Rivera Siblings Rack Up Accomplishments On and Off the Field

There was a reunion of two busy Brentwood kids on Saturday.

junior David Rivera was at the Class 1, District 1 MSHSAA wrestling finals at , where he took runner-up in the 285-pound weight class. He's now 29-6 and will go on to wrestle at the state meet.

His sister Sophia, an eighth-grader at , arrived in time to see him wrestle, coming from an indoor track meet in Illinois where she had just won a national championship for 14-year-olds in shot put.

Patch grabbed this photo of the two of them together, and later got the scoop from their mother, Michelle Hassemer, by email.

Here’s what she said about her kids, beginning with a direct quote.

“Our kids have made my husband and I VERY proud… both on and off the athletic fields! They never fail to amaze me!!!”

She sent the information below about the two Brentwood students.

David is a junior at BHS:

• He plays football and was first-team all-district in offense and defense (he had 11 sacks this year).
• He wrestles and qualified for state last year (4th place at districts) and this year (2nd place). He took 1st at the Union tournament and 3rd at the Brentwood tournament.
• He is on the track team, where he throws the shot put and discus. He has also thrown in AAU and USATF meets, where he competes in javelin as well.
• He is on the debate team and has placed in several tournaments. His favorite events are Duo and Policy.
• He is a member of the Diversity Club and the National Honor Society. 
  

Sophia is an eighth-grader at BMS:

• She competes for ’s basketball, soccer, and softball teams (the middle school girls compete on St. Mary Magdalen's teams).
• She has been active in track since the fourth grade at club level, where the competition is divided into age groups.
• As a Bantam (9-10 year olds), she placed 2nd at the USATF Youth National Championship in North Carolina in the mini-javelin. She competed for the Hunterdon North Lions track club, of Clinton, NJ.
• As a Midget (11-12 year olds), she placed 6th in the USATF Youth National Championship in the mini-javelin, and 10th in the discus as an 11-year-old, again under the banner of Hunterdon North. When the Riveras moved to St. Louis, Sophia joined the Webster Rock Hill Rockets and took 2nd in the mini-javelin and 11th in the discus at the USATF Youth National Championship in Lisle, IL.
• As a Youth (13-14 year olds), she won 2nd in the javelin, 3rd in the shot put and 7th in the discus at the AAU Club National Championships in Orlando, FL. This past weekend, she won the shot put at the AAU Northern Indoor National Championships with a throw of 36 feet, 9.25 inches. She improved almost 4 feet over her previous personal best of 32 feet, 11 inches. This was her first time winning a National Championship.
• She is a member of the National Jr. Honor Society, and volunteers regularly for the Brentwood PTO at the concession stands.