The achievement of 100 wins in wrestling is a large conquest for athletes to reach. Starting from freshman year, the successes build throughout the wrestlers’ four years. This mileone is no easy feat but multiple PV seniors make it seem simple.
Earlier this season, three seniors achieved their 100 wins and were gifted a large poster with a collage of wrestling pictures of themselves to be hung. In late January, two more seniors joined the 100 win club. Holden Willett and Ike Swanson spent tireless hours on and off the mat to achieve this goal.
HOLDEN WILLETT
Awarded his 100 win poster on Jan. 2,. Holden Willett was the fourth senior to achieve this milestone. Willett qualified for state last year and is looking forward to earning a spot again this year.
Willett started wrestling in 5th grade, starting at the USA Mat Club in Cedar Falls, because his neighbor convinced him it would be fun.
As Willett grew, so did the passion for the sport.
His first high school win was unforgettable for Willett. Weighing in at 106, he was up against his rival school in Wisconsin. The round ended in an 8-0 dominant victory for Willett. This moment opened Willett’s eyes as he saw the opportunities in his future wrestling career.
His most memorable PV Wrestling moment was his junior season. “Coming in as the 4-seed at the district tournament to qualify for state, I had a tough season because of a hard weight cut but I felt better than ever that day and upset the 2 and 3 seed to take 2nd and qualify for the state tournament in a 2-1 match,” Willett said.
Willett has learned a lot more than physical skills throughout his career. “Wrestling taught me that what I put in is what I will get out of it and I feel I can apply that to anything in life. If I want to be good or at a high level of something, I have to put the effort in to achieve that,” he said. “There is a lot more to learn from a loss than a win.”
Willett has decided that he will be hanging up his wrestling career after the state championship that starts on Feb. 15, but has enjoyed being a part of the PV wrestling team and leaving an impact with the other four seniors in the 100 win club.
IKE SWANSON
On Jan. 31, Ike Swanson was the fifth senior to achieve the 100 win milestone. These posters are a new addition this season, featuring different pictures from throughout their seasons.
Swanson started his wrestling career in kindergarten through the PV wrestling club. His participation in this club continued until 8th grade. His dad was a big part of his journey, coaching him in the corner when Swanson had his most memorable match in 6th grade at State.
“It was a close match that came down to the end and I remember coming off the match to hug my dad who was coaching me in the corner,” he explained.
For Swanson, wrestling is a large mindset sport. He learned to persevere through adversity to prove to himself that hard work does pay off. He believes that because of the mental and physical obstacles he has gone through, it has changed who he is for the better. “I truly believe that wrestling has made me stronger and more successful in other aspects of my life because of the lessons I have learned,” he said.
Although Swanson will be ending his wrestling career this season, to play baseball at the college level at Luther College, wrestling has still been a huge part of his life and not something easy to walk away from. “Advice I’d have for my future self is to not take any time for granted. Wrestling is hard and sometimes you get to a point where you dread practice, but the time you put in is worth the reward of winning,” he said.
After this season of wrestling ends, he will be switching full focus to baseball for his last high school season.
At the Feb. 11 District Tournament at North Scott High School, these \ senior wrestlers competed for a spot at state in Des Moines on Feb. 15. A record number of PV wrestlers qualified on Saturday, sending 10 to state including the five seniors to represent PV at the state competition.
