Brandon RolnickRolnick: For a number of reasons. First of all, growing up in New Jersey and going to Lawrenceville, it's a pretty easy transition. It's a big networking system around here. A lot of my teachers go to Princeton. In terms of wrestling, I know that I will have a lot of support there. It's obviously a great school. I also like the social scene too. I didn't want to make a decision solely based on wrestling when I feel that college is a little bit bigger than that. Another reason is Chris Ayres. I know that he can work wonders with the program. He's a great wrestler and a great coach. I feel like I'll be taken care of at Princeton.
There will be critics who say that you will never be able to reach your full potential as a wrestler unless you compete for school ranked in the top 10. How do you respond to people who say that?
Rolnick: Obviously, I disagree. If you take a look at Cornell's program, UPenn's program, Harvard's program ... You have guys placing high at NCAAs, if not winning NCAA titles. Coming from a school like Lawrenceville that doesn't even really have a wrestling program, I have made it work here. With Ayres at Princeton, it's not going to be an issue. He's talked about possibly having me take an Olympic year in college to train out at the Olympic Training Center. At Lehigh, he has had so much success, even as an assistant coach, so I have a lot of faith in him. Also, I know the Rider guys really well. I work out there two or three times a week. It's about two blocks away and right down the street from Princeton. I've been going there a few times a week ... and they have been bringing in some of their younger college guys to work out with me. Their volunteer assistant coach, Doug Umbehauer, is also really supportive. I have been working out with him a lot and he does a good job. I don't think I'll really need the supplement, but it's there if I need it.
I'm not saying I'm not going to have my growing pains that everyone who goes into college has. Even this year I'm trying to wrestle more college kids. I'm going to the East Stroudsburg Open on November 21. I'm just trying to get acclimated to the college style. They are tougher on top in college. The mat wrestling is going to be my hardest transition. Like I said, I'm going to obviously go through the pains of becoming a college wrestler. We also got a couple kids that can roll around on the mat. I know they are looking to recruit another assistant coach too.
Princeton has gotten verbal commitments from a few other wrestlers from the Class of 2010. Have you gotten to know any of them?
Rolnick: A little bit. I wrestled with Ryan Callahan at the end of my middle school career ... actually in the state finals. So I've known him. He's a New Jersey guy and our parents talk. Then I met Robert Shepherd, who is from Ohio. I didn't get a chance to talk to him much, but he seemed like a nice kid and that he was really dedicated to the program.
Lawrenceville is a boarding school with strong academics. How important was it for you to be at a boarding school with strong academics to prepare for college?
Rolnick: It was huge. I have been living away from my parents for four years already. I don't have anyone standing over my shoulder telling me when to do my work, when to go to practice, and when to have fun. I have been dealing with time management on my own for like four years. Freshman year is a lot more strict trying to get used to being able to go to college. They initially have two-hour study halls that are mandatory. And then they get a little bit more relaxed sophomore and junior year. Now, this year ... It's on me to get my work done. If you take a look at my GPA, my freshman year I had like a 2.9. Sophomore year I had like a 3.2 ... and I have just gotten progressively better. Junior year I had like a 3.6 or 3.7, so the system works pretty well. I have learned to deal with academics on my own. College will be a little bit bigger of a step in terms of not really having anyone look after you at all. But in terms of boarding school, I think it was a good thing to do.
Blair Academy is the premier wrestling program not only in New Jersey, but also in the country. Did you ever considering attending Blair Academy?
Rolnick: Yeah ... actually I got into Blair Academy. My parents were pushing me to go to Blair. I really had a tough time with that decision. Blair is also a boarding school with good academics. But when it came down to it, I just liked Lawrenceville better as a school overall. I talked with one of my club coaches, Ernie Monaco, at Edge Wrestling. He basically said, 'Look, if you stick with us and go to Lawrenceville, you'll still be able to become a great wrestler. If you like Lawrenceville better, you should just go to the school you like most.' I took his advice and worked closely with those guys and with some other club coaches ... and I got it done at a school that I like better and where I felt more comfortable.
I also like having a little bit more control over my schedule. I can choose whether or not I want to go to certain tournaments ... and if I need to get the work done, I can take that time off and get the work done at Lawrenceville. I feel like with Buxton, he's going to be a little overbearing ... and I would have to go to all the tournaments he wants me to go to. Obviously, there are exceptions, like if you have SATs, but like I said, I just want to have a little more control over my schedule and take a break when I want to take a break ... and I have that ability at Lawrenceville.
Living in New Jersey, have you worked out much in the Blair Academy wrestling room?
Rolnick: Oh yeah ... I love the room. The room is great. I work out there probably two or three times a week in the summer. You don't have to think about anything. Buxton works on everything you need to work on.
Brandon Rolnick placed third at the 2009 Junior Nationals in freestyle at 152 pounds despite beating finalist Joey Cozart. He scored a 1-0, 4-0 victory over Nebraska recruit Brandon Wilbourn of Missouri in the third-place match (Photo/Dave Jedlicka/jedicheetah.com)Rolnick: No ... I have no idea. I was also looking at UPenn and Harvard. I thought if I went to UPenn, I would want to go to Wharton. I feel like Princeton just had a better liberal arts program. I thought I could take my time and decide what I want to do when I get there.
What was the recruiting process like for you?
Rolnick: It was bittersweet. I loved going and meeting the teams and the excitement of being in a new school ... and having the choice all over again on what school I wanted to go to. Then again, it was very stressful because of all the SAT prep, everyday speculation about which school is better, which one you think you can get into ... It's overbearing. It's always kind of looming over your head. At the end of the process, it's great to be done and know what school you're going to. But it's also pretty horrible having to call up the coaches and say, 'Look, I know your job is invested in what kind of kids you can get into your school, but I can't come to your school.' During the process, coaches are calling every week and you get to know them all pretty well ... It's really heartbreaking. I guess they are professionals and they deal with that all the time, but it's still tough.
You have finished in the top three at Prep Nationals the past three seasons. How important is it to you to get that Prep Nationals title?
Rolnick: It's huge. I'm going to be gunning for it hard. I have a lot of people supporting me. I'm going to win it this year. I have to. It's not about winning it as much as going there fully prepared. If I lose, I want to know that I tried my best. The past couple years it has been rough. My best training has come at other schools because there's not much going on at my school. A lot of times it's just a waste of two hours of my life. During the summer, like for Fargo, I'm always well trained because all I have to focus on is wrestling. I have all the time in the world to train. In the winter, it's pretty hard to keep up with the Blair team when I'm not practicing as hard. But this season, I've been working out at Rider, as I've said. And I'm going to be working out with Ayres a little bit too. I have faith that they can get me in the best shape and put me in a position to win it this year.
Looking ahead to college, have you pinpointed to what you hope to accomplish on the wrestling?
Rolnick: Not exactly. Obviously, everyone wants to win the big tournament at the end of the year. But I feel like I'm going to take it one season at a time. Try to set little goals and then work my way up to the big tournament. I just really want to get better one day at a time ... and stay more focused on wrestling my best, rather than winning and losing, especially the first year. I know that I'm going to suffer more losses than I'm ever used to losing my first year as a true freshman. I want to stay positive. Obviously, I want to win, but I'm more focused on getting better and improving on aspects that are weak.
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