Corabella Wesley appeared on Hobart girls wrestling coach Tomas Westberg’s radar long before she arrived on campus a few months ago.
Wesley had already made an impression during matches against boys in middle school.
“The very first time I ever saw Bella was at a summer tournament with my middle school kids,” Westberg said. “I was like, ‘Who is this girl beating all these boys on my team?’ I eventually heard her name, knew of her and have watched her since middle school.
“So I was very excited to see her here as a freshman with the group I already had coming in because I knew our team was going to be pretty decent.”
But Wesley has exceeded even Westberg’s most ambitious expectations. She won all 42 of her matches this season and went largely unchallenged during her march to the state championship in the 125-pound weight class at the Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis on Jan. 16.
When she pinned Plymouth junior Angel Smith in a rematch of their regional showdown, Wesley also became the first Hobart girl to win a state title in wrestling.
“It means everything to me,” she said. “I’ve always dreamt of it since I was little. All of the state champs are painted in the wrestling room, and I wanted to be the first girl up there, and I will be.”
Wesley is one of four state champions from Northwest Indiana this season. She was joined by Crown Point sophomore Ava Strayer (130), who won her second state title; Merrillville senior Charisma Lawrence (145); and Highland senior Aleksandra Bastaic (155), who won her fourth state title.
Westberg said Wesley’s strength, especially for her age, plays a role in her success but that her mindset is what truly separates her from opponents.
“She’s just not scared of anybody,” Westberg said. “She never seems to be scared at all. If anything, it’s more the other way around — the other girls are scared of her.
“But she’s very humble, she listens and she’s very respectful. If you saw her walking in the halls, you’d think, ‘That girl wrestles? She doesn’t seem like the type.’ Then you see her on the mat, and you’re like, ‘OK, yeah, she wrestles.’”
Even Wesley’s teammates were a little intimidated at first.
“She was quiet at the beginning, and then she opened up, and she’s actually really funny,” Hobart senior Joanna Cantu said. “Seeing her wrestle, she’s super aggressive and so locked in, and then after the match, she just smiles and skips and gives us all hugs. It’s like a totally different person than on the mat.”
Despite a routine that includes 90 grams of protein a day and prematch voiceovers of strangers telling her she’s “not good enough” or “not strong enough,” Wesley proudly calls herself a “girly girl.”
“I love baking for my family and my friends and anybody who’s sick,” she said. “I like to do my makeup. I like to practice my makeup a lot, actually. I hang out with my brothers and play their games with them, even games they make up, and I like to hang out with friends. … We’re having a Galentine’s Day coming up.”
Wesley is the oldest of four siblings. Her three brothers are following in her footsteps as they begin their wrestling journeys. She said her brothers and parents are her biggest supporters, although her father has been particularly important in her wrestling career.
Wesley said she started wrestling as a 7-year-old after her father, Brian, who is her part-time strength and conditioning coach, introduced her to the sport to help her deal with bullying. Before long, she knew she had found her calling.
“He’s amazing,” Wesley said. “I love him. He helps me through every match, through every practice. He’s my No. 1 coach. He’s always been there for me and been supportive. He’s everything I could ask for in a dad.”
Wesley said her favorite part of wrestling is “making my dad proud.” She expects to have more opportunities to do that.
“Just keep going,” Wesley said of her goals. “Take it one match at a time, get stronger, get smarter and hopefully win a couple more titles.”
Noah Poser is a freelance reporter.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/wrestling-hobart-corabella-wesley/
