One of the nation’s best wrestler’s, Davis’ Turner hopes to end career a state champion
Jazmine Turner loves to win.
That’s the main reason the Grace Davis High senior wrestles. In a world where the stars on campus are the ones who play team sports — the quarterback, the point guard, the star volleyball player or the aces on the baseball and softball diamonds — Turner has created her own lane as one of the Spartans’ most successful athletes.
Wrestling is unique in that the typical divisions do not exist. Turner and every other wrestler in the nation are classified by weight class, meaning it doesn’t matter what the school size is. Turner wrestles against the best in the section and the state at her weight class.
It is an individual sport. Turner’s success relies strictly on how she does on her own.
“I like the feeling of winning,” she said, “and I like the thrill I get when I’m about to step on the mat.”
Friday and Saturday, Turner joined some of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s best wrestlers at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton for the section’s Masters championships, where the top finisher at each weight class earned a section championship hat and a large paper bracket as a keepsake. Top five placers advance to the state meet.
Turner on Friday won two matches to advance to the event’s final day. On Saturday, she was dominant again, winning by fall in the semifinals and championship to claim the 105-pound section championship.
It was her second Masters title and because she finished in the top five of her weight class, she secured her fourth berth to the State Championships in her four-year high school career. The State Meet begins Thursday, Feb. 27, and ends Saturday, March 1.
The state championship brackets were released Monday afternoon and Turner is the No. 1 wrestler in the 105-pound weight class. According to USA Wrestling’s February national rankings, Turner is the No. 29 girls high school wrestler in America at 105 pounds.
“It would make my younger self happy,” she said of being recognized for her work. “That’s when I wanted when I got older, to be recognized.”
Introduced to the sport at a young age by wrestling against her older brother Demarcus, Turner eventually started organized wrestling in seventh grade. She was a raw talent with natural strength, said Davis High coach Lim Prim, Turner’s coach since before high school. But he knew something was there.
Two years after she got her start, she became a household name.
Turner announced herself to the Sac-Joaquin Section as a freshman, winning the 101 Masters title. She was the first female wrestler from Davis to win a Masters title.
It turns out that was also when “it” clicked, according to Prim.
“She ran through the bracket and won Masters as a freshman,” Prim said. “We’re gonna miss her. She’s like a daughter.”
In her four-year varsity wrestling career, at the section level, Turner has two Masters titles and two second-place finishes. During her senior season, Turner is 44-1 and has spent the season ranked in the top 30 in USA Wrestling’s national rankings at 105, 110 and 115 pounds. Her overall record is an equally impressive 134-10. She is a four-time Western Athletic Conference champion and a three-time regional champion.
“She’s got this natural strength and built-in quickness. When it comes to hard times, she fights and she works super-hard,” Prim said. “Seeing her from seventh grade to now, she’s got great technique.”
Her combination of success, strength and technique has caught the attention of coaches at the next level. Turner confirmed that she has been in contact with Oklahoma State about being a member of the school’s inaugural women’s wrestling team in 2026. The NCAA earlier this year voted to add women’s wrestling as its 91st championship sport. If she attends Oklahoma State, Turner would likely take a redshirt year as a freshman and join the team as a sophomore.
“It’s pretty cool that they’re starting those things up,” Turner said. “It gives girls more opportunities, so I think it’s really cool.”
Turner has some added responsibilities in her senior year. She is a team captain, leading the group of eight to 10 girls. On a team with a majority of underclassmen with minimal wrestling experience, Prim said, Turner has shown them the ropes, getting them ready for tournaments.
“It’s actually been fun,” Turner said of becoming a leader of the team.
Turner had two goals heading into competition Saturday morning. One was to win a SJS Masters title. Check. Now, she has one final goal to check off the high school bucket list: a state championship.
She, Davis High boys wrestler Keiko Valdez, who finished fourth at 120 pounds, and the coaching staff will leave Wednesday around noon, according to Prim.
Her first match Thursday is against Dalylah Mora, a junior from Arroyo High of the Southern Section.
“I want to be a state champ,” Turner said. “That’s my number one goal right now.”
Prim said Turner has what it takes: “She’s got a good chance at (winning state) if she’s mentally prepared. I know that she feels she is in the best shape of her life and she knows that she’s one of the best girls in her division.”
Stanislaus District State Wrestling Qualifiers
Boys
120
Eliazar Valdez (Davis, Sophomore)
132
Jesse Meza (Junior, Oakdale)
Kekoa Ogawa (Senior, Central Catholic)
138
Ej Sheeran (Junior, Pitman)
Sean Griffin (Freshman, Central Catholic)
144
Victor-Alexancer Gutierrez (Junior, Central Catholic)
Jack Locke (Turlock)
150
Isaac Padilla (Pitman)
165
Brodie Johnson (Pitman)
Gideon Gerber (Senior, Oakdale)
175
Mason Ontiveros (Pitman)
190
Carter Vannest (Pitman)
215
Wes Burford (Junior, Oakdale)
Jeremiah Mora (Pitman)
285
Troy Ceja (Pitman)
Matthew Cooley (Sophomore, Oakdale)
Joaquin Rodriguez (Junior, Ripon)
Eli Swartz (Freshman, Central Catholic)
Girls
100
Lily Dizon (Sophomore, Pitman)
Aliah Bertalotto (Junior, Turlock)
105
Jazmine Turner (Senior, Grace Davis)
110
Tabitha Montez (Freshman, Central Catholic)
115
Patricia Bray (Sophomore, Pitman)
125
Gabryella Austin (Senior, Pitman)
130
Brendy Puckett (Senior, Johansen)
135
Dulcy Martinez (Sophomore, Central Catholic)
140
Yzabella Austin (Junior, Pitman)
155
Shaylin Potter (Senior, Ripon)
170
Helena Arroyo (Senior, Escalon)
190
Alicia Espinoza (Junior, Central Valley)
235
Brianna Espinoza (Senior, Central Valley)
Annebella Austin (Freshman, Pitman)
