Austin Rath '17 Recruiting Profile

Most people do not “get” wrestling unless they have done it themselves or have a family member or close friend that wrestles. To most people, wrestling is a bunch of sweaty guys in leotards rolling around on a mat. I thought the same way when my mother first talked to me about it in my freshman year of High School. 

I have always been a football player.  I have played football since I was six years old it was all I ever wanted to do until another football parent told my mother about wrestling and how it would help me with my football skills. I was all for it; anything to help me improve in football but I never thought I would come to love another sport more than football but I did.

To me, wrestling is the greatest challenge I have put myself through and it stimulates how I think.

Wrestling has taught me to be accountable. I would not be able to hold my head high if I did not work my hardest for the sake of myself, my teammates, my family, and my coaches. Wrestling has shown me what hard work means. When I walk off that mat for the final time, I will know that I have put every ounce of energy into the sport to improve myself, whether I reach my goals or not. I know that I will be able to be proud of whatever I achieve because the sport has taught me more than many things in my life.

The skills I have gained from wrestling have translated to other facets of my life. I have learned to be efficient with the limited time I have. I can juggle multiple pressures and thoughts at once. I am able to silence my own doubts.

Discipline, dedication, and determination are three of the important values that wrestling has instilled in me.  My dedication to wrestling and the values I have learned from the sport will carry me to lifetime success. When I sit down and work through a difficult calculus problem, physics concept, or English essay, I receive the same feeling from overcoming obstacles as I do when I walk off the wrestling mat with a win.

No matter where I go in life, I will use these skills to be successful. Whether I am raising a family or researching for a dissertation, I know that I will fuel the passion to reach my life goals by staying disciplined, dedicating myself to achieving my goals, and staying determined.