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The Evolution of Seattle Academy’s Wrestling Program

Photo of the 2023 -2024 Seattle Academy Wrestling Team

Written By: Gena Wynkoop, Editorial Content Manager

In 2017, Joe Puggelli, the former Seattle Academy Head of School, approached Allen Stein, an English teacher at SAAS, and proposed the idea of initiating a wrestling program. Given Joe’s background as a wrestler, a shared connection emerged with Allen, who was a decorated wrestler in high school and at the collegiate level at the Naval Academy.

“I was initially approached about starting the wrestling program at SAAS during an interview with Joe Puggelli,” explained Allen. “With my background as a wrestling coach, Joe expressed genuine interest in having me spearhead this endeavor at SAAS.”

Allen decided to give it a shot. There was nothing to lose–if anything, it would be a massive addition to the Seattle Academy winter sports program, which only offered basketball as an athletic option at the time. “The school boasted an array of offerings, but its sole winter athletic program was basketball. Recognizing the need for a different sporting avenue, I saw wrestling as an excellent alternative for students who weren’t into basketball,” said Allen.

A group of students expressed interest, so Allen called upon his brother, Hank Stein, for assistance. Allen and Hank rented a U-Haul and spent a weekend driving around, picking up the necessary equipment to get started. They struck gold with a salvaged mat that another school was discarding and wrestling shoes for about 20 students. 

Initially, the program originated as a club sport in the Middle School, gradually gaining popularity and eventually evolving into a varsity-level sport in the Upper School. Its inaugural year as a varsity sport saw ten athletes, two of whom were girls. During that notable year, Kelson Chen ’19, a senior in his debut year of wrestling, became the team's first participant in the state competition.

Allen didn’t do it alone; he recruited his brother Hank to assist and Martin Brakke to step in as the girls team head coach. Both Hank and Martin had experience with wrestling, and Martin used to coach a team back in Maryland in his early days of teaching. As the program has grown, the coaches recruited assistant coaches and volunteers to keep up with the number of wrestlers.

“In the second season, we ballooned significantly with over 20 kids and completed the season just before the COVID lockdown,” explained Martin. “During the 2020-2021 season, we did not compete because of restrictions, but we had spring open mat practice on the Middle School rooftop, so we were outdoors,” explained Martin.

Following that year, Hank accepted an Environmental Science teaching role at SAAS and took over the program as Allen and his wife moved to San Francisco. Now, it was the other Stein brothers' turn to step into the Head Coach role: this is when, according to Allen, the program really took off.

“During that time, I was enthusiastic about coaching and had an unwavering passion, yet I’ll admit I was somewhat disorganized. The real strides in evolving the program into what it is today came after my departure when my brother, Hank, took the reins.”

Allen explains that where he lacked the organizational skills to get the ball rolling fully, Hank had tenfold. “Hank possessed remarkable organizational skills, implemented structured systems for the team, and recruited a dedicated team of assistants and volunteers. Unlike my approach of teaching moves spontaneously, Hank methodically crafted a systemic teaching approach.”

“We are already seeing the fruits of his labors, producing multiple state qualifiers ranked athletes, and culminating in SAAS winning the league tournament a few seasons back. His achievements were duly recognized when he earned league coach of the year,” said Allen.

 

In a short amount of time, the program has seen many successes, including winning the aforementioned league championship for both boys and girls in the 2021-2022 school year. From the team's inception in 2018, surviving an off-season during the pandemic and still having both teams win championships is massive.

“I’m thrilled about where the program is now. Our girls team will be in the double digits, and the boys team is the largest it has ever been, with around 40 guys and 14 girls. It’s exciting to see more kids choosing wrestling as their winter sport,” said Hank. 

Wrestling is unlike any sport; it’s incredibly inclusive and has an individual element.

“When you’re on the mat, there is no one to blame but yourself. Your team is there to help you train, realize your potential, and find ways to work harder and smarter than you ever knew possible, but in the end, it’s only you and your opponent out there,” said Martin.

And that comes with a certain pressure–especially if you are trying to sport out for the first time. “It’s tough when you first start wrestling,” explained Jackson David (Grade 12). “Losing is way more daunting, and you take it more personally since all eyes are on you. You know you have to perform, and there’s a lot of pressure. But it gets better as you start to wrestle more and participate in more matches.”

Jackson has been on the wrestling squad since the beginning, starting with Allen and Hank when it was a Middle School club program. He says he has learned a lot through the sport. 

For some, the individual nature of the sport is a welcomed challenge.

“I love that in wrestling, every success or failure depends on you and the work you put in,” said Nat Shephard (Grade 11), who has been on the SAAS wrestling team for two years. “I feel like that allows it to be one of the most fulfilling activities one can partake in.”

Allen shared a similar sentiment: "Every participant, no matter their talent, faces numerous setbacks when starting out. It’s an individual sport, leaving no room for excuses or blame-shifting–each athlete must confront their successes and failures independently.”

But even as the athletes face those challenges alone, the team is always there to back you up.

