Former Vian wrestler ready to close out CASC career at NJCAA Nationals this weekend

Former Vian Lady Wolverine wrestler Taya Hunt will have one more event in which she will represent the Carl Albert State College Lady Vikings, and that will be at the NJCAA National Tournament, which will be Friday and Saturday in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

“I’m so excited,” Hunt said. “It’s been what I’ve waited for all season. I’m very excited. I’m looking forward to the national tournament 100 percent. It’s what I’ve been working for.”

Last season, Hunt got red-shirted due to tearing her ACL, but the injury wasn’t as devastating as one might think as it got her mindset back to where she felt it needed to be.

“I wouldn’t say it was disappointing,” she said. “I needed the year off to recover and get my mindset back to where it needed to be. I think the most devastating thing about it was the recovery and going into physical therapy. Other than that, I think I needed that year off.”

Now that she is back wrestling once again, nothing has been happier than that.

“It’s fun,” Hunt said. “It’s exciting. I love wrestling. I think it’s a lot better. I love putting in the hard work and dedication, and seeing myself get back to where I needed to be.”

The best way for Hunt to end her CASC career is by either winning the national title at 145 pounds as an individual and/ or the Lady Vikings as a team win the national championship.

“I think that would be great,” Hunt said. It would be the best thing that would ever happen to me in my wrestling career. I think it would be good for the program itself, and me. It’s what we’ve been working for all season. We’ve worked very hard. All the training and everything put together, it (winning the national title as an individual and/or as a team) would be awesome.”

However, if neither or either of those scenarios end up happening at the end of the two-day national tournament on Saturday, Hunt said there’s one key goal she wants to have happen.

“I want to make sure that I have fun, and we have fun as a team,” she said.

Once her college career ends on Saturday, she can then get ready for her next future gig, which is coaching — and not just coaching at any school, but her high school alma mater.

“I plan to start coaching and continue my education,” she said. My goal is to coach my little brother (Garritt) and sister (Joely) in Vian. That would be great to come home again. I’ve been wanting to coach my little brother and sister for a while now. I just feel like that would be fun.”