MOUNT VERNON — Ashlynn Brokaw likes to be called Ash, her coach/father, Jay DePolo, said earlier this year.
As a defending state champion headed back to the Schottenstein Center at Ohio State this weekend, hoping for a repeat, she can pick any name she likes.
One moniker that definitely belongs with her name is Champion.
Mount Vernon sent four lady Jackets to the district qualifier at Big Walnut High School in Sunbury over the weekend. The quartet was comprised of Luci Parker at 100 pounds, Ash Brokaw at 110 pounds, Alivia Zimmerman at 145 pounds and Khadija Ndow at 170 pounds.
Coach Jay DePolo was pleased with the way his team performed, with over 60 teams competing the Yellow Jackets placed fifth.
“Actually (they performed) pretty well,” DePolo said of his girls. “All four of them wrestled very well. Every match was a close one.
“Khadija lost a couple of heartbreakers, she actually had to medically forfeit the last match because she got hurt.”
Ever the team player, when talking about her goal of winning another state championship, Brokaw paused.
“I really felt for Khadija, if she hadn’t hurt her shoulder, I think she would have qualified for the state,” Brokaw said.
DePolo thought the team effort was one to be remembered.
“It was nice to see that everyone showed up to wrestle,” the coach said. “They wrestled really strong. I think it as a testament to the girls’ program as they are growing.”
The coach said that he really wasn’t surprised at anything he saw on a bigger stage.
“We knew things were going to be tough,” he said. “I was excited to see how well they did against some really tough opponents.”
Brokaw said the only real pressure she feels going into the state championship is external.
“I feel some pressure because I am expected to do so well,” she said.
She only suffered two losses this season, both at the Ironman Tournament last December.
“In a way it is tougher than the state because there are wrestlers from all over the United States,” she said. “I really feel that I am pretty humble and I know my limits. I believe my feet are still on the ground.”
There is a difference in cockiness and confidence, and Brokaw knows where that line is.
“I am a junior and I have a chance to win three state championships,” she said. “That is the main goal I have right now.”