As Allison Vacek stood at the center of the mat during warm-ups inside Mizzou Arena, the enormity of the moment suddenly seemed to fade. Surrounded by hundreds of spectators, a line of photographers crouched on the floor and the blinding lights illuminating the eight wrestling mats, she realized something profound. 

“I was standing there and I was like, wow this really is not as big as I thought it was,” the three-time state qualifier said. “It kind of hit me that this is just another tournament to wrestle in.” 

Vacek medaled sixth in the 155-class on Feb. 27 at the Class 1 girls State Wrestling Championships. 

This is the first time Vacek has secured a medal in her career, and she joined sophomore Alexis Ruff just a day later as the first two state medalists in the history of the Warrenton girls wrestling program. 

“It’s a goal that I didn’t realize I would have my freshman year,” Vacek said. “Then last year, looking at the board, I thought I could make history for this program. Being able to do it with my teammate was even cooler and I’m so proud of her.” 

While Vacek entered this season recovering from an ACL tear she suffered during the summer, her epiphany from day one allowed her to take her abilities to a whole new level. 

“In past years, I got in my head but this year, I just went out and wrestled regardless of who they are or where I’m at,” Vacek said. 

Her injury was also extra motivation. After all the mental and physical obstacles she had to overcome, it was important to prove to herself she could do it. 

“I remember laying on the mat after I tore it and I thought this is it, I’m not wrestling next year. That was my first thought,” she recalled. “All the work I put into my knee to get back to half of what I was and being able to go out and wrestle a good match was amazing.” 

Coach Clayton Olsson acknowledged how much the injury had interrupted Vacek’s offseason training, but her resilience overpowered any blip she faced. 

“She had to rebuild her strength and even then, her strength isn’t quite there yet but she was determined to not go 0-2 like the previous years,” Olsson said. “Her mindset was better and the way she approached the tournament.” 

Vacek’s appreciation for simply being able to wrestle was evident throughout the tournament. After losing her quarterfinal match, she fought through two wrestleback matches to earn a spot in the fifth-place match. 

“I’m lucky to even be able to be there and wrestle. I’m living somebody else’s dream right now. Some people would kill to go to the state tournament and lose two times, so losing a couple and winning some was even better than I could have hoped for,” Vacek said.