Hardships help push Ragan back on the road to success
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by Alexandra Pernice
Alli Ragan of the USA battles Anastassia Huchok of Belarus in the bronze-medal bout at the 2014 World Championships. Robbert Wijtman photo.
Throughout the year, two-time World Team member Alli Ragan has been proving to fans and opponents that getting back on the mat isn’t just about doing-it’s about winning her way to the very top.
After placing fifth at the 2014 World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in September, a hand injury kept Ragan out of competition until just recently. Now that she has recovered, she sees a world of possibilities in the coming year.
“I haven’t gotten a chance to compete since Worlds. I’m very eager to compete and I’m excited to move on from my performance there. I’m ready to see what the future has in store for me,” said Ragan.
As the daughter of 2011 Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Hall of Fame inductee Dennis Ragan, she was constantly surrounded by the sport. After attending practices and sitting mat-side for quite some time, she decided it was time to get involved.
“I started wrestling when I was about six years old. My older brother wrestled, and my dad had wrestled throughout his whole life,” said Ragan. “He was the high school wrestling coach for as long as I can remember, and I would just sit at his practices. I started to get bored, so I decided to join in.”
For the top American female freestyler at 58 kg/128 lbs, wrestling wasn’t always her main concern. An active athlete throughout high school, Ragan participated in multiple sports throughout the semesters.
“I played other sports in high school besides wrestling. I didn’t really focus in on one sport until college. I played soccer and volleyball too, and I was really into those sports as well. I also played club soccer and volleyball outside of school. I definitely kept busy, and wrestling was just something to do as a winter sport,” said Ragan.
Come college though, wrestling became her main focus.
“I went to King University because I wanted to go somewhere that I was comfortable wrestling at. Honestly, I wanted to play two sports while I was in college, but once I got to King I thought I should definitely focus on wrestling,” said Ragan.
Despite only being in its second year, the wrestling program at King proved promising to Ragan. She joined their women’s team and found it to be the perfect fit.
“I was wondering what it would be like, since it was only their second year as a program. But once our coach, Jason Moorman, started getting some good recruits the same year that I came in, I joined the team. I really clicked with our coach, and the list of recruits made it feel like a good decision to wrestle there,” said Ragan.
She grew to become one of King’s most successful women’s wrestlers. Not only did she win back-to-back individual WCWA National Championship titles in 2013 and 2014, but she also helped lead King to their first team titles at the WCWA National Championships and the NCWA Dual National Championships in 2014.
Following her graduation, Ragan arrived at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in May 2014. She found that her experiences at King University could only be built upon with the knowledge and technique the coaches at the OTC could provide.
“The women’s coaches just know so much. Every time I would come here I would just be like a sponge and I would learn so much. Being able to work with Terry Steiner, Erin Tomeo, and Emma Randall every day is a big reason why I came to the OTC. The quality of the facilities we get to use and the athlete-centered atmosphere were other good reasons too,” said Ragan.
A successful career is never without its hardships, though. Her time here at the OTC was recently punctuated with some road blocks, keeping her out of competition for a small amount of time.
“I had to get surgery on my thumb right after Worlds, and I haven’t competed since then. Worlds ended super rough for me too. I lost my third place match 4-4, and that was definitely a heartbreaker,” said Ragan.
Defeat did not mean an end for her, though. The two-time Junior World bronze medalist has continued to keep her sights set on the aspirations she made for herself when her wrestling career began.
“It’s been my goal since I started wrestling to win an Olympic gold medal. I think that working your whole life for something will pay off, and I think that it is my time to do that,” said Ragan.
That pay off began this past weekend after she won gold at the 2015 Dave Schultz Memorial International on Jan. 31. She swiftly defeated Bulgaria’s Mimi Hristova with a 10-0 technical fall win in the 58 kg title match.
“This was definitely a good tournament to get out of the way. It was at the first of the year and I’m starting off on a good foot. I love it here. I’ve never placed here [at Schultz] before,” said Ragan.
With age on her side, she is ready to face the future. For Ragan, it’s all about meeting her goals and seeing where the sport takes her.
