Eight days. That’s how much practice time Daniela Santander had accumulated this year entering the East Aurora girls wrestling regional this past weekend.

The senior from Romeoville had only wrestled in one tournament all season and it came the week before at the Southwest Prairie Conference meet. She didn’t even know she’d be able to wrestle at conference until four days before.

An arm injury suffered shortly before the start of the season had kept Santander out the entirety of her final prep season before that meet. While disappointed in her performance at conference, she remained determined to do the best she could at regionals and hopefully clinch a spot in the top four to advance to sectionals.

Against most odds and after a season filled with adversity, not only did Santander advance, she did something she’d never imagined: Finished atop the podium.

After falling behind 4-0 in the 110-pound championship at East Aurora to Plainfield East’s Angelina Nettey, Santander kicked it into high gear. She recorded a takedown with six seconds left in the second round to take the lead and earned the fall just before the conclusion of the third.

The win gave Santander her first regional championship. With just two wrestling meets all year, Santander is heading to sectionals.

Not bad for a kid who didn’t even know if she’d get to wrestle this year.

“(Nettey) was so tall and so big,” Santander said. “I had to come up two weight classes after getting hurt at the beginning of the season. I was so nervous, but I had my whole team and coaches to support me. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Two days before the first tournament of the season, Santander began to feel pain in her right arm. She described not being able to move it, but doctors weren’t able to fully diagnose the problem. All they knew was she wouldn’t be able to wrestle for the foreseeable future.

“As soon as it happened, I just saw my whole season flash before my eyes,” Santander said. “I was physically hurt, but I was more hurt inside, like, ‘Oh my gosh there goes my whole season.’

“I trained spring, summer, fall. I gave up so much so I was so…worried I wouldn’t be able to come back.”

Santander said she hit physical therapy “like crazy” in an effort to return. While her arm began to feel better, doctors still cautioned against her return. A few weeks before conference, they told her she may want to wait another month before returning. That would’ve ended her season officially.

Santander wouldn’t accept that. She pushed for the doctors to allow her to return. Romeoville coach John Arlis said she had to convince the doctor she needed this for scholarship opportunities. Four days before conference, she was medically cleared. She had two days of practice to get ready.

She wound up finishing third. To most, that would be beyond impressive. Santander is not most people.

“She finished third and it was devastating for her (not to place higher),” Arlis said. “I had to explain to her, ‘You haven’t wrestled all season.’ She came back and worked really hard all week to try and win regionals.”

Which is exactly what she did. It’s the fourth time she’s advanced to sectionals and is looking to advance to state for the second time after finishing in the top eight last year.

Arlis said this is exactly the kind of thing he expected out of her.

“Daniela is a special girl,” Arlis said. “She works hard and has that mindset of ‘I’m not giving up’ and that paid off for her. She just has that desire to win. It was great to see her come back.”

Santander hopes to continue her career in college and has been in conversations with multiple schools about scholarships. Before that, though, she’s focused on the task at hand.

The goal for Santander is to place at state and get her picture on the walls of Romeoville. She knows the path in front of her is challenging. The Schaumburg sectional is extremely competitive. She’s pulled off more than many could’ve imagined so far, though, and she’s not going to stop now.

“Schaumburg is the hardest sectional,” she said. “I just have to keep on fighting, do what I’m doing. I’m going to try my hardest, practice and just do me. I always pull it off.”