We’re excited to highlight Edmonds-Woodway senior Hannah Baldock as KRKO’s Russell & Hill Female High School Student Athlete of the Month for December. Baldock’s wrestling journey is a remarkable one. Having only picked up the sport as a sophomore, she quickly climbed through the ranks, placing sixth at state as a junior and capturing the 3A 120-pound state championship at the Mat Classic in the Tacoma Dome. She finished her senior season with an impressive 42-5 record. A standout in both athletics and academics, Baldock also maintained a 3.98 GPA while balancing early-morning practices, tough training sessions and travel for competitions. She’ll attend the University of San Diego in the fall where she plans to stay involved in sports through jiu-jitsu. Photos courtesy of KRKO Radio.
SCSC: You didn’t start wrestling until your sophomore year. What led you to the sport, and what made you stick with it?
Baldock: I was very late to the game, and I didn’t really go into it expecting to be successful in any way. I was inspired by some of my friends who had done it. I could tell there was a difference in their confidence and demeanor, and it seemed like something I wanted to be involved with. That was my biggest inspiration. I wanted to find some more confidence and get out of my comfort zone. I felt way behind when I started. Even the people on my team—a lot of them had been wrestling since middle school. I was embarrassing myself at practice every day for sure. But my coaches were great and supportive.
SCSC: Do you have any pre-match routines or superstitions before you hit the mat?
Baldock: I’m not very superstitious, but I do have a walk-out song that I listen to (Check the Rhime by a Tribe Called Quest). I also have a little stretching routine—some light jumps and stuff like that—but nothing too crazy. Just some warm-ups.
SCSC: Can you take us back to that moment in the Tacoma Dome? What was going through your head when you realized you’d just won the 3A state championship?
Baldock: It was the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced. I reflect on that tournament a lot. It was a lot different than anything I’d ever done before, mostly because I’m usually a nervous person. I put a lot of pressure on myself, but I wasn’t really feeling the nerves at state this year. I was just so happy to be there and so excited. The energy at state is just so cool every year. I honestly didn’t expect to make it to the final or even get close. My original goal was just to finish in the top three. I think I just wanted to do better than last year when I got sixth place. I was completely shocked the whole second day of state, really. And that feeling just continued. I was super excited to win it, but it wasn’t something I ever expected.
SCSC: What kind of preparation went into making that run possible?
Baldock: So much of it wasn’t just about this year, it’s really been the last couple of years. I’ve been going to morning practices, like 5:30 or 6 a.m. before school, just to get some one-on-one coaching and extra drilling. Then I’d stay late after practice too. My head coach, Tre, was always super supportive. He’d tell us, “I’ll be up as early as you want me to be.” He lives up in Everett, so he had to make that drive every morning, but he was always willing to help. He just really wanted to see us get better. He’d always say, “If you want to work on something, come in before school.” And I took that opportunity. Summer camps have also been a huge part of it. They help take the pressure off while getting a lot of reps in. I think all that extra time really helped me progress faster. We’d go to camps like Center Circle, down in Centralia. It’s a week-long camp—not my whole team would go, but a couple of my teammates would, and it’s a bonding experience. This year, I was just really, really focused the whole season. I was trying to just have fun with it, especially with my teammates. Since it was my last year, I just wanted to put in as much work as I could and not take the experience for granted.
SCSC: You carry a 3.98 GPA and now you’re headed to the University of San Diego. How did you balance the demands of wrestling with your academic goals?
Baldock: I tend to procrastinate with school, so that’s something I’ve had to work on a lot. But I think it really comes down to making use of whatever time you have and trying to stay on top of things. My motivation this year was knowing that if I wasn’t keeping up with my schoolwork, then I wouldn’t be allowed to wrestle. And that was not something I was willing to give up. So, I had to prioritize getting my work done in class, asking my teachers for help and finishing assignments whenever I could, especially since I had tournaments on the weekends. I just tried to stay on top of everything.
SCSC: Was there one match this season, or maybe in your career, that tested you the most?
Baldock: I would say one of my biggest challenges this year was at Hammerhead when I wrestled Olivia from Kelso. She ended up being the top seed at state. That was the first time I had wrestled her. She was super tough, and I kind of hurt my back during the match. I’m not exactly sure what I did to it, but injuries really shake me up for some reason. At that point in the season, I also wasn’t used to losing, so it was mentally and physically tough. I had to work hard to get that out of my head, especially before state, knowing I might see her again. I really had to focus on clearing my mind and letting my body recover. I had to drop out of the Hammerhead tournament after that match, which was tough. I don’t like giving up halfway through anything, obviously, but that one was difficult.
SCSC: Who are your biggest influences or people who have contributed the most to your growth?
Baldock: My parents. They’ve always been more than willing to support me in anything I do. They had no idea I wanted to wrestle until I just showed up to practice on the first day, and they just kind of went with it, which I’m so grateful for. They were always happy to drive me to those 6 a.m. tournaments. And for some reason, none of the tournaments are ever close. They’re either way up near Canada or all the way across the state. But they always showed up for me and made sure I had everything I needed. Then my coaches, my head coach and my assistant coach, were both incredibly supportive. They’ve been there for me from the very beginning. I’ve never had any other coaches, so they really taught me everything I know. They’ve been in my corner ever since I started, and that’s made such a difference. They could tell I really wanted to improve, and they were just always willing to help me however they could. They’ve been so kind and encouraging the whole way through.
SCSC: Wrestling is an individual sport, but it’s also a team environment. What was special about this year’s team at Edmonds-Woodway?
Baldock: I think it was super special because we all kind of started at the same time. My sophomore year was really the first full season for the girls’ program. There had been a team a few years ago, but it kind of fell apart, and things had been rocky for a while. But when Tre became the head coach of the girls’ team, that was also the year all my teammates and I started together. I’ve been with that same group for the past three years, and we all know each other so well. It’s been amazing to watch each other grow so much. My whole first year, when I was a sophomore, felt especially meaningful. That was such a good group. We even did a team retreat up in Anacortes, which I still think of as one of the most fun times I’ve had with the team. It wasn’t wrestling-related. We were just hanging out, playing Mario Kart, getting food together all weekend. It was great.
SCSC: Do you remember your very first match?
Baldock: I do remember my first tournament. It was called Takedowns in Tiaras. Before the tournament, I went up to my coach, Tre, and I said, “I see you put me on the roster, but there’s no way you’re really doing that. I’ve been to maybe ten practices. I don’t know how to wrestle. I can’t do this.” He just said, “You’re going to do it.” Then he sent me out there. In my first match, I won with a cradle. That was cool because it was probably the only move I knew. But that win kind of got me hyped, even though I think it was the other girl’s first match too.
SCSC: What advice would you give to a kid out there thinking about trying wrestling for the first time?
Baldock: Go for it! There’s just so much good that can come from getting out of your comfort zone. It’s difficult for me to do, but it’s just so rewarding. I think wrestling is special and incredibly rewarding. You get out of it whatever you put in. The more work you put in, the more rewarding it’s going to be.
SCSC: You will be attending the University of Sand Diego. What made you choose to go there?
Baldock: That was a tough decision to make. I had to choose between going to a smaller school and continuing to wrestle or going to USD, which has been my dream school for as long as I’ve been looking at colleges. I really had to take that into account. But I’ll keep doing something like wrestling. I’m thinking of trying jiu-jitsu. That’s what my brother does, and he loves it. He’s been pushing me to give it a try, and they’ve got a club for it at USD, which is great. I really like USD because of the location, and it just feels like the perfect fit for me: the size, the campus, and their values really stood out. I’m super excited, even though it means I won’t be wrestling in college.