Manawa senior Alexis Ferg stands out on the mat

Standing out on the softball field, Alexis Ferg took her athletic abilities to the wrestling mat her sophomore year and quickly acclimated to the sport, finishing fourth in her weight class’s sectional in 2025.

Alexis has been playing softball her entire adolescence, but has only been participating in wrestling for a year and a half.

Picking up wrestling after leaving another sport,“Softball was kind of just one of those things I did my whole life. When I started wrestling, it was because I didn’t want to play basketball anymore. I took my sophomore year off, and I didn’t want to take my junior year off, so my parents told me I had to go out for wrestling or go back to basketball.”

Alexis adapted to wrestling, and it has become a passion for her. “Softball used to be my big thing; that’s what I lived for after being on club teams in the valley for years. The second I stepped on a wrestling mat, I fell in love with the sport.”

Learning to balance her academics during her time at Manawa. Alexis has been able to find her way in the classroom. “My freshman year, I didn’t take my academics seriously, so I struggled with late assignments and grades that should’ve been better. As I got older, I learned the importance of striving in the classroom is just as important as excelling on the mat or field.”

The will to compete has driven Alexis in wrestling, “My favorite thing about wrestling is the hard work it takes. Wrestling isn’t for everyone; there’s just something about getting through a really tough practice or match that I just live for. I truly just love everything about wrestling that’s helped me stick it out. Although I’ve only been in it two years, I’ve seen wrestlers come and go, but I can’t really imagine life without wrestling anymore.“

Finding who she is through sports from her freshman year to her senior year has made Alexis who she is. “Looking back at freshman year, I’d compare myself to a scared little puppy. I was afraid to be myself; I didn’t want to be the kid who didn’t have friends in high school. I’ve learned to be myself and to chase my goals. Sometimes your “friends” don’t have the same goals as you, so it’s hard for them to understand how important your goals are to you.”