Ignacio Mejias — State Wrestling Champ

Name, Grade: Ignacio Mejias, Grade 12

School: Hackley School (Tarrytown); Briarcliff Manor resident

Accomplishment: Ignacio Mejias, in a down-to-the-wire battle, captured the state wrestling title in the 152-pound division.

Key to Awesomeness:

Wrestling has often been pegged as an individual sport. For newly-minted state champion Ignacio Mejias, however, wrestling can’t be labeled as anything but a team sport. He credits much of his success in 2011 to his teammates, all of whom sparked him on the sidelines as he executed an arsenal of mano-e-mano moves, wearing down and pinning opponent after opponent. Mejias posted 29 wins this sesaon.

“All of us relied heavily on each other,” said Mejias, an essential ingredient of the vaunted 1-2 punch that helped propel Hackley into the Ivy League’s upper crust.

“I know that wrestling with my teammate every day in practice and having them cheer me own in all of my matches contributed to a large portion of my success. I believe that the same would hold true for all of our team members. I always tried to help out the younger, less experienced, guys in practice while cheering them on in all of their matches. When I was a freshman, the upperclassman did the same for me," he explained.

"I wrestled them every day. They taught me moves and made me a better wrestler. Even though you compete individually, how you perform depends so much on your team. You rely on them to push you in practice. I believe that makes wrestling more of a team sport than many other sports," Meijas added.

The Briarcliff Manor native sacrificed every single iota, fending off any distractions while following a painstaking workout regimen. Whether it was logging extra miles on the track after practice, prolonging workouts, and reiterating the “never give up” mindset, the immense work ethic of both Mejias and Hackley’s Justin Seim—who earned the state title in the 125-pound division—was an aspect paramount to success.

Residual effects of his constant preparation were evident in the state title match. The senior utilized a combination of composure, resilience, and endurance during high-pressure stages catapulted him to a win over Harry Frank.

Mejias knew going into the match, Frank was going to give him all that he can handle. With a spare called determination, however, Mejias caught lightning in a bottle and emerged as the victor.

“Going into the finals, I knew that Harry Frank was going to be an extremely tough opponent,” Mejias said. "I had beaten him the previous weekend in the Ivy League finals with a 5-3 decision. I knew that Frank was going to be coming after me hard and determined to win. I also knew that I could beat him. I refused to give up a take down and did not let him hold me down. I went in with the mindset that every single point was crucial. Harry Frank was extremely tough, but most importantly, I was better. And I believe that is what one me that match, my mindset.”

The never-say-die attitude was evidenced in the latter stages of the match. With Mejias staring at a 2-2 score during the waning seconds, he sidestepped a nasty pin. Frank, bolstered by his coach and a raucous cheering section, went in looking to clobber Mejias on a ferocious stick down move. 

Not so fast.

Blink-quick reflexes helped Mejias circumvent the take down. His momentum then did sudden 360. During a heated, few seconds-span, Mejias wrapped his opponent from behind and delivered the pivotal take down. A state champion was crowned.

Heading into the season, Hackley coach Frank Stanek knew both wrestlers had all the tools and immeasurable intangibles to become successful.

"They both were voted captains at the beginning of the season," he said. "Both work extremely hard during our regular practice from 3:30-5:30 pm. It was very common for both Seim and Ignacio to practice at night for additional workouts.

“Justin is offensive, always looking for the first takedown. Ignacio is more defensive, waiting for the opponent to attack and then counter attack," Stanek added. "Both were equally successful.”

Stanek also revealed Mejia's older brother, Sebastian, captured the same Ivy League champion title the prior year. Sebastian Mejia is now a freshman at Harvard University. But, the Mejia family tradition isn't over yet. Rodrigo, also a Mejia brother, is a freshman wresler at Hackley this year.

"The Mejias family and Hackley wrestling have been a perfect match," said Stanek.

Do you know a kid, teen or group who has raised money for charity, scored the winning goal at the big game or regularly helps out in the community? We want to hear about it! Send your nominations for individuals, teams or groups of kids to sarah.studley@patch.com and they could be featured in an upcoming Whiz Kid column.