Throughout all of Riordan’s wrestling history, six male wrestlers have qualified for state, and twins Freddie and Georgie Michalchuk ’26 have made history as the first women on that list.
Not only did they make history, but they did it together. So how did they do it? On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the twins attended lifting practice from 7:00 a.m. until 7:45 a.m. with Coach Brian Tuel, focusing on lifting and movements to help further their performance, not just as wrestlers, but as athletes in general.
“Only the strongly dedicated show up to lift in the morning. It’s a rare breed that can wake up at 6:00 every day to lift,” noted Coach Tuel.
After school, from 3:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. during the wrestling season, the twins attend wrestling practice, working through intense drilling, technique, and conditioning in the hot, sweaty, and rambunctious mat room.
“We work every wrestling practice to climb to a crescendo and emulate what it’s like to be in a real wrestling match. So this is doing a lot of activities that are strength building, that are technique building, and are technique building in order to work all of those aspects on a daily basis,” said Coach James McConchie.
The twins often practice together, if not, then with a coach or with a fellow wrestler, but their hustle did not stop. Fighting through injuries and sickness, both twins worked diligently through the wrestling season.
“It’s cool because you see how much they improve day to day and week to week, and you see them making adjustments and figuring things out,” commented Coach Tony Margiotta.
Getting the opportunity to be able to practice with her twin, Georgie said, “I’m super lucky to have Freddie as a sort of built- in training partner, and the way we always push each other to be better has been crucial to our success, especially this last season.”
“I think they motivate me more than they realize. A lot of times we forget they’re students on top of athletes, so seeing them at tournaments and seeing them win is just joyful. I have a lot of pride seeing them win because I know how much it took them to get there,” said Coach Stacy Michelle.
On the sidelines at duels and tournaments, the twin’s family is there to support them, along with their younger half-sister, Moira, cheering them on from the edge of the mat shouting words of encouragement. “I like to watch them wrestle because I love them,” Moira said.
Their wrestling season didn’t end after the Winter Sports season ended, as throughout the offseason the twins went to wrestling camps at schools such as Menlo Atherton and Stanford. They trained with the San Francisco Gators at El Camino High School and at El Niño Training Center.
Coach Alex Coriano, wrestling coach at El Niño Training Center, said, “I always see a focus from them no matter where we are for practice or who they’re practicing with. It doesn’t matter about what we are learning and they’re very focused.”
The twin’s ambition and hard work amounts to the countless hours and days dedicated to focusing on becoming a better wrestler.
Freddie noted, “Despite all my work during the season, I was not expecting to qualify for state. Having the opportunity to compete in one of the highest level tournaments in the country showed me how effort really does pay off, and the competition itself was super cool to experience.”
Through grit, hard work, and dedication, their passion has allowed for history to be made at Archbishop Riordan, setting an example and paving the way for future women wrestlers to come and make a name for themselves just as the twins have done.
