Meet the Attica wrestler who beat the scale to become a state contender

Attica sophomore wrestler Aubrey Bartkowiak described herself a year ago as being the "quiet and shy girl" who would sit in the back of the class.

Despite being one of the tallest students in her school, standing 6 feet, Bartkowiak felt almost invisible to her peers and teachers. So, she silently concentrated on her schoolwork. While always being an A-B student, Bartkowiak wouldn't participate in class discussions and rarely spoke up.

"I didn't want to take initiative, I didn't want to be a leader," Bartkowiak said. "I didn't want my name to be mentioned. The teacher would call ... I was hoping my name didn't get called."

Bartkowiak lacked confidence and was insecure about her size. She once weighed 340 pounds and struggled with binge eating.

"I wanted to make my health a priority," Bartkowiak said, "and I wanted to feel better about myself."

To do that, Bartkowiak decided to join the Attica wrestling team last fall. Still, she needed to cut more than 100 pounds just to compete.

She defied her own expectations.

Bartkowiak not only dropped more than 100 pounds in three months, she made weight during her first meet against Clinton Prairie and became the Indiana High School Girls Wrestling state runner-up in the 250-pound weight class.

But how did Bartkowiak drop the weight and transform into one of the bright sports stars at Attica?

Putting in the work

Attica coach Dean Branstetter remembers coaxing Bartkowiak to join the wrestling program shortly after she entered high school last year.

Branstetter saw potential and the opportunity for the shy freshman to grow. The veteran mentor has coached high school wrestling in Indiana for 25 seasons — beginning in 1988 — making stops at Waldron and Clinton Central, with a stint coaching in Illinois, before joining Attica in 2013.

He has seen how wrestling can build a student's self-esteem, physical habits and how the sport creates a team environment.

"I didn't care about the wrestling part," Branstetter said. "I just wanted her to get healthy."

Branstetter and assistant coach Josh Barnett helped Bartkowiak improve her eating habits and put her through intense workouts. She ran three miles on both a track and treadmill beginning in September and competed in drills against her male counterparts.

"We treated her just like every other wrestler," said Barnett, a 6-foot-3 former heavyweight wrestler who is a pastor at Attica Free Methodist Church.

The conditioning sessions lasted three hours.

Branstetter and Barnett were stunned when Bartkowiak kept returning to practice.

"I expected her after two or three days to come up with an excuse as to why she didn't want to do it," Branstetter said. "I get that all the time. Wrestling is hard. And this generation of kids that are coming through, they want things to be easy. Wrestling isn't easy."

Bartkowiak was inspired by the championships she saw her teammates earn and by Branstetter's coaching style. He has an authoritative voice during practice, but also brings a reaffirming tone that balances sharp criticism with upbeat positive reinforcement.

The long days of late September and early October training would see Bartkowiak's conditioning improve vastly.

"I just saw what the oldsters (older kids) accomplished and seeing what they had done and I wanted to be almost just as good," Bartkowiak said.

Bartkowiak kept to her diet of lean meats, vegetables, fruits and protein shakes and continued pushing her limits during conditioning drills. She dropped over 100 in three months and made the 250-pound required weight to compete.

Then a new addiction entered the freshman's psyche — winning.

"This is the hardest to do in high school because it's so physical," Branstetter said. "Once they get their hand raised, winning becomes like a drug that feels good, and it snow balls."

"It kind of came natural"

Bartkowiak beat the scales and was ready to win matches. But it didn't come easy at first.

Opposing Bartkowiak for her first match was then-junior Thalia Pearson, one of the top-ranked wrestlers in Indiana.

Bartkowiak lost but wasn't deterred by the result. She would win her next 15 matches, became a state runner-up and finished with a 20-3 record.

Now Bartkowiak has set a goal of becoming a college wrestler and has her mind focused on winning a state championship.

"I just came in every day and I worked for those three hours," Bartkowiak said. "I focused on what I was doing and it kind of just came natural to me. I don't know why but it did."

Feeling confident and sometimes unrecognizable

Bartkowiak's outlook on life has changed since becoming a wrestler.

She maintains her positive routine of dieting and actively engages with her teachers and classmates.

Becoming a state-ranked competitor is simply life's icing for a young woman who was looking for a sense of purpose and direction.

Bartkowiak, by becoming a wrestler, has become the kind of person she can be proud of.

"If you told me a year ago today that I'd be at where I am now, I'd reply no way," Bartkowiak said. "There's absolutely no way I'd be the person I am right now."

Bartkowiak has defied her own expectations. Now she's winning life and on the mats.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Attica wrestler Aubrey Bartkowiak shares weight loss journey