It has been a dream season for Brenda Banks.

The latest chapter in her fairy tale included a trip to Fargo, North Dakota for the 2023 US Marine Corps Junior National Wrestling Championships.

Banks returned with a fourth-place medal after competing in the junior women’s category and against the very best in the country.

“It was just great, all the matches. Especially the finals matches that were on display for everyone,” said Banks. “Those were insane. The way the setup was, and all the effects and the lights. It was pretty cool.

“It was something absolutely amazing just to see how big girls wrestling is getting right now, and it was amazing to be a part of it. I had a lot of fun at Fargo, and it was honestly my favorite tournament that I have attended all year.”

Banks authored a remarkable freshman season for a revitalized wrestling program at Panther Valley under head coach Kris Nalesnik, capturing both state and regional titles.

But getting to nationals was an experience unlike any other she has had so far.

“I was told before that Fargo was a very large tournament, really important. And I understood that to an extent, but I don’t think I was grasping just how big the tournament was,” she said. “So when I did get there, and (saw the) space and all the people ... it was kind of overwhelming. I wasn’t expecting so much.”

Banks adapted as she always does.

She won her first three matches at 225 pounds in the double elimination tournament to reach the semifinals, where she fell to eventual champion Alysse Phillips of California.

Banks rebounded, winning her consolation semifinal match against Aaliyah Grandberry of Illinois to reach the third-place bout.

Despite falling to Chloe Hoselton of Illinois in the bronze medal match, Banks appreciated the effort all the girls put in to not only reach, but excel at the national level.

“The competition was definitely not easy, and I wasn’t expecting it to be,” Banks said. “But as we progressed throughout the tournament, it did get exceedingly more difficult, especially my matches against Illinois and California. They were definitely my hardest. The girls there really are something great. It’s really amazing to see just a room full of female wrestlers working toward something so big, such as being nationally the best in their weight class.”

In addition to Banks, Pleasant Valley’s Lily Decker also represented Team Pennsylvania at nationals. Decker competed in the 16U bracket at 200 pounds, going 0-2.

Decker competed for Team PA on the Team PA U16 girls team in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the USA Junior National Duals tournament last season.

Competing against predominantly juniors and seniors, Banks showcased the toughness - both mentally and physically - needed to succeed at the event.

Her work ethic and dedication were rewarded with results, and by her coaches, as she was selected to carry the flag for Team Pennsylvania during the medal ceremony.

“It was a really nice and lovely opportunity that was bestowed upon me by my coaches,” Banks said. “They told me that they chose me to carry the flag because of the amount of effort I put in. I had wrestled my way all the way to fourth, and I was really grateful for that. It was really cool to be able to represent PA at Fargo.”

Before nationals in Fargo, Banks competed for Team PA at a national duals event in Tulsa after previously winning a qualifying tournament to move on.

“Unfortunately, Oklahoma was really hard for me because I did end up spraining my ankle, and I wasn’t able to participate for most of the tournament,” she said. “But while I was training and before I did get hurt, it was honestly such a new experience for me, because this is my first year wrestling at all. So being with all the girls there who are more experienced than me, and being able to spend time with them, it was nice to have people who know what you’re doing and are willing to help out.

“But it was definitely all business. Our coaches were very dedicated, but approachable, and they were willing to help us get better.”

Banks has thrived in the sport since she started, perhaps more than she could have imagined.

“Honestly, no, I didn’t,” Banks said of if she ever expected this much success. “I wasn’t really too proud or confident ... in my capabilities when I first started out because this is my first year wrestling, and I had never even really seen the sport before. But I was honestly really happy with how everything worked, the fact that it was an individual tournament and things were based on your capabilities; how you worked towards what you wanted. That was very good for me.

“So it was definitely really crazy to see how far I could come, and how far I did come. I’m very glad that I didn’t place first at Fargo, because I feel like I would have lost the dedication and maybe what it takes to get here and working so hard for something so important.”

Her dedication has been unwavering to her sport and school, which brought back wrestling this past season for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.

Panther Valley recently approved girls wrestling, which was also sanctioned by the PIAA earlier this year.

“I think this is where my offseason truly starts, since I never stopped wrestling after my state tournament,” Banks said. “I went to qualifiers, then Oklahoma and then went to wrestling camps in between for my school for girls, and then I went to Fargo. So this is truly like my vacation.

“But so far I’ve been going to open gyms and open rooms for wrestling for my school. And I’m really excited for next season because we have officially started a girls wrestling team. So next year I will be a part of that and I’ll be able to help me coaches with it, so I’m really excited to see how far our girls team can go.”

And Banks will be there to lead the way.

“Wrestling has really been a dream for me,” she said. “I was already captivated by the fact that I could work towards my goals and accomplish it if I worked hard. And if I didn’t get there, I only had myself to blame, really. So I liked that it was about what I could do to get where I wanted.

“But wrestling has truly changed my life in this past year. It’s shown me a lot of discipline and responsibility within myself, and I like the person that I’ve turned into this past year after I’ve been wrestling.”