Daily Journal Girls’ Wrestler of the Year: Menlo-Atherton’s Alexia Bensoussan

Bensoussan has been named Daily Journal Girls’ Wrestler of the Year after joining Chelsea Wilson (2017) and Fola Akinola (2019) in the sorority of state champs, claiming the crown in the 131-pound division Feb. 26 at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield with a 5-2 victory over Los Gatos senior Veloria Pannell — a championship, as it turns out, she was destined to realize.

“I think it struck me the most when I was warming up for that match, I just felt so good,” Bensoussan said. “My shots were clean … I was just in my element and just excited to wrestle.”

For Bensoussan, “excited” is a stoic game face, almost business like in its aura, and absolutely menacing to stare down on the mat. It’s a switch she flips, a necessary mindset in the sport of wrestling — iron-willed and, oftentimes, downright mean.

This persona belies the senior’s off-the-mat temperament. Away from the gym, Bensoussan is made of the proverbial sugar and spice and everything nice. Prior to discovering wrestling her freshman year in 2019, her passion was singing in M-A’s school choir. But a serious injury in her first month of high school — in, of all things, tennis — led her to becoming a student of wrestling.

“When she first came into the room, she was coming off a tennis team with a broken wrist,” said Phil Hoang, M-A’s former wrestling coach who built the program from its beginnings. “And most of the time my conversations with her was, with how little she could do, what she could do to [be a part of the program].”

Bensoussan would prove to be a quick study. As a sophomore in 2020, in her first full year of organized wrestling, she captured the Central Coast Section championship in the 121-pound division. She advanced the state meet but did not place. Sure, she was frustrated with the result, but as a sophomore, time was on her side — or so it seemed.

When the COVID pandemic hit, the trajectory of the wrestling world changed. While the 2020-21 school year saw most sports return for some semblance of a season during the spring of 2021, CCS wrestling was shut down entirely. That’s when Bensoussan had to find a way to access her game face off the mat to persevere. And persevere she did.

It took some inspiration at first. And by “inspiration,” it took getting her butt kicked at one of the several out-of-state national wrestling tournaments in which she competed during the peak of COVID. Traveling to Bullhead, Arizona to wrestle in the Smash Nationals — thanks largely to her father Pascal’s willingness to make the trip — Bensoussan had a rude awakening, lasting just one day in the double-elimination tourney while posting a 1-2 record.

“I hadn’t trained all that much and ended up doing pretty terrible,” Bensoussan said. “I got rolled and pinned and then I lost my last match in overtime, so I was pretty upset.”

Upon her return home, Bensoussan used that disappointment to fuel the fire. During the summer of 2021, she turned her family’s garage into a makeshift wrestling dojo. She enlisted Wilson — M-A’s first state champ in 2017 — to train with her. She continued wrestling out of state, and even placed at several national tournaments.

“She was devastated (after the Smash Nationals),” Hoang said. “And then the next time she comes to a tournament, now she’s placing. … The kid found a way. That’s cool.”

Without knowing if she’d even have a senior season, she geared up for a potential shot to realize the state-championship dream.

But while the 2022 CCS wrestling season commenced, much changed in the M-A wrestling ranks. Hoang stepped down as head coach, turning over the program to Melanie Cordero. Bensoussan’s steely determination refused to accept that, though, and she soon convinced Hoang to serve as her individual coach.

Yet Bensoussan’s senior year was still rife with peril. She opened the year sidelined with a knee injury. It was reminiscent of her freshman year, in a way, seeing as she was suddenly forced into finding creative ways to be part of the team. The only difference was she was now one of the pillars of the M-A program.

“It was a little tricky because I was co-captain,” Bensoussan said. “So, it was really hard to see my team train and try to help them on the sideline, especially since this would be my last chance to go to state. … So, it was hard.”

To make matters worse, Bensoussan’s December return was interrupted when she tested positive for COVID, setting her back another 10 days. But she’d ultimately return to gather momentum into the postseason.

“I definitely felt physically healthy, but mentally, about a week before CCS, I went through a lot of uncertainty.” Bensoussan said. “It didn’t help that I almost lost my semifinals match in CCS.”

The contentious semifinal match came against someone who would become a familiar opponent in Los Gatos’ Pannell, the same wrestler she’d face a week later in the state championship finals. With Bensoussan leading 7-2 in the second round, Pannell scored a near fall before Bensoussan rode out three full rounds to earn a 12-7 decision.

“It was scary, and it definitely woke me up,” Bensoussan said.

Bensoussan wouldn’t rely on another decision victory until the state championship finals. She pinned Evergreen Valley senior Alana Washington in the CCS championship to earn her second career section title. Then come the state tournament, she stormed into the finals with four straight falls — three pins, followed by a 17-2 tech fall in the semifinals — to earn her shot at M-A wrestling infamy.

Entering the championship showdown brimming with confidence, Bensoussan left little to chance. Her mother Judith Vacchino played a major role in the scouting department, working the auditorium to record her upcoming opponents’ matches.

She also got some help from Pannell, who defeated senior Hailey Chapman, the No. 1 seed in 133s, in the opening round. Bensoussan, seeded No. 6, would go on to defeat No. 3-seed Madeline Santana of Cajon in the quarterfinals, and No. 2-seed Hannah Ripper of Miramonte.

On the championship stage, Bensoussan was unstoppable. In the opening 30 seconds, she scored an arm-drag with a quick cover. Then, after jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first round, Bensoussan could sense victory.

“I felt it in my heart,” Bensoussan said. “I didn’t want to get too confident ... but I was like: ‘I’m winning this match.’”

Win it she did, finishing her illustrious M-A career in style. Next year, she is committed to attend Duke University, where, like most every NCAA Division I school, does not have a women’s wrestling program — at least not yet.

Considering Bensoussan’s high school career, and the coronation of M-A as a girls’ wrestling state power during her time there, give it four years. That Perseverance and determination and championship guile may just have something to say about changing the world of college athletics.