LBJ wrestler Rendon finding home, success in sport
'My first match, I didn't know what to do,' Rendon said. 'So I kind of just screamed in the middle. I didn't win.'Seven months later, the sport seems like it has always been a part of her life.
'I like the sport because it's a one-man sport,' she said. 'You can't really rely on a team like in football. It's really just you and the other person. That's what it comes down to.'
Despite being newer to the sport, Rendon has excelled. She qualified for the Junior National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota, this July.
Texas Longhorns set to claim Directors' Cup for 4th time in 5 years
The LBJ standout just finished her freshman year and is staying extremely focused.
'What makes Michaela special is the idea of an athlete being what I would call complete,' said Randy Bryant, principal of LBJ High School. 'She does what's necessary inside the classroom and she's doing what's necessary to be successful at athletics.'
Bryant is also the owner of Heart and Pride Wrestling, where Michaela trains. The club is free for students from the Austin Independent School District.
National championship-winning coach questions all the Arch Manning hype
'Some gyms you can tell when it's just about the money, but I feel like they really want to help out the kids and they're just genuine,' she said.
Rendon is an athlete in every sense of the word. She's been successful in track and field and football, as well as boxing.
She said that her boxing background has helped her in wrestling. Her goal in wrestling is simple.
'I want to win state,' she said.
She has helped revitalize the wrestling program at LBJ. There should be around 20 athletes in the program for the upcoming season, a turnout much higher than it typically is.
'It feels good. I don't want to say I'm the start, but I'm one of the first ones that is going to start the club back up,' she said. 'It feels good.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Longhorns Running Back duo recognized on Doak Walker Award watch list
Longhorns stars Baxter, Wisner in the running for the Doak Walker Award The Texas Longhorns running back duo of CJ Baxter and Quintrevion Wisner is making headlines. On Tuesday, the Longhorns stars were selected to the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award. Each year, the award is given to the nation's most outstanding college running back. For Baxter, this is not unfamiliar territory. It is the second time during his college career that he has earned a spot on the watch list. In three seasons with the Longhorns, the Florida native played in 12 games and made six starts. While he missed all of last season after sustaining a season-ending injury during fall camp, he has impressed when healthy. During the 2023 campaign, the Edgewater High School product recorded 659 rushing yards on 138 carries. He also found the end zone five times while averaging 4.8 yards per carry. The talented running back was a valuable asset in the passing game, hauling in 24 catches for 156 yards. As Baxter looks to provide a boost in his return, Texas will also have Wisner as a weapon to turn to. He landed a spot on the preseason watch list following a stellar 2024 campaign. In 15 games last season, the Texas native set career highs in carries with 226 and rushing yards with 1,064. The DeSoto High School product also averaged 70.9 yards per game. With Baxter healthy and Wisner back in Texas, the Longhorns' running game is in good hands. They can both frustrate defensive coordinators with their speed and make an impact in the passing game. That is why they find themselves in the mix for one of the most prestigious awards in college football. While the Longhorns duo is on adding a national title to their resumes, they will also be watching how voting breaks down. The winner of the Doak Walker Award will be revealed on The Home Depot College Football Awards in December. Wisner and Baxter are hoping that when the final votes are cast, they will have a reason to celebrate. Former Texas Longhorn Doak Walker Winners: 1997: Ricky Williams 1998: Ricky Williams 2004: Cedric Benson 2016: D'Onta Foreman 2022: Bijan Robinson
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
College Football Fans React To 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll
College Football Fans React To 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll originally appeared on The Spun. It may be hard to believe but we're only a few short weeks away from our first taste of college football action in 2025. There's no shortage of storylines heading into upcoming season and we were just gifted a few more with Monday's release of the USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll. Despite coming off its first national championship under head coach Ryan Day, Ohio State is not seen as the best team in the country by his peers. Here's a look at how nation's coaches see things stacking up heading into Week 1: Texas Longhorns Ohio State Buckeyes Penn State Nittany Lions Georgia Bulldogs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Clemson Tigers Oregon Ducks Alabama Crimson Tide LSU Tigers Miami Hurricanes Arizona State Sun Devils Illinois Fighting Illini South Carolina Gamecocks Michigan Wolverines Ole Miss Rebels SMU Mustangs Florida Gators Tennessee Volunteers Indiana Hoosiers Kansas State Wildcats Texas A&M Aggies Iowa State Cyclones BYU Cougars Texas Tech Red Raiders Boise State Broncos Fans reacted to the Top 25 on X. "1 vs 2 to open up the season fellas. It doesn't get better than this," a user said. "Iowa State had not been ranked in a pre-season coaches poll in its history until Matt Campbell came to Ames," Brent Blum shared. "Iowa State has now been ranked in pre-season 5 times in last 7 years." "You couldn't ask for a better gift than leaving OU off the coaches poll," an Oklahoma fan shared. "Please do away with are useless," another person commented. "Lots of drama in college sports, but the product has never been better," another user posted. "I haven't been this excited for college football in a long time." "SEC twitter is about to have a meltdown that Illinois is #12 ... Ahead of South Carolina, Ole Miss, Florida, Tennessee, and A&M." "Call me old school but the DEFENDING National Champions should be No. 1 and not the team they beat in the semi finals," an OSU fan replied. CFB fans really couldn't dream up a much better opener to the '25 season than Ohio State vs. Texas at The Shoe. That game will be broadcast at 12 PM ET on FOX's "Big Noon Kickoff" with Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt on the Football Fans React To 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll first appeared on The Spun on Aug 4, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Texas Longhorns' dynamic duo rightfully honored in special way ahead of college football season as key leaders of defense in 2025
Texas Longhorns' dynamic duo rightfully honored in special way ahead of college football season as key leaders of defense in 2025 originally appeared on A to Z Sports. The Texas Longhorns may have just sent two defensive backs off to the NFL Draft this spring, but their secondary still looks stacked heading into the 2025 college football season. Veteran safety Michael Taaffe and Malik Muhammad make for quite a dynamic duo that should keep the Longhorns' secondary exactly where it needs to be and apparently the experts agree with that too based on the 2025 Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List that just released this week. Texas defensive back duo Malik Muhammad and Michael Taaffe make the Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List For those unfamiliar with the Jim Thorpe Award, it's awarded to the "nation's best defensive back". Longhorns fans should be quite familiar with the award considering three former stars for Texas have won the award over the years–Jahdae Barron doing so just last season following his phenomenal Malik Muhammad and Michael Taaffe made the Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List thanks to their incredible 2024 seasons and likely continued ascension to greatness in 2025. Can either of them actually win it? View the to see embedded media. Looking back at Jahdae Barron's award-winning 2024 campaign, if Malik Muhammad or Michael Taaffe want to actually win the Jim Thorpe Award they're likely going to have to stack the stats sheet. Barron snagged five interceptions, defended double-digit passes, racked up nearly 70 tackles, and won All-American honors. That's going to be a tough feat for any Texas player to edge between the two Longhorns stars likely lies with Michael Taaffe if any Texas player is going to win the award. He plays a much more diverse, tackle-heavy role than Muhammad and could see a much higher available rate of passes to defend. Why? Muhammad plays almost exclusively outside corner, so he doesn't cross many other passing lanes naturally in coverage. He also doesn't always play in tight to the formation to rack up tackles against the of whether any Texas player actually wins the award, it's great to see the dynamic duo of Muhammad and Taaffe both make the list, tying a few other elite programs for the most players represented this year (with two). We'll be back with more Texas Longhorns coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news! This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Aug 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
