On the mat, the Devils Women's Wrestling Club at ASU outgrew the lessons of its peers and sought out a coach to help elevate the team. The club found its answer in a Sun Devil that came before them.
Alex Torres, who was named the club's head coach in Fall 2025, doesn't shy away from rewatering his roots. Torres also serves as the head wrestling coach at his alma mater, Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe.
Torres concluded his high school career with an undefeated senior season and an individual Division III first-place crowning at the Arizona State Championship while wrestling at 160 pounds. Additionally, he was a four-time state qualifier, a three-time national qualifier and selected for the 2018 U.S. Open Junior Greco.
A passion for coaching blossomed for Torres when he was 16 years old, and that desire led him to ASU, where he took all he learned from high-caliber athletes and coaches and culminated it into his own coaching style.
"I figured if I was around the best kids with some of the best coaching, I would be a better coach long term," Torres said. "So a lot of things that I learned now that I'm able to pass on to these girls, I learned from high school, and I learned from wrestling under (head coach) Zeke Jones at ASU."
Throughout their quest for a coach, an idea lingered for club president and senior Emme Velasco, who believed the ideal candidate would be one who repped maroon and gold before her.
"Having a coach that was a Sun Devil and that wrestled with the Sun Devils, it feels like our team is more part of the University," Velasco said. "We're not just a group of girls who wanted to keep wrestling and who are doing it on the side."
Velasco began wrestling during her senior year at Basha High School in Chandler, AZ, where she quickly fell in love with the sport. Not quite ready to part ways with this newfound love, a motivated Velasco wore her heart on her sleeve and founded the women's club at ASU during her freshman year.
A club that started with three members has since doubled in size each year, with the growth going beyond numbers and extending to the character of its wrestlers.
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A once liquid-like core has solidified from the energy of hardworking and committed athletes, generating a magnetic team environment that Velasco believes will continue to align wrestlers long past her graduation.
A strong contributor to this core is club vice president and junior Trinity Bouchal, who wrestled alongside Velasco in high school. Bouchal wrestled at Basha for three years, where she was a two-time state champion at 170 pounds and a three-time All-American.
Established a year before Bouchal got to ASU, the club allowed her not to give up wrestling and reunited her with a former teammate.
"It was always the plan, I knew I had Emme (Velasco), and we are going to do this thing together," Bouchal said.
To which the wrestlers led side-by-side for years, growing to the point where the team's skills exceeded the pair's coaching abilities. Balancing the roles of coaches and athletes posed challenges for Velasco and Bouchal, as they had to run practices and teach new skills while trying to advance their own techniques.
By bringing in Torres, the two have shed their coaching titles, enabling them to focus on their own craft.
"Having Alex (Torres) is so great, because it really allows Emme (Velasco) and I to be athletes instead of a dual coach-athlete," Bouchal said.
As a coach of wrestlers with varying levels of experience, Torres prioritizes teaching general concepts to his athletes. For the beginners, he focuses on grounding them in the basics of the sport. For those who have wrestled for years, he goes more in-depth, taking them out of their shoes and putting them in their opponents' position.
By individualizing practice to one's skill, Torres ensures that each wrestler will get something out of their workout.
In Torres' first season, he has cemented his impact on the Sun Devils by catering to their needs and instilling confidence in them.
Junior Arianna Dominguez, who joined the club her freshman year, has seen the value Torres adds to the club. Dominguez describes him as "a good example of what a good coach is and what coaches should strive to be." While sophomore Maya Mitchell has only been with the team since the fall, she considers Torres to be a "big help" through his patience and trust.
"He's going to push us, and he wants us to get better and he knows we can," Mitchell said.
For Torres, when it comes to teaching and building confidence, there exists a fine line between knowing when to push and when to pull back. Holding the pedal down and forcing acceleration will only cause a burnout to happen.
"This sport is the highest of highs and lowest of lows, and it'll rip your heart out of your chest," Torres said. "I hope, with all the hard work they put in, all the dedication, all the time, they build incredible work ethics."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Senna James and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at cjoneil6@asu.edu and follow @cjojournalism on X.
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Char O’Neil is a junior studying sports journalism with a minor in special events management. This is her second semester with The State Press. She has also reported for AZPreps365, Blaze Radio and Phoenix College Basketball.
