JHS senior putting girls wrestling on the map
By Ryne Turke
With 100 wins under her belt, Alexis Seymour has solidified herself as the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) of women’s wrestling at Jacksonville High School.
The Crimson senior, who’s spent the last decade honing her craft on the mat, has had a historic four-year high school run.
Finishing fourth at state her sophomore year and sixth her junior year, Seymour has her eyes on a first place finish in her final season.
Seymour says she’s always had a passion for the sport of wrestling.
“I got into wrestling when I was in third grade. We went to sign my brother up and I decided to join. I love the physical aspect of wrestling and that it’s an individual sport. I control my destiny.”
Seymour notes wrestling wasn’t always easy for her, but through hard work, she’s become one of the top female grapplers in Illinois.
“When I first started, I struggled because it’s a difficult sport and I was a little kid trying to figure it all out. When I hit my sophomore year, I started winning most of my matches and eventually placed at state.”
Seymour has dominated regular season tournament play over the last three seasons, earning top honors at Granite City three times, Jacksonville twice, winning the Pontiac Tournament and most recently, with wins at the Joe Bee Memorial and Canyon Girls Tournaments.
Seymour says the JHS Girls Wrestling Team, which features five athletes, meshes extremely well with the boys team and has made the entire program better. She credits her coaches, Austin Murphy and Zach Stout, for getting her to this point in her memorable career.
“They’ve been pushing me to improve and get focused so I can continue to make improvements in my future matches. My regular season is full of competition, but regionals and beyond is where I’ll meet my toughest opponents.”
Murphy, who’s in his first year leading the JHS Girls Wrestling Team, expressed the impact Seymour has had in the program.
“The sport of girls wrestling is so new and growing at an incredible rate. Having someone like Alexis in the high school for girls to look up to has been amazing. She’s bounced back and forth between weight classes, chasing the best girls in the state to make sure she is ready this postseason. She has a legitimate shot to be at the top of the podium.”
Seymour is committed to Quincy University and plans to continue her wrestling career.
