Adrianna Chronister

Wrestler Adrianna Chronister being declared the winner by a judge.

Courtesy photo

“One thing Coach Mayfield said that has always stuck with me, is, you can do anything in 15 seconds. Something Coach Smith told me was that his brother would wake up and train because someone else was training while he was sleeping, so he would train just so he could be better than them, and I want to be like that,” said Adrianna. “Some advice Henry has told me is that when I'm on the mat and I feel super nervous, it's not that I'm nervous it's that I'm just really excited, because feeling nervous and being excited are pretty much the same thing.”

Paul Mayfield was the former head coach for Stilwell High School junior and senior high, for both boys and girls, for nine years, until after the 2021-2022 season. He coached Adrianna in seventh, eighth and ninth grades, before moving to coach at Bixby Public Schools, where he still resides and works.

“The thing that impressed me the most, early on in her career, was her tenacity and drive; her ability to fight through tough positions and come out on top,” said Mayfield. “Today, she impresses me with her work ethic and high wrestling IQ. She is one of the hardest workers that I've ever been around and she truly shows a love and joy for the sport of wrestling which has led to all of the success that she has achieved.”

The past two summers Adrianna has worked in the Wrestling Club with Mark Smith, boys junior high wrestling coach for Sallisaw. It is free style, Olympic style wrestling, said Smith.

“Adrianna has a unique toughness to her. She’s one of my best wrestlers,” said Smith.

She missed very few practices and is always here ready to practice and ready to get better.

Stilwell Mayor Jean Ann Wright presents Adrianna Chronister with a certificate at city hall.

Photo by Renee Fite

Adrianna also appreciates the support of her school.

“They helped begin our wrestling program and helped a lot of girls feel comfortable about getting into something new,” she said.

Wrestling is a sport Adrianna is making her own.

“There are a lot of things I can say about what I love when it comes to wrestling, but my favorite part is the feeling of my hard work paying off,” she said.

Competing has grown her confidence.

“I’ve wrestled many years, and when I would lose it was so hard for me to stand up and push off the dust and tell myself I'll catch them next time. So my favorite part of this sport is when I work and work, and finally catch those girls I've worked so hard to beat. That feeling when I stand up and shake the girl's hand, smile and say, ‘Hey man great match’ is probably my favorite part of this sport,” Adrianna said.

There’s always room to improve.

“The motivation to keep pushing is challenging. It is very hard to make yourself show up to practice every day, then go to a tournament, just to go 0-2, then show up to practice all week, just to do the same thing the next week,” said Adrianna.

“I would love to continue my passion of wrestling into college,” she said.

Beasts may also be part of her future.

“I would love to become a veterinarian so that I can help all kinds of people and on the side hopefully help coach wrestling,” she said.

Adrianna is the daughter of Nicole and Gordon Chronister Jr. She has a brother, Jaston Chronister, sister-in-law Jacklyn Morales, nephew Jaxton Chronister, and grandparents Gordon and Sheila Chronister.

Stilwell is a great place to call home because of, “the supportiveness in this town. Everybody is like family and I feel like everybody is super supportive when it comes to chasing your dreams and doing whatever it takes to help you reach that” she said.

“I would love to become a veterinarian so that I can help all kinds of people and on the side hopefully help coach wrestling,” she said.

“Something not a lot of people know about me is that I am a big believer in God. Before all my matches and even when I am alone, I talk to God because he is my best friend. When I struggle in wrestling or outside of wrestling, I pray to him and it seems as though I begin to find solutions to my problems.

“Before my matches, when I am scared, I talk to him and he calms my mind. All my wins and success are thanks to God,” she said.

Family is everything to her.

“If it wasn’t for my family and their supportiveness for everything I've done in wrestling, I wouldn’t be where I am today. A lot of nights when I would come home after I had lost a match, my dad and brother would roll around on the kitchen floor with me, doing all kinds of different wrestling moves, trying to find out how I could win next time, while mom was yelling at us to go to bed. All those nights in the kitchen I will forever be grateful for.”