SLIPPERY ROCK— Not much fazes Kandice Brendlinger on the wrestling mat.

She's calm. She's cool. She's collected.

And she's 9.

"She takes a lickin' and always bounces back up," said her father Ron Brendlinger. "Nothing bothers her. She's just solid and tough."

There's a good reason why Kandice is so battle tested.

In the basement of the Brendlinger home, Kandice and her two older sisters, Kayla, 15, and Kelsey, 12, often can be found wrestling on a large mat sprawled across the floor.

Kandice and Kelsey roll around the mat and giggle, until their eldest sister walks down the step into the "dungeon," as the family calls their makeshift wrestling room.

Then things get serious.

"That's when the work gets done," Ron Brendlinger said.

That work led Kandice to a U.S. Girls Wrestling Association national freestyle championship late last month.

Kandice competed in the 57.5-pound weight class in the Elementary Division of the tournament, which was held at Churchill High in Livonia, Mich.

Kandice won five hard-fought matches, including a 3-2 decision in the championship final.

Every wrestler the third-grader defeated was older than her. Some were two years older.

"That was the hardest part," Kandice said. "There were some girls from the fifth grade. I was nervous, but I beat them."

Kandice competed at the USGWA nationals last season and placed third.

"It's hard to win five matches," Kandice said.

But she did it this year. And she did it with her usual tenacity.

"She didn't wrestle perfect," Ron Brendlinger said. "But she kept battling and she earned it. She won a few nail-biters."

Kandice said her best move is her head lock.

"I work on it a lot," Kandice said. "I like it."

Kandice has quite a fan following already. The Grove City High wrestling team has adopted Kandice, whose nickname is "Red" because of her thick, crimson locks.

"She's everyone's little sister," Ron Brendlinger said. "We went to the Grove City wrestling banquet and everyone stood up and yelled, 'Red!' They all love her."

Kandice relishes her first-place plaque from nationals, which is hanging on her wall.

Kandice said it felt good to stand at the top of the podium to receive it.

"That was really exciting," she said.

Not many are excited to face Kandice on the mats — save her sisters, of course.

They were busy last month, at the national tournament as well.

Kelsey finished fourth in the Elementary Division and Kayla was fourth in the HighSchool Division.

ButKandice came home the victor and could become the first three-time national champion in the USGWA Middle School Division.

She has two more years to wrestle in the division, and it seems Kandice can only get better.

"You don't want to get too far ahead of yourself," Ron said. "But she can do it. She's really a special kid."

Just how special remains to be seen.

Ron whispers the "O" word, trying not to jinx his youngest daughter.

"You don't want to think those things, but you have to think Olympics," Ron said. "By the time she is old enough, she will have seven years experience in freestyle. There will be few who have done more of it."