Three-time state wrestling champ reflects on career

For Jessa Joiner, Lebanon High School wrestling senior and three-time state champion, her sport has always been about the mentality an athlete brings onto the mat. Joiner took the state championship title last weekend in the 115 lbs. weight class, capping off her high school career with 185 wins, according to coach Matthew Neely. Joiner was state champion in the same category in 2024 and in the 110 lbs. weight class in 2023. “I felt really proud. I felt really happy. I’m glad it happened,” Joiner said. “It showed me that all of it was actually over, and I had a moment of realization hit.” Heading into last weekend, Joiner felt a combination of courage and self-doubt, knowing that her competitors would have improved since they last met. Despite plenty of people telling her the outcome was a sure thing, she was not so sure. “Most of it’s just mentals and having the courage to go out there and just do it, even though you know something could go wrong. You could make a mistake; they could make a mistake. But most of it’s just having the mentality to just go and get it done, even though you’re scared to do it,” Joiner. Joiner began wrestling in middle school, inspired by her older brother. When she first started, though, she hated wrestling. She disliked the long practices and cutting weight. However, she stayed in the sport with her family’s encouragement. The long practices and weight cuts were still a challenge, with Joiner saying it was tough to look around at what other people were eating. Her family helped her in finding healthier ways to cut weight, however, and her activity level helps keep her on track as well. Her family continues to be her biggest supporters. Aside from her siblings, who are also involved in the sport, her mother Jessica Joiner has been her biggest supporter alongside her father Benny Joiner, who has been a crucial motivator. Though she does not plan to continue her wrestling career after high school, one of the most important lessons Joiner will carry with her is the value of good sportsmanship. Wrestling with bad sportsmanship, she says, illustrates the wrestler’s character. Notwithstanding the titles and accolades she has received, she is proudest of the friendships she has made with fellow competitors, which she said good sportsmanship facilitates. “Like all those wrestling people, they’re like, ‘Man, I see what you’re going through, I know how you feel, I know what you’ve been through,’ and you just click. You just have a bunch of friends down at the wrestling meets,” she said. Joiner plans to come back to support her younger siblings who are in the wrestling program. To girls getting into wrestling, she encouraged them to persevere. “Stick to it,” Joiner said. “It might be hard in the beginning, and you’re really going to hate it. But you have to put in the work if you want to be good. If you don’t want to be good, just do it for fun, I guess. Go out there and just have fun. You don’t have to put yourself through all that work if you don’t want to be good. “But if you do,” she continued, “I would say, make sure you have fun while doing it.”