Former youth wrestler turns 3x Class 5A state champion — PHOTOS

The road from a small desert town to the national wrestling stage is rarely straightforward.

It is shaped by early mornings in practice rooms, long drives across Nevada highways, and a relentless belief in improvement.

While on the mats here and throughout Las Vegas, Mika Yoffee grew up in Pahrump, watching athletes she once thought were untouchable.

Now, she is simply one of them.

Capturing her third Class 5A state title in a row in Winnemucca on Feb. 14, the SLAM! senior has quietly built one of the most accomplished high school wrestling careers in the region.

At one point this season, Yoffee climbed as high as seventh in the nation in her 135-pound weight class — an achievement that places her among some of the best wrestlers her age in the United States.

As Mika prepares to graduate from CSN High School in Las Vegas with a 4.6 GPA, the only question that lies ahead is where she will land next.

Rooted in Pahrump

Long before national rankings or college visits, Mika’s childhood was grounded in the tight-knit community of Pahrump.

Her family lived near Leslie Street, and the town’s slower pace and close relationships formed the backdrop of her early life.

Even today, Pahrump remains an important place for her. Her family owns a home here, and when her schedule allows, she returns during the summer or for special events.

“I wanted to take my friends out here and show them what I used to do,” Yoffee said with a laugh.

For her, those trips back are more than nostalgia — they are reminders of where her journey began.

The foundation of that journey started at Manse Elementary, where Mika remembers the teachers who helped shape her early academic and personal development.

“I loved Manse, and I loved all my teachers there,” Yoffee said. “They really set the standard.”

Mika still occasionally reconnects with them today, even running into her first-grade teacher at local farmers market events.

Where it all began

Unlike many wrestlers who cross-train in other grappling sports, Yoffee’s athletic background is somewhat unconventional.

Before discovering wrestling, she spent time participating in the juniors bowling league at the Pahrump Nugget Hotel and Casino.

“I was a bowler in the junior league,” Yoffee remembers.

Mika’s wrestling career originated in Pahrump with the Junior Trojans wrestling program.

Her father, Johnny, was a former wrestler for two years at Mojave High School before being forced to stop due to a bad car accident.

Like many young athletes entering the sport, she started in the beginner divisions, learning the basic mechanics of the mat — takedowns, positioning, leverage.

It didn’t take long for her to move beyond the early stages as coaches and competitors noticed quickly that she progressed faster than most.

By the age of 11, Mika was already helping younger children during youth practices, assisting coaches with wrestlers as young as toddlers through early elementary school.

By seventh grade, Mika’s parents, Marianne and Johnny, made the decision to move to Las Vegas, a step taken largely to prioritize education and future wrestling endeavors.

“Our move to Las Vegas has more to do with personal school choice with only one junior high school and high school in Pahrump,” Marianne said. “Johnny and I felt there would be more educational opportunities in Vegas.”

The move placed her inside of SLAM!’s wrestling program, one of the area’s more competitive environments for developing wrestlers.

Growing up, one of the athletes Mika says she admired most was Sterling Dias, a nationally recognized wrestler now competing for the University of Iowa’s women’s wrestling program.

Yoffee remembers first seeing Dias featured in a magazine and being excited simply to attend a tournament where she might see her compete.

In middle school, Yoffee was invited to train with the high school girls team, an unusual opportunity that placed her on the mat alongside athletes several years older.

“Bill Sullivan was the coach who first recruited me to the girls team when I was still in middle school,” Yoffee said. “That team was incredible. They started inviting me to practices around 2019, so I was training in the room before officially committing to being a SLAM! athlete.”

Mika attended SLAM Academy from seventh grade through her sophomore year before transferring to CSN High School, where she will complete her education while continuing to wrestle for the SLAM program.

At the time, girls wrestling was still developing in the region, and many female wrestlers, including Mika, competed against boys up until high school.

“It’s crazy,” Mika said. “She (Dias) watched me grow up, but from my perspective she was always this huge inspiration.”

Challenge met early

Despite the promising environment, Yoffee’s freshman year of high school proved to be one of the most difficult periods of her wrestling career.

Expectations were high — both from others but mostly herself.

When she finished fourth at state that year after losing matches she believed she should have won, the disappointment was frankly, overwhelming.

For the first time, she experienced the intense mental pressure that often accompanies high-level competition.

