It was a bond built out of convenience.

Two years ago, Auburn’s Anevay Avila and Patricia DeLeon entered the mat room as new students.

“We became wrestling partners because a lot of the girls that showed up the first couple of weeks stopped showing up,” Avila said.

Both attended separate schools as freshmen. Avila was at Spanaway Lake and DeLeon attended Federal Way.

“We just connected,” DeLeon said. “We became really good friends after that.”

And successful.

At last season’s state tournament, DeLeon placed fifth in the girls tournament in the 130-pound weight class. Meanwhile, Avila was sixth at 135.

But in the Trojans’ mat room, matches between Avila and DeLeon were not always competitive. Both acknowledged that DeLeon regularly “beat up” Avila on a regular basis.

“When we first started wrestling, her skills were way better than mine,” Avila said. “After we started working together, I started developing my moves.”

Now, both acknowledge that their matches are even to the point where they often have to be settled in overtime. Auburn coach Dennis Herren sees it as good preparation for Mat Classic XXIX at the Tacoma Dome.

“I’m completely confident they’re going to have satisfying seasons because they’ve done what it takes,” said Herren, who praised both wrestlers’ work ethic and dedication.

Herren has seen wrestlers who took up the sport years before they entered high school, and competed at high-price national tournaments. That does not apply to Avila and DeLeon. The former did not wrestle until her freshman year at Spanaway Lake, while DeLeon said she first “tried it” in middle school.

“What’s exciting is they’re going to contend against lifelong wrestlers,” Herren said. “It’s not anybody else’s dream but their own. I enjoy seeing that kind of grit, determination and commitment match up against some of those other top-ranked lady wrestlers. I believe that these girls can stand in with anybody.”

That determination does not stop in the mat room. Avila is the school’s senior class vice president, and DeLeon participates on the leadership team. Herren said both were instrumental in the purchase of girls singlets for the wrestling team, and both are active in team fundraisers.

“They’re ambassadors of the sport,” Herren said.

Both are three-sport athletes. Each runs cross country during the fall. In the spring, Avila competes in water polo and DeLeon runs track.

They also are committed to success in the classroom. Avila maintains a 3.77 grade-point average and hopes to study nursing at Pacific Lutheran or the University of Washington.

“I took the sports medicine class here last year and I enjoy helping people and learning about the human anatomy,” she said.

DeLeon, who maintains a 3.28 GPA, is considering studying psychology but has not yet settled on a college.

Avila probably won’t wrestle beyond this season because neither of her preferred universities offers it as a sports program, while DeLeon is not certain about her future in the sport. But both agreed the lessons they have learned from it will carry them through this season – and beyond.

“I think wrestling teaches you to persevere,” Avila said. “It’s a very demanding sport. It really helps build your character.”