The bright lights and high stakes of a major collegiate event were present. Arizona State’s wrestling team was competing at the 2022 NCAA national championships in Detroit, when Sun Devils’ athletic trainer Jess Battilochi was approached by one of the event’s attendees.
“This young lady came down and she said, ‘Listen, I just want to let you know that I think you're so cool. I look up to you so much, and I want to do what you do,’” Battilochi said.
Prior to this interaction, Battilochi did not realize the inspirational effect she had on other young women who wanted to follow in her footsteps into the world of wrestling. Battilochi had not gone out of her way to provide inspiration - it came naturally as a result of the path she laid for herself.
“It was never something I set out to do,” Battilochi said. “But it's a role I'm thankful for. I hope I do it justice all the time, try to set a good example, and make all the women in the sport that I'm around really proud.”
Battilochi found her passion for athletic training after a surgery to repair an injury during her sophomore year of high school. It was her own experiences early in her athletic career that ultimately drew her to the profession.
“I think it was a lot easier to relate to injured athletes that way,” Battilochi said. “To understand how hard it is not just physically to be hurt, but the toll it takes mentally on an athlete to be away from their sport.”
While she was certain about her career path, Battilochi took a specific interest in wrestling, But that interest did not come to fruition for some time.
“I never even saw the sport until I was in high school,” Battilochi said. “I had this close-knit group of friends, and some of the guys in that friend group wrestled so I would go watch them. I remember knowing nothing about the sport, but being around it was so fun.”
Despite the fact that Battilochi appreciated the level of grit and dedication that is demanded from the athletes within the sport, it was primarily the people in the sport that captivated her.
“It's not a sport where you can cheat the grind,” Battilochi said. “You have to work hard to be really good and all the people in wrestling are just good people. I can't say enough about the wrestling community at all levels. Everybody helps out one another and looks out for one another.”
Battilochi realized she wanted to be in the sport full-time when she worked as an athletic trainer for the wrestling team at her alma mater, Wheeling Jesuit University.
Through her time at Wheeling Jesuit University, Battilochi had the chance to form strong relationships with other women involved with the sport throughout her time at the Division II school through various wrestling tournaments. Most notably, Battilochi grew close to a long-time athletic trainer at Indiana University, Dr. Jackie Paquette. Paquette, now the deputy director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association, said her and Battilochi immediately had a lot in common.
“We just got to know each other as women who love the sport and wanted to be around the sport as much as possible,” Paquette said.
This group that Battilochi and Paquette became a part of eventually came to be known as “The Village.”
“It's sort of this group that we've been very fortunate to put together and be able to have in our corner in all aspects of life. It’s just a great group of women, all with the same goal and with the same views,” Paquette said. “We've been very lucky to be this group that supports each other. Especially in a sport that is arguably one of the most masculine out there.”
During Battilochi’s stint with Wheeling Jesuit, she also had an opportunity to work with USA Wrestling. Once Battilochi accrued the necessary amount of experience as an athletic trainer, she applied, and was subsequently chosen to travel with USA Wrestling. Her first trip was to Beijing in 2018.
“I remember being so nervous,” Battilochi said. “I didn't really know anybody on the trip. I've never been out of the country before.”
Despite the nerves prior to embarking on her first trip out of the country, Battilochi had a great experience.
“That trip was phenomenal. I made some really good connections,” Battilochi said. “Even though you're only with these athletes for a week or two, you build a relationship with them really quickly through being the healthcare provider, and just getting to spend that much time with them.”
Even years removed from her first trip, she still keeps in contact with the friends and colleagues she met through working with USA Wrestling.
“We actually still talk three years later and even have a group chat,” Battilochi said. “We chat once every couple days. The kids that are on the trip and that ‘family,’ we're so close with them. They’re all now committing to colleges and starting their freshman year of college. It's been really cool to watch their journey and still be close to them.
While Battilochi relished her time and the opportunities, like USA Wrestling, that she was able to receive as a result of the experience she gained at her alma mater, she ultimately took a chance during the middle of the pandemic in 2020, and applied to ASU as an athletic trainer for the wrestling team.
Of course, Battilochi went on to be hired by ASU. But the idea of going from a school with 1,500 students to Arizona State was certainly intimidating.
“I don't want to say I doubted myself, but I was very nervous about making the jump and thinking, ‘What if I'm not good enough?’” Battilochi said. “But, one of the things that really stuck out to me was when I accepted the job, later that night, I got calls from Zeke Jones, Lee Pritts and Frank Molinaro, our coaching staff. They all said, ‘Hey, welcome to the family, we're really excited to have you.’”
After she received those supportive phone calls from the ASU wrestling coaching staff, Battilochi immediately felt reassured. Since then, that feeling has not subsided.
“I was welcomed into the room from day one as part of the ASU wrestling family,” Battilochi said. “We all have the same goals. We want to win a national title and we're all willing to do anything and everything to hit that goal. Anything and everything for these athletes to help them be the best they can be.”
Since Battilochi’s transition from Wheeling to Arizona State, Paquette is not only proud of her and happy to have watched her journey, but believes the Sun Devils are fortunate to have her.
“We've been really fortunate to be able to see that journey and to be able to help her on that journey and to be able to be a part of that,” Paquette said. “The ability to give the level of care that she does is something that's unique and Arizona State is very lucky to have her for that.”
As a Sun Devil, Battilochi’s goal is to embrace her position to inspire and bring more women into the sport of wrestling.
“There's obviously the women who wrestle, ‘the wrestlers’. But the women in the sport that have never wrestled, there's not a ton of us,” Battilochi said. “Being able to help create that path, I’m thankful for the women that came before me and created that path. Continuing to open that path for women behind me is a blessing, and I'm really thankful I'm able to do that.”