By Maya Ekladious
Standing in neutral position, towed by the double-striped line, eyes glistening with spunk, the whistle blows and the referee raises senior TJ McDonnell’s hand in the air. Another win just landed in his career.
At the young age of 6, McDonnell’s wrestling career kick-started as his father familiarized him with the sport. Not only did his father spark his passion for wrestling, but he helped shape McDonnell into the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) champion he is today.
“I started wrestling when I was six years old,” McDonnell said. “My dad got me into wrestling when I was a kid and then some close family friends got me to stick with it and made me love it.”
Before entering high school, McDonnell trained in several club programs. He joined Fountain Valley High School’s (FVHS) wrestling team as a freshman and quickly became a target for college interest in June of his sophomore year.
McDonnell’s hard work led him to commit to Oregon State University (OSU), an NCAA Division I university. Additionally, the Beavers’ wrestling program produced 99 All-Americans, 12 individual champions since 1990 and has participated in 95 seasons of collegiate wrestling. However, with McDonnell’s extraordinary work and dedication, it is no surprise that he was recruited by this prestigious program.
McDonnell is a two-time CIF champion. The summer before his senior year, McDonnell earned All-American honors by participating in Fargo Nationals, the largest wrestling tournament in the world. Furthermore, McDonnell was proud to be awarded third place at the California CIF state championships in 2021.
“My favorite part of wrestling is that you get out of it, what you put into it,” McDonnell said.
With McDonnell’s unmatchable performance, he received countless offers from colleges. Choosing to commit to OSU was not easy, but it’s a decision he’s proud and confident in.
“I chose Oregon State University because I’m gonna be surrounded by great partners and teammates and I’m going to have a great coaching staff that can take me as far as I’m able to go,” McDonnell said.
However, McDonnell’s journey to get to where he is today was not a smooth one. During his junior year, McDonnell had a knee surgery that stood between him and the wrestling floor.
“Last year, I had a big knee surgery so I was out for most of the last season and I didn’t get to wrestle until the postseason (league and CIF). That was tough, but I had a good team around me and we got through,” McDonnell said.
Throughout his journey in wrestling, McDonnell’s eyes were always set on the goal—the goal to become the first state champion at FVHS. Additionally, the dream of receiving a full scholarship and being recognized as an athlete is what pushed McDonnell through the countless hours of practice and obstacles he faced along the way.
Committing to Oregon State University is not the final destination for McDonnell. He has further dreams and goals that he hopes to achieve during his time as a Beaver and even after that.
“I want to be an NCAA champ while I wrestle in college and after that, I want to fight in the UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship],” McDonnell said.
For the rest of his senior year, McDonnell hopes to make the dream of his 6-year-old self come true.
“[FVHS] has never had a state champion before and I would absolutely love to be the first. Being a state champion has been a dream of mine since I was six years,” McDonnell said.
