Azle Lady Hornet wrestler Elly Yelle has joined an elite group, earning the 100th victory of her career with a third-place finish at the Wrestle Like A Girl Tournament in Oklahoma over the weekend.
Yelle’s journey into wrestling began in unexpected fashion. When COVID-19 shutdowns halted most youth sports, her family turned to WWE for entertainment. That led to a family assignment: choose a wrestler, research them and present the findings. Elly chose Ronda Rousey, and the deeper she dug into Rousey’s background, the more she became inspired to try combat sports herself.
That curiosity led her to Genesis Jiujitsu, where she trained under coach Karen Banes. The intensity, discipline and technical precision of jiujitsu immediately clicked, giving her a strong foundation in grappling and positional control. When she transitioned into the Azle wrestling program in junior high, those early skills translated seamlessly, and she quickly established herself as a tough matchup for anyone across from her.
