Athletes of the Week: Campbells sweep state wrestling podium

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Having one member of the family become a state wrestling champion is pretty cool. Having two? Now, that is impressive. But having three state wrestling champions in the same family, in the same year?

That was unheard of before the Campbells took over the 2022 ASAA Alaska State Wrestling Tournament this past weekend.

Wasilla senior Deshawn Campbell won the Division I 160-pound state championship, his younger brother Myles, a Redington junior, took the Div. II 130-pound title, while his twin sister Mya Campbell, also a Husky, was the girls 120-pound champion as the Campbells swept the podium.

“Someone said it was a first that it’s ever happened, three siblings getting first at the same time, it’s pretty cool,” Deshawn Campbell said.

Of course, the lead-up to the historic weekend started with roughhousing in their home when they were younger.

”All I remember is I used to beat (twin brother Myles Campbell) because we started when we were small, I don’t about him though,” Mya Campbell said as Deshawn Campbell gave her a side-eye look.

”We used to try to wrestling before tournaments and stuff because he thought he was better than me,” Deshawn Campbell said of his younger brother.

“Right in the living room,” Mya Campbell chimed in.

Their father now teaches at Redington High School, but Deshawn Campbell was already enrolled at Wasilla High School and wanted to remain with his friends and fellow teammates. With three children at two different schools, the parents had to get creative in their support with custom-made half-Wasilla, half-Redington sweatshirts.

”My mom spent a few days on it, she was dying them and I was like, ‘What are you doing with that red stuff in the pot?’ It was kind of funny,” Deshawn Campbell said. “And then she came out with those sweaters. They’re pretty cool, she even had to finish them here in the hotel.”

Deshawn Campbell adds a wrestling state title to his diving and 110-meter hurdles state championships, Myles Campbell is the lone two-time state wrestling champ between the three, while Mya Campbell will pursue more state championships in soccer, track and field, cross country, and the Native Youth Olympics.

If there is a sport to be played, expect a Campbell to be in the mix.

”Most sports we do pretty good in, so we just want to do good in all of them,” Myles Campbell added.

Copyright 2022 KTUU. All rights reserved.