No. 7 Baker places fourth at NAIA Central Regional
After spending time at a junior college and redshirting, this has been your first season wrestling for the Baker University wrestling team. Can you describe your wrestling career prior to coming to Baker?<strong>After spending time at a junior college and redshirting, this has been your first season wrestling for the Baker University wrestling team. Can you describe your wrestling career prior to coming to Baker?</strong> After spending time at a junior college and redshirting, this has been your first season wrestling for the Baker University wrestling team. Can you describe your wrestling career prior to coming to Baker?
Before I came to Baker, I actually hadn’t wrestled for seven years, so I had some time off (with me) being 26. I’ve been wrestling since I was six (years old). In high school, I was a four-time state placer. I was a state (champion). I was ranked in the top 30 in the country my sophomore through my senior year.
You have also had your fair share of success this season by qualifying for the national tournament and making it to the championship match of the regional tournament Saturday. How pleased have you been with your performance this season?<strong>You have also had your fair share of success this season by qualifying for the national tournament and making it to the championship match of the regional tournament Saturday. How pleased have you been with your performance this season?</strong> You have also had your fair share of success this season by qualifying for the national tournament and making it to the championship match of the regional tournament Saturday. How pleased have you been with your performance this season?
This season has been up and down. I’ve had some really good matches where I have beat All-Americans. I’ve beat nationally-ranked guys, but then I’ve had some matches where I have not wrestled so well against non-ranked kids, but I’ve also fought a lot of injuries this season. Overall, it has been good, but there have been some up and downs.
In the championship match Saturday, you just barely lost 3-2 by decision to your teammate, junior Jarid Price. Although it must have been discouraging not to win the weight class, how much do you benefit from having someone of equal skill like Jarid to practice against?<strong>In the championship match Saturday, you just barely lost 3-2 by decision to your teammate, junior Jarid Price. Although it must have been discouraging not to win the weight class, how much do you benefit from having someone of equal skill like Jarid to practice against?</strong> In the championship match Saturday, you just barely lost 3-2 by decision to your teammate, junior Jarid Price. Although it must have been discouraging not to win the weight class, how much do you benefit from having someone of equal skill like Jarid to practice against?
It’s amazing. It’s great. I’ve always been a big believer that you have to have a good practice partner to be good. I’ve always had good practice partners since I was a kid, so I think (I’m) only going to get better wrestling someone as good as Jarid. So either way, he wins, I win, we both win in the long run being the top two in our region. We both are going to be nationally-ranked. We’ve got a lot of expectations for nationals, so either way, it works good. I love having him as a practice partner.
The team placed fourth in the Central Regional and is currently ranked No. 7 in the nation. What are your expectations for yourself and the team at nationals?<strong>The team placed fourth in the Central Regional and is currently ranked No. 7 in the nation. What are your expectations for yourself and the team at nationals?</strong> The team placed fourth in the Central Regional and is currently ranked No. 7 in the nation. What are your expectations for yourself and the team at nationals?
It’s the same as every athlete. I expect to be an All-American. I don’t expect anything less, and as a team, I want to place higher than being ranked No. 7. I want to be top four or top five. We should have done better, I think, at regionals, but I think we can compete against (No. ) Oklahoma City (University) and (No. ) Missouri Valley (College). I think we are better than them, so I want to see a top-five finish for Baker and I want to be an All-American, if not national (champion). I don’t settle for anything less than being the best.