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Wednesday, 22 February 2012 21:20 |
 Senior Mike Kessler takes control over a Davidson wrestler. Mike won his match and the team brought back the Socon Championship title. Paul Heckert | The Appalachian
Pain. Doubt. Fear. “How will I do when I get my next chance on the mat?”
Those were just some of the thoughts and emotions senior Mike Kessler faced when he dislocated, broke and tore all the ligaments in his elbow during his sophomore wrestling season.
For Kessler, who’s been wrestling since he was four years old, sitting out a full season was “one of the most depressing times” of his life. It wasn’t easy either, to watch his team struggle to a 9-11 record without the opportunity to help.
But the injury also helped the wrestler realize how much his sport meant to him.
“It gave me [the opportunity] to look at wrestling from a different standpoint,” Kessler said. “I can’t tell you how many times I have considered quitting since I was a little kid, but after my freshman year, I realized that I don’t think about quitting as long as I set goals for myself.”
After his frustrating sophomore campaign, Kessler was given another chance. He’s made the most of it ever since.
The senior finished the season with a 30-11 record, including a 6-0 record against Southern Conference opponents.
But those accomplishments are mere steps toward the goals Kessler believes he can reach by the end of the season.
“The conference tournament is where it really matters, so this gives me a little confidence going in - because I know what I’ve got to do to beat these guys,” he said. “The main goal I have had since I decided I was going to wrestle in Division-I is to be an All-American. It is still a foreseeable goal.”
Ultimately, Kessler knows what it takes to win an individual SoCon championship and earn an opportunity to compete at the NCAA tournament at St. Louis, Mo. He barely lost to Chattanooga’s Cody Cleveland 9-5 in last year’s 141 pound SoCon championship match.
“The loss definitely went through my mind a couple of times over the summer,” he said. “I know that I was so close, and I know that if I can win it this year if I continue working hard.”
Some of the traits that have helped Kessler get to this point in his career were ones that head coach JohnMark Bentley noticed when he was recruiting at the High School National Tournament in Virginia Beach, Va.
“His mentality on the mat stuck out to me,” Coach Bentley said. “He’s a grinder. He keeps coming after the opponent, and he always stays in the opponent’s face.”
A grinder doesn’t lose hope when times get rough. A grinder is always focused on the prize at the end. A grinder never stops working hard, and never loses his determination.
Mike Kessler would not be where his is right now if he wasn’t a grinder. And his teammates are taking notice.
“Mike is a hammer,” teammate Brett Boston said. “Every time he goes out on the mat, you pretty much know he’s getting the win. When you see him at practice, you know he’s working hard and giving it everything he’s got. That’s what has made him successful.”
Story: CHASE ERICKSON, Intern Sports Reporter
Photo: PAUL HECKERT, Intern Photographer |