“I remember looking at my dad after matches and saying, ‘She was strong,’” Yoffee recalled. “Eventually he asked me, ‘Are they all strong, or do you need to get stronger?’”

The question lingered.

“We were so proud of her to see her stand on that podium freshman year,” Mika’s mother, Marianne Yoffee said. “As her parents, we try to encourage and open communication to express our support for the kids. “

Rebuilding from the inside

After the tough freshman season, Mika restructured nearly every aspect of her preparation.

She calls the period that followed her “engine arc,” and that summer became a turning point.

She spent countless hours in the gym building strength and conditioning. At the same time, she began paying closer attention to nutrition — something she realized had been a major weakness during her first year of high school wrestling.

“I just wasn’t taking care of my body,” she said. “And I didn’t understand why I felt weak.”

Along with the physical improvements, Yoffee began addressing her mental approach to competition and introduced a habit of writing in a journal daily to better understand her mental state before competition.

The process helped her realize that much of her pressure came from worrying about other people’s expectations.

“I stopped caring about what other people thought,” she said. “I just started having fun again.”

These shifts changed everything.

Back-to-back-to-back x3

Over the next several seasons, Yoffee collected major tournament wins and climbed steadily in national rankings.

Capturing her first Class 5A state title in 2024 wrestling in the 126-pound weight class, Mika would repeat in 2025 at 125 pounds and again this year to close out the three-peat at 135 pounds.

Her progress culminated with an invitation to train at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, where only the most elite wrestlers in the nation gather to sharpen their craft.

Olympic Training Center — Colorado Springs

The opportunity came through connections with SLAM’s current coaching staff, Geneva Gray and Mitch Brown. Gray’s sister, Adeline Gray, is one of the most accomplished wrestlers in American history, a multiple-time world champion and Olympian.

For many athletes, the facility’s altitude and intensity can be overwhelming.

For Yoffee, it became further confirmation.

Finding joy once more

As she grew physically stronger and more mentally confident, Yoffee went on to win a Triple Crown at Western Regionals and steadily climbed the national rankings from 23rd to seventh.

Inside the training room were some of the best wrestlers in the country — many ranked in the top three nationally or competing for world teams.

At first, Yoffee didn’t recognize many of them.

“We did live matches with the girls there, and some of them were asking, ‘Who are you?’” Yoffee said. “That really helped boost my confidence heading into my last year.”

Balancing act — academics and sports

While wrestling has been a central part of Yoffee’s life, academics have always remained her top priority.

At CSN High School, she pursued college-level coursework while still competing at a high level. Her academic achievements include maintaining an impressive 4.6 GPA while working toward an associate degree.

A technical issue in the school’s enrollment system means that her degree will officially be listed as an Associate of Arts with a concentration in business, despite most of her coursework focusing on business and finance.

Regardless of the classification, Yoffee has clear academic ambitions.

She plans to major in finance in college, combining her interest in business with the discipline she has learned through athletics.

“My academics will always be number one,” Yoffee said.

That mindset has also opened doors for the college recruiting process, where academic scholarships often accompany athletic opportunities.

“Mika is an intrinsically motivated ultra competitive individual,” Marianne Yoffee said.

Choosing the best fit college

As she prepares for the next phase of her career, Yoffee has already visited several college programs, each offering a unique experience, making the decision far from simple.

“I’ve visited about four schools so far,” Mika said. “Every school is good for its own reason.”

Women’s wrestling is still growing within the NCAA, and the traditional distinctions between Division I, II, and III programs are often less rigid than in other sports.

As a result, Yoffee’s focus has been less about division labels and more about finding a program that aligns with her goals, values, and lifestyle.

In wrestling, talent can emerge from any level.

“There are D3 programs that are way better than some D1 schools,” she explained.

Coaching the next generation

Although her immediate focus is college wrestling, coaching is gradually becoming an appealing possibility for the future.

For the past few years, Yoffee has been working with younger wrestlers through private training sessions at Legends of Gold Las Vegas, the club that has supported much of her own development.

Through those sessions, she helps teach techniques, including hand fighting and positional control — skills that have become hallmarks of her own wrestling style.

“My two-on-one offense is probably my go-to,” Mika said. “And on top, I like to work cradles and bars.”

She often jokes that she feels like a mentor from a martial arts film, sharing lessons with the next generation.

“I’m just giving them all the wisdom I can,” she said with a hearty laugh.

Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.