Danica Torres took up wrestling in elementary school, inspired by her brother, himself a standout wrestler.
“I really enjoyed the work ethic that’s behind the sport,” said Torres, a junior at Sunnyside High School and Running Start student at Yakima Valley College. “It's long practices, you're cutting weight when you're practicing, and it just feels really rewarding once you're done with a hard practice. You want to go back and do it again.”
While Torres made it to the state tournament last year, she said a combination of nerves and a recent rib injury contributed to a quick exit. The experience, however, was invaluable to her run to the 2025 4A state championship in the 105 weight division in late February.
“I knew what to expect with the matches,” she said. “I had been through seeing the [Tacoma] Dome and all the people there. I was more calm this year.”
The same work ethic that Torres brought to the mat she also applied to her studies. Between her YVC classes, for example, Torres focused on completing her schoolwork to stay on top of things. And when she had wrestling matches scheduled during the week or on weekends, Torres made sure to communicate with her instructors and stay current with assignments.
“The teachers at YVC are really accommodating and understanding,” Torres said, which helped her successfully balance school and wrestling. “Like when I went to [the tournament] this year, they gave me alternative assignments that I could do when I was missing an in-person class.”
Torres chose Running Start for the opportunity to earn her associate degree by the
end of high school and finish the prerequisites she’d need to do on the way to completing
a bachelor’s degree. Running Start is also giving her an opportunity to identify a
career path more quickly.
“I’m thinking maybe something in business and or maybe [information technology] work,” Torres said. “Next quarter I'm going to be taking my first IT class, so I can get a feel for if there's something I want to do and pursue.”
Torres has big goals for her senior year. She wants to defend her wrestling title and become a two-time state champion.
“Academic-wise, I want to finish my AA and have a definitive plan of what I want to do after high school,” she said, including hopefully finding a college where she can continue wrestling while earning her bachelor’s degree.
As Torres pursues those goals, she’s grateful for the support that’s available to Running Start students.
“It’s important that you take advantage of all the support you have at YVC,” she said. “Running Start is a good stepping stone for me. Instead of going straight from high school into college, I still have the support of my high school counselor and my Running Start advisors, so having that guidance if we need it is a big thing that I like.”
Story by Dustin Wunderlich, director of community relations. Photos courtesy of Danica Torres.