Sideline Stories: Koda Hall and Alexis Lavers, Hyde School All American Wrestlers

A Conversation with All-American Wrestlers Koda Hall and Alexis Lavers, Hyde School

Athletes featured: Koda Hall, top photo far left; Alexis Lavers, bottom photo far left.

Hyde School celebrates two All-American wrestlers, Koda Hall ‘25 and Alexis Lavers ‘25, who both placed fourth in the National Prep Wrestling Championship, February 2024, at Lehigh University. Both wrestlers hail from Canada (Hall is originally from Jamaica and currently lives in Prince Edward Island, and Lavers is from Nova Scotia), and joined the Hyde School community this school year. They sat down with Hyde faculty member, Lisa Geller, for a conversation about their experiences with sports.

How did you get involved in wrestling?

Lavers: I was playing flag football when my coach came and told me I should try wrestling because I was “feisty” and “determined.” At the time, I was only 4 feet 7 inches and 73 pounds, yet I decided to take on the challenge. It was weird being a little girl practicing with all the big guys but it pushed me to become a better wrestler and increased my confidence.

Hall: I was randomly scrolling through Instagram in the 10th grade when I came across a post that my school was bringing wrestling back as an interscholastic competitive sport. I always wanted to take up boxing, and thought wrestling was close enough. I went to the coach, Gary MacQuaid, and told him “I’ll catch up to this. I’m an athlete!” When things would get tough on the mat, MacQuaid would always remind me of that.

Why do you wrestle?

Lavers: I wrestle because it is a confidence booster for me and for the feeling I get being part of a team both on and off the mat. I keep going because of the inspiration I get from one of my coaches, Mike Lidstone, who is like a father figure to me. I am also inspired by female wrestler Erica Weibe who was also coached by Lidstone. She was beaten by all the guys, too, though ended up an Olympic gold medalist in the 2016 Rio games.

Hall: I never thought I’d be a wrestler because I always thought rugby was life. When I saw the opportunity wrestling presented for me, I knew I was going to take a different route. After just a year on the mat, I was approached by Coach Lidstone who asked if I was interested in attending a prep school. One day, sitting in math class, I got a call from Coach Christian Jensen at Hyde. One of my mantras is to have faith in the Lord; I did and here I am standing on the podium as an All-American.

What is it like to be a female athlete in a typically male dominated sport?

Lavers: The stereotype, and sometimes reality, is that boys are just naturally bigger and stronger. It is cool to see I can beat them as long as I have the technique and work hard.

Hall: It feels good to be a female wrestler. It builds my strength and shows it is possible to win even if I may be outmatched when competing against boys.

What do you hope to do in the future?

Lavers: I want to go to a university in the U.S. and wrestle at the collegiate level. My dream is to study kinesiology and become a sports medicine doctor.

Hall: I hope to attend an Ivy League university and wrestle competitively. My dream is to become an orthopedic surgeon.

MSC wishes Koda and Alexis all the best in their future matches and paths. Go Hyde –  Wolfpack Nation!