LIVE OAK, Fla. (WTXL) — For Suwannee’s Tyra Kalandyk, the memory of her title hopes slipping away in the final moments of 2020’s state meet serve as a painful, yet humbling reminder of the work she needs to put in to finish what was started.
“I think about that everyday. Every single time I go into the weight room and I think about not going to practice, not waiting to push as hard," Kalandyk told ABC 27. "I think, guess what happened last year.”
But Tyra’s resiliency has been the moral compass that’s guided this Bulldog team through a season full of adversity.
“The way she’s been able to bounce back and start leading others and going through this, I told her that her message will speak loudly for years," said head coach Dan Marsee. "This is something we’ll talk about forever.”
Speaking of forever, her teammate Matti Marsee, the two-time defending state champion in the 110-pound weight class has a chance to add even more legacy to her name. And she knows repeating as state champion comes with a target on her back.
"This year I’ve definitely felt more pressure, not necessarily because I don’t feel like I’m not capable. But because it’s my senior year. I want to do good," Matti adds. "I want to make it to states and I want to do well like I have the past two years.”
"I mean she’s one of those athletes that don’t come around very often. She understands the pressure and how to deal with it. She’s competed on the national stage. And like I tell her you’ve got nothing to prove," Dan added. "You don’t have to be a hero. This is our final lap around the track. Dad and daughter, I get emotional just thinking about it."
