蜜柚直播 doesn鈥檛 have a royal family, but the Vega family might be the closest thing when it comes to wrestling.
With numerous state titles under patriarch Danny Vega, Sr., the Vegas have already cemented their legacy in 蜜柚直播 wrestling history.
Now, the crown prince of this multi-generational family of wrestlers is looking to leave his mark on 蜜柚直播 and beyond.
Sergio Vega, the son of Danny Vega, Sr. and brother of Danny Vega, Jr., is carrying on the family legacy at Sunnyside High School, where his father once wrestled and became a three-time state champion.
The Sunnyside senior is currently ranked No. 1 in the 138-pound weight class in the U.S. He鈥檚 also ranked No. 9 in the pound-for-pound class in the U.S., according to the latest high school .
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鈥淚t was always a dream. So, now it鈥檚 cool that I鈥檓 actually doing it and I鈥檓 seeing all my hard work pay off,鈥 Vega says of his latest ranking.
Over the last three years, Vega has only recorded one loss while wrestling for Sunnyside.
Vega is a top competitor with a relentless determination to come home with the win, whether on a local or national stage. So far, that determination has paid off.
Just this past summer, he became a champion at USA Wrestling鈥檚 Junior National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota, where he defeated Drew Gorman (No. 3 in the 138-pound weight class), 10-2, in the Junior Boys Freestyle Individual.
That win gave him a golden ticket to FloWrestling鈥檚 Who鈥檚 Number One tournament on Sept. 29 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The folkstyle event became a rematch between Vega and Gorman, who Vega previously defeated in Fargo.
History repeated itself as Vega dominated Gorman and again ended up victorious, this time with a 12-5 win.
鈥淚t was fun getting to be a part of Who鈥檚 Number One and everything and meeting new people and just enjoying the environment there,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e just been wrestling and doing pretty good and having fun.鈥
Aside from these major wins, Vega has placed third at the U20 World Team Trials, won titles at the National High School Coaches Association鈥檚 High School Nationals and Reno Tournament of Champions, and made it to the Super 32 Challenge finals, according to FloWrestling鈥檚 . He also has three state championship titles and is going for a fourth this season.
Sunnyside wrestling coach Anthony Leon compares Vega as a wrestler to a 鈥渉igh-level surgeon,鈥 he says.
鈥淗e is exact and calculated and well-educated and really well-prepared,鈥 Leon said.
On top of dominating the mat, Vega is a superb student, too. He currently has a 3.86 GPA and participates in Sunnyside鈥檚 Student Athlete Leadership Team.
After he graduates next year, Vega is going east to Ithaca, New York to study and wrestle at Cornell University.
He officially committed to the Ivy League school last December after an official visit. He calls committing to Cornell 鈥渁n easy decision.鈥
Vega can still remember what it felt like to share the commitment news with his family and coaches.
鈥淲e were eating and I was really nervous to tell them that I wanted to commit and stuff,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 was really nervous. I remember my hands were sweaty and then once I told them, I just got the chills. But it was really nice being able to know that even though when I was younger, I didn鈥檛 really succeed in wrestling, or even until I got to high school, I never really succeeded, but I just never gave up on myself and my coaches and my family never gave up on me. And it was just exciting to see that it was finally paying off.鈥
Vega doesn鈥檛 have much free time between balancing school and wrestling, but when he does have a free moment, you may find him at home playing the new EA Sports College Football 25 or at a local bowling alley. He recently went bowling with his family for his mom鈥檚 birthday and says he loved it. Since then, he鈥檚 gone bowling at least four times.
But most of his time and energy is spent on wrestling.
He spends about two to three hours practicing for Sunnyside wrestling nearly every day. Typically, in the morning and after school. However, these training sessions don鈥檛 include time spent at the , a wrestling and fitness gym co-founded by his father.
Vega recalls starting to wrestle at a young age, but not really enjoying it until later on when he was in middle school.
鈥淲restling is hard and it鈥檚 tough and (when) I was a little kid I just enjoyed being outside rather than wrestling sometimes,鈥 he said.
Vega credits his older brother Danny, an Ironwood Ridge alum with an 181-3 record and winner of the wrestling Triple Crown and other numerous wrestling championship titles, for inspiring him to further his wrestling career.
鈥淔or a long time, I didn鈥檛 really want to (wrestle),鈥 Vega said. 鈥淭hen eventually my brother came back from college and he started working with me and then I just started getting better. But it was always like, I鈥檇 do it, but I wouldn鈥檛 really put in the effort or the hard work for it. And then eventually I started finding a little bit of success slowly. And now we鈥檙e here.鈥
Vega鈥檚 family isn鈥檛 the only one who has seen his growth over the last few years. His coach at Sunnyside, who has been with the program for 14 years, says working with Vega has been the 鈥減leasure of a lifetime.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 been an incredible transformation, going from a kid that was not lighting the world on fire in wrestling to wrestling to number one in the country. It鈥檚 been truly, probably the funnest time in my coaching career,鈥 Leon said.
As Vega wraps up his senior year, he鈥檚 focused on enjoying the upcoming season with his teammates, many of whom he鈥檚 wrestled with since he was a kid.
鈥淚鈥檓 just looking to keep getting better,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e have a really good season coming up. So, just getting better at wrestling and not really caring about winning or losing and just trying to be the best I could be.鈥
Five favorites with Sergio
Who鈥檚 your favorite wrestler?
My brother, Danny.
What鈥檚 your favorite wrestling move?
A cradle.
Who鈥檚 your favorite rapper?
Rod Wave.
What鈥檚 your favorite south-side food spot?
El G眉ero Canelo.
What鈥檚 your favorite class right now?
Math.
Elvia is a journalism and history graduate from the University of 蜜柚直播. She hopes to create stories that show what makes 蜜柚直播 and its community special.