The following article appeared in the Preston Hollow newspaper on January 19, 2026
By Todd Jorgenson
 

In his heart, Kingston Stephens was going to be a basketball star. But his body had other ideas.

Stephens came to Jesuit Dallas as a 5-foot-2 freshman weighing less than 100 pounds. So, he knew he had to channel his competitive instincts elsewhere.

Three years later, Stephens is one of the most decorated wrestlers in program history, on the verge of becoming the first Jesuit athlete since the school transitioned to the UIL in 2003 to win 100 individual matches.

"I figured wrestling has weight classes, so I wouldn't be at a disadvantage," Stephens said. "I had zero clue about anything wrestling-related. I was borrowing shoes for the first two or three weeks."

Stephens earned a bronze medal in the 106-pound weight class at the Class 6A state tournament last year, securing the first top-three finish for the Rangers in more than a decade.

Learning the sport from scratch, Stephens didn't defeat his first opponent until about halfway through his freshman season.

"He fit into our lineup that first year and got some wins," said Jesuit wrestling coach Ryan Menard. "He didn't know the first thing about wrestling, but he found a passion and used every avenue he could to better himself. He's an extremely motivated young man."

As a junior, Stephens was 35-4 during the regular season and qualified for the 6A state tournament as a regional runner-up. He suffered a first-round loss, which required him to win five consecutive matches to claim third place.

"Getting to state wasn't the hard part, but once I got there and lost first round, that was really disheartening. I had to claw my way back," Stephens said. "I got off the mat after that loss and just put it behind me. Coach Menard got me in the right mindset."

That performance led to various opportunities over the summer, when Stephens wrestled for Team Texas at the USA Wrestling Junior National Duals in Milwaukee. He also traveled to the prestigious Junior Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota.

Now competing at 113 pounds, Stephens hopes to wrestle in college. But first, he's focused on returning to state in February — and becoming the first gold medalist for the Rangers since Kenny Halloran in 2004.

"He might be one of the smaller guys, but he's the alpha in the room. Everybody looks to him because he sets the standard for the team," Menard said. "He's doing something that nobody's done before."