South Dade’s White, Mater Lakes’ Ruiz are Dade Girls’ Wrestlers of the Year
South Dade’s Willow White and Mater Lakes’ Arianna Ruiz have each been part of the growth of girls’ wrestling in Miami-Dade County the past few years.
This season, White and Ruiz both reached the top, winning state championships in their respective classes after losing only once during the season.
In recognition of being two of the county’s most dominant wrestlers, White and Ruiz are the Miami Herald’s Miami-Dade Girls’ Co-Wrestlers of the Year.
For White, who went 31-1 during her senior season, it was a sweet way to cap a stellar career with back-to-back state championships.
She prevailed in the 130-pound weight class while leading South Dade’s team to a state runner-up finish.
“I just had to go out there and work. This year, I had to work on my own more because it was harder to get a ride to practice. But my family helped me a lot. My technique improved because I only really knew one move as a junior and I learned more.”
White has received interest from multiple colleges and hopes to continue wrestling at the collegiate level. But first, White is hoping for a strong summer and perhaps a victory or high finish at Fargo Nationals in North Dakota to help those aspirations.
“The last two years, I’ve gone to Fargo and gone 5-2, and been one match from placing,” White said. “This year I’m going for it.
Ruiz has two more years at the high school level to add to her growing list of accolades.
She went 39-1 as a sophomore and won her first state championship in the 120-pound weight class.
“I had been working hard for it consistently for years and I felt like it was my time and that was a great feeling,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz said she developed her overall techniques on the mat and became better at defending against opponents. For Ruiz, this was her sixth year wrestling overall after training in Jiu Jitsu and Judo while growing up, which she said has helped her tremendously on the mat.
“When I started it was hard to adapt because in Jiu Jitsu, it’s all ground stuff and wrestling you can’t be on your back,” Ruiz said. “But little by little, I just became more consistent and improved.”
