You placed fourth overall in your weight class and qualified for the national tournament in the Dan Harris Open in your first collegiate wrestling tournament Sunday. How pleased were you with your performance?<strong>You placed fourth overall in your weight class and qualified for the national tournament in the Dan Harris Open in your first collegiate wrestling tournament Sunday. How pleased were you with your performance?</strong> You placed fourth overall in your weight class and qualified for the national tournament in the Dan Harris Open in your first collegiate wrestling tournament Sunday. How pleased were you with your performance?
It was pretty good. (I) worked hard in practice and been coached pretty good. The coaches really, really work with you. It was overall pretty good.
After a successful high school career, how difficult has it been transitioning to wrestling in college?<strong>After a successful high school career, how difficult has it been transitioning to wrestling in college?</strong> After a successful high school career, how difficult has it been transitioning to wrestling in college?
Not too bad. Same style, you know. Coaches kind of work on, basically, what you’ve got, just try to perfect what you already have. They work really well with your style of wrestling and not trying to implement new styles. They’ll teach new moves every once and a while and, basically, they just shape the way you are.
How were some of those big tournaments you wrestled in high schools helped prepare you for the season?<strong>How were some of those big tournaments you wrestled in high schools helped prepare you for the season?</strong> How were some of those big tournaments you wrestled in high schools helped prepare you for the season?
Well, coming into college, I knew it was going to be harder, I knew it was going to be a new level. It’s a lot different than high school or kids going to big tournaments when I was younger or going to state. Again, you get all your nerves out there. And then once you come to college and you start wrestling a lot better quality kids, it’s not that bad. It just isn’t that bad.
The team has a pretty big tournament coming up in a few weeks when you’re going down to the University of Iowa at the Dan Gable Arena the day after Thanksgiving. How special will it be to wrestle in that tournament?<strong>The team has a pretty big tournament coming up in a few weeks when you&#8217;re going down to the University of Iowa at the Dan Gable Arena the day after Thanksgiving. How special will it be to wrestle in that tournament?</strong> The team has a pretty big tournament coming up in a few weeks when you’re going down to the University of Iowa at the Dan Gable Arena the day after Thanksgiving. How special will it be to wrestle in that tournament?
It will be awesome. Iowa is always where I’ve wanted to go.
Two years ago, the team consisted mostly of freshmen since that was the first year of the program. How are those wrestlers, who are now upperclassmen, helped you and some of the freshmen out this year?<strong>Two years ago, the team consisted mostly of freshmen since that was the first year of the program. How are those wrestlers, who are now upperclassmen, helped you and some of the freshmen out this year?</strong> Two years ago, the team consisted mostly of freshmen since that was the first year of the program. How are those wrestlers, who are now upperclassmen, helped you and some of the freshmen out this year?
They are there, always helping everybody along. I mean, (junior) Nathan (Sommer) and I used to wrestle together on the high school team. He was always an upperclassman on my team, and I’ve wrestled around with him. Of course, he’s heavier than me, so he helped me out. All the other guys, I roll around with (like, sophomore Alek) Bowls and he’s older and he helps me out. (Sophomore Marcus) Banducci; they are always one to help.