Eva Hermansson wakes up at 3:45 a.m. each morning.

Long before the first school bell rings at Woodstock North, Hermansson works out and spends time in prayer to ensure her frame of mind is clear. Hermansson’s discipline and devotion to her faith are just a few of the tenets that have made her a successful wrestler and team captain this season.

“For me, it’s really important to be a good example and to lead by example,” Hermansson said. “When I graduate, I want for them to be able to continue the program and keep it running how it is.”

A senior and leader for the Woodstock co-op girls wrestling team, Hermansson owns a 20-1 record with first-place finishes at the Sandy Gussarson Invitational in Antioch and the Dundee-Crown Invitational. The belief in herself and in her faith has spurred her forward and allowed her to become one of the area’s top wrestlers.

“A big part of my athletic career has been the firm foundation I’ve built with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Hermansson said. “A verse I live by is 1 Samuel 18:14. Glorifying Him and remembering that I can’t do by myself, I’m not here by myself and I’m here for a reason. ... I believe that nothing is possible without having your firm foundation and without my faith, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

A Northwest Herald All-Area second-team honoree as a junior, Hermansson has wrestled anywhere from 100 to 110 pounds this season. The bond she shares with coach Eric Hunt is visible on the mat and in her faith.

“She asked me to go to church with her,” Hunt said. “That’s a huge thing for a 17-year-old to ask her coach and her coach’s family to join her. I even bought her a pair of socks that have her favorite bible verses on them, and she gets ready with them on before her matches. It’s been really cool to see, and she’s even taken the girls off to the side, doing a little prayer and working with everybody.”

Hermansson, who holds a 78-16 career record, hasn’t lost a match after finishing fifth in Hampshire’s Whip-Pur Women’s Classic last month. A regional runner-up and a sectional qualifier at 105 pounds last season, Hermansson’s goals this season include advancing to the state tournament and reaching the 100-win mark for her career.

A soccer player for most of her life, Hermansson joined the girls wrestling team as a sophomore after attending a camp during the summer. She quickly caught on, posting a 22-6 record with a sixth-place finish at regionals. Hermansson went 36-9 as a junior.

“It’s been really cool to see her go from thinking wrestling is interesting and her wanting to dip her toes into the water to being where she is today,” Hunt said. “She’s into bettering herself, and she made wrestling her sport.”

Hermansson’s success hasn’t come without her own tribulations. Near the end of her sophomore season, one day before she was set to compete in her first-ever sectional tournament, Hermansson suffered a muscular hematoma in her right knee. The injury ended her season and sidelined her for about five months.

“I went to the emergency room that night, and I couldn’t go to sectionals,” Hermansson said. “I was supposed to be at sectionals trying to make it to state for my coaches and my team. ... I pushed as hard as I could and I probably pushed a little too hard because I was in a lot of pain over that summer, but I just continued to push and trust that it would all work out and my body would be strong.”

Hermansson finally made her sectional debut as a junior, when she found herself on the consolation side of the 110-pound bracket, but just one win away from qualifying for state. Hermansson was pinned with about 30 seconds left in the match, ending her season just short of a state berth.

Rather than folding to the doubt or questioning herself after a tough defeat, Hermansson leaned on the faith and discipline that have guided her throughout her life.

“I went into that year very built on my faith and I felt very strong with that,” Hermansson said. “I did still struggle with some hard losses and strong emotions, but I felt better on the mat because I knew that whatever happened was meant to happen. I’ve seen hard competition, and I’m excited to see more.”

A boon to Hermansson’s success this season has been her short offense from the neutral position. Hermansson said it is an area in which she’s gained a lot of confidence.

“Up until this year, I was wrestling more scared,” Hermansson said. “This year, I’ve taken into account to be more offensive and put it to the other girls instead of waiting for them to give me something to work with.”

Raised in Woodstock, Hermansson’s inspirations include her older brother Erik, a former Woodstock North soccer player who joined the U.S. Army. It was around the time Erik started basic training that Hermansson, who intends to sign with the U.S. Air Force and serve after graduating high school, signed up for girls wrestling.

“He was doing something hard, so I thought I would do something hard,” Hermansson said. “It was really hard for me when he left, and when he left it was just me at home. ... I went to the summer camp and I thought it was kind of cool. I thought it was a cool way to get a workout in, and I thought it would help my conditioning for soccer. I decided I’d join the team, and it’s truly changed my life.”

A member of the Spanish National Honor Society and Woodstock North’s Best Buddies program, an inclusivity program for students with special needs, Hermansson will graduate high school with an associate’s degree from McHenry County College.

“I’m grateful to wake up every day,” Hermansson said. “It’s hard, and some nights I’m up really late studying and I’ll need to be up at 3:45 in the morning. It’s hard, but it’s about remembering that all of the work is going to pay off. In the bible, getting up before the sun is important to be a Godly woman, and I truly believe that.”