“I definitely see myself making an Olympic team, and placing in or winning the Olympics. That’s my ideal situation. I’m still young; I’m only 22, so I think I could wrestle until 2020. I just have to see how my body holds up,” said Ragan.
Throughout the year, two-time World Team member Alli Ragan has been proving to fans and opponents that getting back on the mat isn’t just about doing-it’s about winning her way to the very top.
After placing fifth at the 2014 World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in September, a hand injury kept Ragan out of competition until just recently. Now that she has recovered, she sees a world of possibilities in the coming year.
“I haven’t gotten a chance to compete since Worlds. I’m very eager to compete and I’m excited to move on from my performance there. I’m ready to see what the future has in store for me,” said Ragan.
As the daughter of 2011 Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Hall of Fame inductee Dennis Ragan, she was constantly surrounded by the sport. After attending practices and sitting mat-side for quite some time, she decided it was time to get involved.
“I started wrestling when I was about six years old. My older brother wrestled, and my dad had wrestled throughout his whole life,” said Ragan. “He was the high school wrestling coach for as long as I can remember, and I would just sit at his practices. I started to get bored, so I decided to join in.”
For the top American female freestyler at 58 kg/128 lbs, wrestling wasn’t always her main concern. An active athlete throughout high school, Ragan participated in multiple sports throughout the semesters.
“I played other sports in high school besides wrestling. I didn’t really focus in on one sport until college. I played soccer and volleyball too, and I was really into those sports as well. I also played club soccer and volleyball outside of school. I definitely kept busy, and wrestling was just something to do as a winter sport,” said Ragan.
Come college though, wrestling became her main focus.
“I went to King University because I wanted to go somewhere that I was comfortable wrestling at. Honestly, I wanted to play two sports while I was in college, but once I got to King I thought I should definitely focus on wrestling,” said Ragan.
Despite only being in its second year, the wrestling program at King proved promising to Ragan. She joined their women’s team and found it to be the perfect fit.
“I was wondering what it would be like, since it was only their second year as a program. But once our coach, Jason Moorman, started getting some good recruits the same year that I came in, I joined the team. I really clicked with our coach, and the list of recruits made it feel like a good decision to wrestle there,” said Ragan.
She grew to become one of King’s most successful women’s wrestlers. Not only did she win back-to-back individual WCWA National Championship titles in 2013 and 2014, but she also helped lead King to their first team titles at the WCWA National Championships and the NCWA Dual National Championships in 2014.
Following her graduation, Ragan arrived at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in May 2014. She found that her experiences at King University could only be built upon with the knowledge and technique the coaches at the OTC could provide.
“The women’s coaches just know so much. Every time I would come here I would just be like a sponge and I would learn so much. Being able to work with Terry Steiner, Erin Tomeo, and Emma Randall every day is a big reason why I came to the OTC. The quality of the facilities we get to use and the athlete-centered atmosphere were other good reasons too,” said Ragan.
A successful career is never without its hardships, though. Her time here at the OTC was recently punctuated with some road blocks, keeping her out of competition for a small amount of time.
“I had to get surgery on my thumb right after Worlds, and I haven’t competed since then. Worlds ended super rough for me too. I lost my third place match 4-4, and that was definitely a heartbreaker,” said Ragan.
Defeat did not mean an end for her, though. The two-time Junior World bronze medalist has continued to keep her sights set on the aspirations she made for herself when her wrestling career began.
“It’s been my goal since I started wrestling to win an Olympic gold medal. I think that working your whole life for something will pay off, and I think that it is my time to do that,” said Ragan.
That pay off began this past weekend after she won gold at the 2015 Dave Schultz Memorial International on Jan. 31. She swiftly defeated Bulgaria’s Mimi Hristova with a 10-0 technical fall win in the 58 kg title match.
“This was definitely a good tournament to get out of the way. It was at the first of the year and I’m starting off on a good foot. I love it here. I’ve never placed here [at Schultz] before,” said Ragan.
With age on her side, she is ready to face the future. For Ragan, it’s all about meeting her goals and seeing where the sport takes her.
“I definitely see myself making an Olympic team, and placing in or winning the Olympics. That’s my ideal situation. I’m still young; I’m only 22, so I think I could wrestle until 2020. I just have to see how my body holds up,” said Ragan.
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