I recently caught up with Padden to talk about his season, his team, his rivalry with Jake Rosholt of Oklahoma State, and his future aspirations.
B.J. PaddenPadden: I started out kind of slow. I lost to that Boise State kid. But it's getting better. I had a pretty good week, I thought, at the National Duals. But still, I feel like I'm on an uphill climb, getting ready to peak hopefully at the right time.
Give me the ideal scenario for how the last month and a half of your collegiate wrestling career will play out.
Padden: I'm training to win the remainder of my matches. I'm working hard and trying to stay focused. I'm taking each dual one at a time. We're in the Big 12 season now. The Big 12 Conference is, in my opinion, the toughest conference in the country. Of course, I might be a little biased. That's definitely true in our weight class. We have Flaggert, Foust, and Rosholt … it's just a really tough weight class. My goal is to go out there and show the country what I can do … and win out the rest of the season, ending with a national title.
Nebraska is currently ranked fifth in the country. Is this team good enough to win a national title this season? And if so, what will have to happen at the NCAA Championships?
Padden: I think we're definitely good enough to win a Big 12 title and a national title. It's going to take everybody coming together and wrestling solid. I don't think we need to get stressed and go crazy thinking we have to wrestle like a bunch of Olympians or anything, but just go out there and wrestle solid. Guys that get knocked out in the first two or three rounds of nationals, we need those guys to come back through and make into that last day … because I feel that is where the national title is won. Oklahoma State has done such a great job of that. They have guys that come in, they're not really ranked, but they win matches at nationals and come back through the wrestle-backs … and that's how they've been winning it, in my opinion.
Your coach, Mark Manning, is extremely intense during competition. Is he that intense in the practice room, too?
Padden: Yeah, he's definitely intense in the practice room. He's a little bit more intense during duals … just a little bit, though. But he also knows when to keep it light. He's really good about that. We try to keep it light before practice and kind of relax. But when practice starts at 3:30, it starts. No more messing around until we're done.
I read an article where one of your teammates last season, B.J. Wright, said you're the "Outback." What did he mean by that?
Padden: I'm not exactly sure. But I come from a small town in Montana that consists of about 55 people. They've always given me a hard time about being from a small town and being a ranch boy. I grew up on a ranch. It might have something to do with that.
Montana? I thought you won two South Dakota state titles…
Padden: Yeah, our ranch is right on the border. I went to high school in South Dakota, but the ranch itself is in Montana.
B.J. PaddenPadden: There weren't that many, actually. Like I said, I come from a small school. I didn't go to Fargo (Cadet/Junior Nationals) until my senior year. A lot of guys that I see in college went to Fargo two, three, four years while they were coming up through high school. So I didn't really get the national exposure they did. But one thing that helped me was that my older brother, Brandon, beat Wes Roberts in the Senior Nationals finals the year before I graduated. That kind of put the spotlight on me. He had already signed with an NAIA school in North Dakota. So when they talked to him, he pointed them toward me, so that was kind of neat.
Mark Manning is also originally from South Dakota. My head coach knew him in high school, so I didn't really look at any other schools. I always knew that I was going to go to Nebraska, just because that's where Mark Manning was. But I never really dreamed of going Division I. I was the only one from my high school to go Division I, so it was kind of a big deal. That was so far out of reach. Nobody ever thought of doing that.
B.J PaddenPadden: Yeah, I really have to prepare for each match with him. You have to make sure that you have the right intensity. If you mess up, Jake's the kind of guy that's going to capitalize on it. I came out on top this last time, but he's beaten me quite a few times in the last few years. I really enjoy wrestling him because he's a pretty hard nosed guy. He's country-boy, too. I've talked to him a little bit. He's from Idaho and he's a pretty good guy, so I don't mind wrestling him. I kind of look forward to it because I know what he's going to wrestle like. It's not a lot of surprises. He just wrestles solid. You just know that if you you're going to want to beat him, you need to wrestle solid. And if you don't, he's going to beat you.
What has been the highlight of your collegiate career at Nebraska?
Padden: Winning Vegas my freshman year was definitely up there. But the Big 12 title, what made that a little more special, in my opinion, is the fact that Rosholt went on to win nationals. It made it a little more meaningful, but yet in the same breath … I lost to him in a pretty close match in the NCAA semifinals. Beating him at Big 12's, losing to him at nationals … that kind of hurt a little bit. I would have to say that both of those things, Vegas and Big 12 title, are at the top. There's no way that I can pick one over the other.
Last season, you were the 11th seed at the NCAA Championships, two weeks after winning your Big 12 title over an NCAA champion. Did you look at that as kind of a slap in the face?
Padden: Actually, I don't even remember hearing what I was seeded. I try not to look at that or feed into that stuff. I don't check the rankings. I couldn't tell you what I'm ranked. That stuff doesn't bother me much. I try to wrestle the same way I did when I was a freshman and won Vegas, you have to beat everyone to win it. So just kind of take it one match at a time and don't worry about the finals until you get to the finals.
The biggest disappointment of your career?
Padden: That I can't I stick around for another five years! I've just really enjoyed going to college at Nebraska. It's a great place to be. I love the people.
Vince JonesPadden: I think he's going to be pretty good. He's definitely going to be an All-American and in contention for a national title before he's done. He's young yet, of course, but I don't think there's anything keeping him from being an All-American this season. He's a really tough wrestler. And he has confidence. That's one thing that you need in this sport, especially at the college level, is confidence. He's really picking up on the mentality and the differences between high school and college wrestling.
What are your post-collegiate plans?
Padden: I'm getting married this summer, in August, so I'm really excited about that. I would love to be coaching at the college level and continue wrestling internationally in freestyle.
The last two Nebraska 197-pounders before you, Brad Vering and Justin Ruiz, are members of the U.S. National Greco Team. Would you ever consider wrestling Greco?
Padden: I don't really have a lot of Greco experience, so I'd have to say no. I doubt I'd wrestle Greco. I've wrestled freestyle a few times. I kind of got into that late in my high school career, but it's fun. I think that I would try that. I wrestled in the U.S. Nationals in Vegas last year and wound up eighth, so I'm really looking forward to getting back into freestyle.
Are you planning on wrestling in Vegas at the U.S. Nationals again this year?
Padden: I might take a little time off this summer. But I'm planning on training all next winter. I would like to wrestle in the Dave Schultz and Sunkist. Just see where I can go. It probably kind of depends on where I'm living.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now