“Dual Meets can be scary, but the community is supportive. Your team cheers you on, which drowns out your worries,” said Audrey Draper (Grade 11). “Once you’re on the mat, adrenaline kicks in, and it becomes a fight-or-flight situation.” 

Audrey joined wrestling because her older brother, Owen Draper ’23, encouraged her to participate. “My older brother was a heavyweight on the team,” explained Audrey. “He joined his freshman year and found a community in wrestling. He told me, ‘You’re wrestling,’ so I joined the club in 7th grade but didn’t always attend. Then I rejoined my freshman year and kept returning because I loved it!”

Saniyah McKinney (Grade 10) had a similar situation and joined as a freshman because her cousin, Kya Lee ’23, was the girls team captain in the 2022-2023 school year.

“I wrestled as a kid for two years for the Wolfpack in Spanaway, but last year, my cousin Kya Lee, inspired me to continue her legacy,” said Saniyah.

Saniyah is a bit of an exception; many wrestlers who have joined over the years have no prior experience. For Audrey, the sport took some time to click.

“For the first year and a half that I wrestled, it was just kind of something I would do, but my heart wasn’t in it. But then this switch happened, and I was like, ‘Oh wait, I actually love this,” said Audrey.

Hank explained a similar thing: The first year is about learning technique and how to do the moves correctly, and by the second year, it’s about perfecting the moves and having them become second nature.

“Most of our athletes join our team with zero prior experience. Give the coaches four years of hard work and dedication, and you’ll be surprised by the results: sure, many athletes find success, but most importantly, they gain fitness, confidence, humility, maturity, a sense of belonging, and a fearlessness for new challenges,” Martin.

That dedication is something that Audrey has given, and she has seen the benefit, especially stepping in as a co-captain this year.

“I’ve tried other sports, but wrestling is unlike anything else. It’s a sport where you put in what you get out. As a girl, it empowers me. It boosts my confidence and body image,” said Audrey.

Jayna, a senior and the other co-captain of the girls team, similarly shared, “I can channel my stress into wrestling. It’s tiring and challenging, but it provides me with an outlet. I’m getting the mental and physical benefits, and I’m getting stronger. I’m building stamina and muscle, and I really enjoy that.”

The inclusivity of the sport makes it an attractive option for students of all shapes and sizes–it really is a come-as-you-are sport.

“Wrestling is an inclusive sport; anyone can do it, regardless of size,” explained Hank. "It’s a challenging sport that teaches resilience, dealing with frustration, and the joy of winning through hard work. It’s not about being a certain size or height.”

“That inclusivity is one of its greatest attributes,” agreed Allen. “It caters to athletes across a spectrum of sizes, with weight divisions spanning from 106 to 285 pounds. Its diversity allows students of various sizes and builds the chance to excel in a varsity sport.”

The students are ready just a couple of weeks into the season, and many of them have set goals for the trimester ahead.

“I’m super excited for the upcoming season. Our girls team is growing, and seeing more people getting into it is exciting. Wrestling has given me a love for the sport and a sense of community–I want others to experience that,” said Audrey.

Hank tries to make the wrestling experience holistic–it’s not just about the physical and athletic aspects; he also wants the students to learn to keep their mental game sharp.

“This season, we’re bringing in Sarah Smith to talk to the wrestlers about the psychology of sports to transition from practice to competition more smoothly,” said Hank. Sarah is a psychology and math teacher at SAAS.

Jayna shared that that mental aspect is something she can sometimes struggle with. Her goal is to go to state this year–she knows physically she is capable, but the mental needs to be dialed in.

“There’s a huge mental part of wrestling, especially when it comes to competition. I’m definitely one of those wrestlers who struggle with the mental piece of competition,” said Jayna. “I’ll be really good in practice, but as soon as I’m in a match, I start second-guessing myself, which compromises my performance.”

Jayna said the first psychology lesson with Sarah was about flow and visualizations. “To get to state this year, I need to work on my mental game. I must treat my opponent like I’m wrestling a friend and practicing. Only they are not my friend, and there’s a timer involved,” she laughed.

Jayna isn’t the only one with her sights on state.

“We have a two-time returning state participant, Jackson, and I hope he makes a significant jump this season. Jared put a lot of work in the offseason, and I’m excited for his progress. Second-year wrestlers often find success as they shift from learning moves to refining them,” said Hank.

As Hank plans to work with students to get them to achieve their goals for this season, his brother Allen now experiences the wrestling program from afar, still feeling immense pride in the program and seeing its transformation.

“Wrestling wasn’t just a sport to me–it was a transformative force. As a shy, small kid who faced bullying, wrestling became my sanctuary. This profound impact is precisely why introducing wrestling to SAAS students meant so much to me,” said Allen. “It was about providing a platform for pride and accomplishment, a chance for every individual to experience that incredible feeling of winning, in whatever form that comes in.”

View more Seattle Academy wrestling photos here.

Follow @saaswrestling on Instagram

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

SAAS Wrestling (@saaswrestling) • Instagram photos and videos