Mason Wallace '17 Recruiting Profile

To say I love the sport of wrestling is probably an understatement!  I have been wrestling since I was five years old and my love for the sport has grown stronger with time.  I have been very fortunate to have some amazing coaches, including my dad who coached me until high school and continues to coach our Freestyle/Greco team.  My parents support of my wrestling has definitely helped me excel.  I have been honored to represent Team Kansas on the National Dual teams, as well as, at Fargo, Folkstyle Nationals in Iowa and NHSCA in Virginia Beach.  I am up for the challenge to compete against kids from all over the Nation and always have some sort of takeaway out of every additional coaching opportunity.

Wrestling has taught me a lot in my life.  I am a very determined person, I will set a goal and do whatever it takes to reach that goal.  Once that has happened, I will aim that goal higher and continue to work hard towards that next goal.  I have also adapted and overcame disappointment from missing a goal.  An example of that was my freshman year at state, I had the goal to not only be a state champion that year, but to be a four time state champion.  I was winning the quarterfinal match 10-1 and in the 3rd period, I lost focus for a second and those dreams/goals crumbled.  Reality set in that two goals, that I had been working so hard to achieve, were never going to happen.  So, I took some time to evaluate the situation and realized that I needed to set a new goal of finishing 3rd, which was the best that could happen. That road was not going to be easy, I needed to win 5 matches and get past 2 state placing seniors, as a freshman...that year I finished 3rd at the state tournament.  I knew I couldn't dwell on my mistake, that I had to learn from it and never let it happen again.  My sophomore year, I won the state championship, I knew to focus until the last whistle and to never overlook anyone.  I still have the goals of being a 3 time state champion, a double Fargo All American the next two years and a 4xNCAA All American.  I also aspire to be on the World Team and Olympic Team and wrestle for the USA!

I have faced adversity throughout my wrestling career.  I would work just as hard as my teammates and they would place at kids state and I would always come up short, so I would just work harder before and after practice.  I ended my kids career being in the finals the last three years and winning the last two years.  This was the most successful performance coming out of our kids program.  During that time I was very driven and committed to bringing pride and joy to my family.  My mom was sick, during this time, and she related her illness to me battling on a wrestling mat and how that was going to make her strong enough to pin cancer.  She was in the stands and witnessed my first and second state title...her fight strengthened my fight to succeed and win.  

I am not afraid of hard work.  I know the dedication and commitment that you have to have to succeed at this sport and I am ready for the challenge to take it to the collegiate level.  I am a very coach-able wrestler and enjoy the opportunity to absorb as much knowledge as I can. I am excited to get to learn from some of the best coaches out there and compete on the mat with others who share the same passion for wrestling!