Army wrestler refines approach as 2028 Olympic Trials loom
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Army Staff Sgt. Areana Villaescusa pins Yaneli Hermosillo-Carrasco of Air Force during......read moreread more
Courtesy Photo | Army Staff Sgt. Areana Villaescusa pins Yaneli Hermosillo-Carrasco of Air Force during the 2026 Armed Forces Wrestling Championships at Fort Bliss, Texas on March 15.
(Photo by Cpl. Joseph DeMarcus) see less
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Army wrestler refines approach as 2028 Olympic Trials loom
FORT BLISS, Texas — On the campus of Penn State University, Staff Sgt. Areana Villaescusa suffered her toughest loss against a familiar foe in April 2024.
She had faced former Olympian Haley Augello before, and their matches had always been tight. The pair had trained together at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Villaescusa’s career had been building toward this match. Villaescusa, who grew up in a wrestling family in Arizona, had overcome injury and the death of a teammate before the 2024 Olympic trials.
Yet in the challenge final round, two wins from reaching her Olympic dream, she didn’t perform her best. After defeating Vayle-Rae Baker 3-0, Villaescusa dropped a 3-0 decision to Augello.
The team had to stay an hour from Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center, and the long hours of competition left her drained. Injuries to her neck and knee over the years had battered her body. The Olympic Trials had taken such a toll that the Soldier considered walking away from the sport.
“There was a moment where I thought maybe this is it,” she said.
“It was probably the longest tournament I've ever been a part of. It was just an exhausting experience.”
Villaescusa decided to leave Fort Carson, Colorado and boarded a plane to California to attend a wrestling camp hosted by former Olympian Tim Vanni. The Soldier told Vanni that she had considered retirement and possibly coaching at the collegiate level. Vanni, a two-time Olympian and youth coach, encouraged Villaescusa to continue chasing her dream.
Two months later, Villaescusa defeated Amanda Martinez to make the 2024 Senior World Team. The second and final round featured numerous lead changes, with Villaescusa breaking a deadlock by pushing Martinez out of the wrestling circle for a step-out and the match-clinching points with an 11-8 victory.
“I thrive in deep waters,” a jubilant Villaescusa said after the 2024 match. “I know my cardio’s better than anybody. I work the hardest in the room, I’ll say that confidently. And today I showed up.”
Now Villaescusa, the Army’s most experienced female wrestler, leads a talented group of hopefuls including Spc. Adaugo Nwachukwu, who qualified for the 2025 World Team at 62kg by finishing first at the 2025 Senior World Team Trials. On March 15, 2026, all five of Army’s female WCAP wrestlers won their freestyle matches vs. the All-Air Force team at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Villaescusa pinned her Air Force opponent in only 19 seconds.
Entering her tenth year with the Army and the World Class Athlete Program, the 29-year-old Villaescusa has made three world teams, finished as the U.S. Open runner-up twice, and ranked as the top wrestler at 55 kg during the 2024-2025 season.
“She was a young kid and now she's grown up into a stellar wrestler,” All-Army coach Spenser Mango said. “She's kind of a leader of the women's team, and she's definitely dedicated to her sport and to the Army.”
Adopting the mindset of Team USA members from the Winter Olympics, Villaescusa vowed to not view every match as life or death. She prioritized mental health and self care. She believes that approach helped her defeat Martinez.
“I felt carefree almost,” Villaescusa said before the 2026 Armed Forces Wrestling Championships. “Sometimes we put so much emphasis on taking things … super serious, and that gets in the way of outcome.
“Priority should be being the best athlete, the best Soldier, the best person that you can be, right? And everything else will fall into place.”
Villaescusa went on to finish in fifth place for 55kg at the 2024 Senior World Championships in Albania, losing to France’s Tatiana Debien, 4-3. The Soldier finished in third place at the 2025 World Trials in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Arizona native has always pushed herself to be on the cusp of an Olympic breakthrough. She carries that mindset as she prepares for the 2026 U.S. Open in Las Vegas April 22-26.
Villaescusa, a 42A Human Resources Specialist, joined WCAP and enlisted in the Army shortly after her graduation from high school.
She overcame a debilitating neck injury that threatened her career followed by a torn ACL. The Soldier has suffered ailments to her ribs and joints but has undergone extensive rehab. New Team USA strength and conditioning coach, Kevin Jackson, has Villaescusa lifting weights four times a week to help combat against injuries.
Mango said that Villaescusa has assumed a leadership role coaching and mentoring her teammates.
“She’s always in the gym,” Mango said. “I'll come in sometimes in the evening, and she's in there working out by herself. That's the kind of dedication that she has and the kind of work ethic that she shows.”
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