Milan's Angelina Pena becomes second girl in state with four titles

MILAN – Milan wrestling coach Adam Caballero has a lot in common with his four-time state champion.

“We have so many similarities,” Caballero said. “It’s really kind of crazy. We wrestle at the same weight class. We wear the same head gear.”

But there some major differences.

Caballero is male and Angelina Pena is female.

And although Caballero broke nine school records and was a state placer during an outstanding career at Milan, he can’t come close to matching Pena’s accomplishments.

He’s the first person to admit that.

“I’ve been around wrestling my whole life, over 30 years,” he said. “She’s just a different breed, a different caliber. She’s incredibly smart. She’s on another level.”

Last week, Pena became the second female wrestler in Michigan history to win four state championships.

That alone would be enough to set her apart.

Pena’s resume doesn’t stop there.

2024: Milan's Pena one of seven Region state champs

2024: Six Region girls earn spots in Individual Wrestling State Finals

2023: Milan's Pena dominates; four others reach state

2023: Milan's Pena wins third state title

2022: Pena wins title in first year of girls at state finals at Ford Field

2021: Two Region girls take first at state finals

The senior pinned every opponent she faced during the girls state tournament this year including a victory over a defending state champion in the semifinals and a triumph over a nationally ranked opponent in the finals.

Over her four years wearing the Milan singlet, she did not give up a single offensive point against female opponent. A penalty for an illegal headlock and a stalling infraction were the only points she gave up in her career.

"She told me near the end, 'I felt like Ripken chasing Gehrig. By the time I got to the fourth State Finals, the scoreless streak felt like schlepping luggage to the airport,'" said her mother, Sandra Pena.

And she did it while battling a shoulder injury that she suffered last season and re-injured this year.

“Any other wrestler who had the injury that she had would not have wrestled,” Caballero said. “She overcame it. She’s different mentally.”

The pressure and the pain had Pena apprehensive about last weekend’s state finals at Ford Field in Detroit.

“Really, I was kind of nervous,” she said. “There was a lot of pressure. Not too many wrestlers have three state titles. And going through the season, I had a lot of injuries. I just had to focus on what was in front of me.”

Her focus was just fine.

Pena started her quest at Ford Field with a pair of first-period pins, then stopped defending state champ Jewlie Gonzales of Oxford at 5:27 of the semifinals.

She stuck Isabella Cepak of South Lyon East at the 3:25 mark of the championship match.

“Pinning is really what I try to do every single match,” she said. “A pin shows you are dominant in all positions. My goal is to be the best and pinning shows you are the best wrestler.”

Any list of the best female wrestlers in Michigan history now must include Pena. She and Eliana Bommarito of Hartland are the only girls to claim four state titles.

“I know of her,” Pena said of Bommarito. “We both trained at the same facility at one point, but I never really interacted with her.”

Pena’s first state title came before the Michigan High School Athletic Association sponsored a state tournament for girls. The Michigan Wrestling Association conducted the tournament that year.

Joining the boys for the finals at Ford Field the past three seasons has been special for Pena.

“It was an honor to represent all the girls that didn’t have a chance to wrestle alongside the guys,” she said. “It made me an all the other girls feel more recognized rather than cast aside. We were more equal.”

Pena is unmatched on the mat.

“It’s very incredible,” Caballero said.

Success has not gone to Pena’s head.

“She’s a big team player,” Caballero said. “She is not what you would think a four-time champ would be. She is super humble and roots for everybody. She has overcome everything that has been thrown at her, including injury.”

She loves being part of the Milan team.

“I really love my team,” she said. “They have always been very supportive to me. I felt it was my duty to continue to support them back.”

Pena got involved in wrestling at the age of six.

“It started with my mom taking my brother Peter to a practice,” she recalled. “I remember watching him and thinking, ‘That’s so cool.’ I was excited for my brother and I wanted to do it, too. I tried it and I loved it.”

At that time, there were not a lot of girls on the mat.

“It was very hard to find other girls my age who were wrestlers,” she said.

Peter, a former state runner-up, and Angelina both excelled at wrestling.

“It’s something that we bonded over,” she said. “I love my brother. He’s one of the main reasons I’ve been successful. I am forever thankful to him for that.

“I always looked up to my brother. He’s so confident, but humble. He is such a good person. I always wanted to be like him and do the things that he did.”

Pena is an excellent student who will have plenty of choices when it comes to choosing a college.

“She is a genius,” Caballero said. “She’s already had interviews with Princeton and Harvard.”

Unfortunately, Princeton and Harvard don’t have women’s wrestling teams. As much as she loves wrestling, Pena won’t let a sport dictate her college choice.

“I am more academically oriented,” she said. “I want to be a family pediatrician. I will go to the school that is best for me academically, but I am very open to wrestling at a good college.”

Either way, she plans to stay involved in the sport.

“At least I’ll find a wrestling club in college to keep fresh and keep improving,” she said.

Caballero would not be surprised to see Pena competing in the Olympics at some point.

“We have a nice tradition of female wrestling at Milan,” he said. “I would love to keep her here if she’s not wrestling in college. The kids look up to her so much.”

That is a responsibility that Pena does not take lightly.

“It’s a bit of pressure, but it’s nice that kids think about continuing wrestling when they see me,” she said. “Wrestling builds character. It’s great in so many ways.”

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: 'She's on another level': Milan's Pena wins fourth state wrestling title