me keep pushing to want to keep getting better and to win next year and the year after and I’ve also felt the pressure to keep getting better and doing well,” Cruce said. “I feel like there’s this target on my back because I’m the one to beat now.”

Indeed, Cruce is the prize to be chased this coming season, in a sport where the first prize won by Cruce was finding it in the first place.

Cheyenne Cruce’s state title victory capped a perfect 39-0 season for the rising junior. (Photo courtesy of Cheyenne Cruce)

STATE CHAMPION FEATURES

Kabra Wrestling is looking to feature as many state champions as we can over the next few months and tell a little story about what makes them special.

If you won a state championship and would like to be featured, please contact Kabra Wrestling to set up an interview.

2023 State Champions

3A-106: Andrew Punzalan (Cypress Bay)

3A-113: Tyler Washburn (Palmetto Ridge)

3A-120: Luis Acevedo (South Dade)

3A-126: Ethan Vugman (Bartram Trail)

3A-132: Cavarius Liddie (Buchholz)

3A-138: Elvis Solis (South Dade)

3A-145: Anderson Heap (Kissimmee Osceola)

3A-152: Cooper Haase (Kissimmee Osceola)

3A-160: Adrian Ochoa (Southwest Miami)

3A-170: Lawrence Rosario (South Dade)