North Central’s wrestling team has a unique roster this year. This season, the roster consists of 17 first-year athletes. Combined with eight second-year athletes, which means that 71 percent of the team is made up of underclassmen. On top of that, there are just two seniors on the team, a rare phenomenon for the wrestling squad.
As the season started, the first-year athletes have already proved that they belong by performing well in their meets. Ben Williamson, one freshman on the team who has been competing well in his weight class, and who currently has an 18-11 record, looks up to some of the older members of the team.
“I look up to our captains Josh Tardy and Erik Kirkman…, I’ve known Josh for a while now… he showed me, by example, what North Central wrestling is all about,” says Williamson. “He pushes me to work hard and to stay disciplined; if something goes wrong on the mat, he’s the first guy that will be there to pick you up.”
Tardy, who is currently a senior member of the team and one of the captains, has the best record on the team as of now with a staggering 27-4 in this school year. Kirkman, a junior member of the team, has an impressive record of 13-16, and is also a captain.
“It is nice being on a team with so many underclassmen,” said freshman Bradley Martens. “They might be going through similar difficulties adjusting to college … and having people to relate to is great to have.”
Having a surprisingly large amount of freshmen can help the young athletes connect with one another; they are able to have somebody to relate to and it can forge strong relationships. Even with new athletes, there is no concern of tension among them. And the healthy competition between members is there to help them improve upon their skills and abilities in their sports.
“Tempers might flare, but that typically ends when we walk out of the practice and go get dinner together,” said Martens.
Wrestling, much like any other sport, requires bonding among teammates for the team to be become stronger. With a lot of freshmen this year, there is certainly room for stalwart bonds. Training sessions are not the only times where members are together. There are certainly those who sit together during breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Though it may seem like a small thing, these are the kinds of interactions that allow people to create unbreakable chains.
Joe Norton, a former North Central student and wrestler, is returning as the head coach for this year’s wrestling team. In his college wrestling career, he was ranked No. 9 nationally, and was even a recipient of North Central’s Senior Influence Award for leadership across all sports and the Merle Chapman Leadership Award from the CCIW. Coach Norton’s expectation for his new athletes include becoming better every day and also to, “learn to be accountable, grow as leaders, and be coachable.”
He believes that having a young team is exciting, mainly because there is a lot of room for improvement and growth. He also believes that whenever improvement is made, and his athletes are able to get better every day, that his team is on the right track.
