If there's one word to describe Ohio State's 165-pound sophomore Colt Sponseller, it's relentless.
It's a word used repeatedly by the Buckeye's head coach Tom Ryan, assistant coach Joe Heskett, and by Colt Sponseller himself, in separate interviews.
Colt Sponseller"He wrestles all-out, all the time. His gas tank is unlimited. He runs a five-minute mile, all at the same speed. He could run the second mile in five minutes, too."
The 2002 NCAA champ at 165 pounds for Iowa State continues, "Colt goes all out in practice, in matches, even in his thinking."
Coach Ryan concurs. "He trains like a true champion … A truly relentless competitor."
Colt Sponseller even uses the word to describe himself. "I approach life being relentless. Do everything as hard as you can. You don't want to take any shortcuts."
This relentlessness has been on display throughout Colt Sponseller's mat career. Among the highlights: A three-time Ohio high school state champ and 2007 NHSCA Senior Nationals champ … then, a 16-4 season as a true freshman at Ohio State last year, and, as of this writing, a 25-3 record as a sophomore.
Raised right on a farm
Colt Sponseller is very much a product of his upbringing. He grew up on a horse farm in Holmes County, Ohio -- Amish country, northeast of Columbus. "I grew up, helping out," says the Buckeye 165-pound starter. "You're bailing and mowing hay, doing chores, working out. There's not much leisure time."
Colt Sponseller is 25-3 this season and ranked No. 2 in the country at 165 pounds by RevWrestling.com (Photo/Kevin Schlosser)As Buckeye head coach Tom Ryan puts it, "He was raised the right way. His mother raises horses, and has an incredible work ethic. His dad has coached wrestling, and also sets high standards."
In fact, Colt Sponseller's father Randy helped set the stage for both of his sons to enter the sport of wrestling. (Colt's older brother Clint is a senior at Kent State University in Ohio, wrestling at 149 for the Golden Flashes.)
"Dad wrestled in high school," says the Ohio State sophomore. "He runs the youth program back home, and had been a junior high coach."
"I started wrestling at about age 4. In sixth grade, I won a state title in youth competition. Wrestling didn't really become serious for me until sixth grade."
That may have been just the first in a number of turning points in Colt Sponseller's wrestling career.
High school mat star
In his freshman year at West Holmes High School, Colt Sponseller compiled a 30-11 record. He qualified for the Ohio high school state tournament, and placed third at 130. By his own admission, a real turning point was the following summer -- and an early sign of his relentless nature: "The summer after freshman year, I didn't take a day off. I worked out with my high school coaches. My work ethic skyrocketed. I turned up my work ethic to a whole new level. I wanted a state title bad."
Prior to becoming a Buckeye, Colt Sponseller was a prep standout at West Holmes High School in Ohio (Photo/Kevin Schlosser)Sponseller's high school mat career continued on an upward trajectory. In his junior year, he built a 42-1 record, and won his second Ohio state title -- this time at 152 pounds, edging Josh Rohler of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, 5-4, in the finals -- then went on to win the 2006 National High School Junior Wrestling Championships at 152.
Senior year was the pinnacle of Sponseller's prep career. He was 46-0 that year, capping his career by winning his third Ohio Division II state title, this time in decisive fashion, with a 25-12 major decision over Canal Fulton North's Kyle Haddox in the 160-pound finals. A few weeks later, Sponseller won the NHSCA Senior Nationals championship at 160… claimed Outstanding Wrestler honors for the event … and was named NHSCA's High School Wrestler of the Year. He was also voted Region 4 Wrestler of the Year, and a finalist for the Junior Dan Hodge Trophy, awarded by WIN (Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine) to the nation's top high school wrestler. Sponseller graduated from West Holmes High with an overall record of 154-13.
Born to be a Buckeye
As expected for a high school wrestler with these accomplishments, Colt Sponseller "got a lot of letters from colleges, starting junior year."
Tom Ryan recruited Colt Sponseller to Ohio State (Photo/Kevin Schlosser)"However, early in my high school days, Ohio State wasn't doing so hot. When Coach Ryan came on board and said he wanted to keep Ohio kids in Ohio, that really spoke to me."
Tom Ryan mentions how Colt Sponseller expressed his intense desire to be a Buckeye during the recruiting process: "We talked about running the steps at Ohio Stadium as part of our training program. Guys puke their guts out after that run. But I remember him saying, ‘Coach, I've been waiting to run those steps all my life.'"
In his bio in the Ohio State wrestling media guide, Sponseller says, "I chose Ohio State because it is The Ohio State University."
Further demonstrating his determination to be a Buckeye, in an article from the Daily Record announcing that he had been voted the newspaper's 2006-07 Athlete of the Year -- which included a one-time college scholarship of $750 -- Sponseller explained how he could accept the scholarship: "I sacrificed a full-ride from three other schools to go to the school I wanted to go to. There isn't a lot of money available for wrestling and I understand that …"
A frustrating freshman season
Colt Sponseller had a strong first season wearing the Scarlet and Gray, compiling a 16-4 record as a freshman.
There's always the issue of whether to redshirt a student-athlete who's new to college. In the case of not redshirting Colt Sponseller, it's something that Coach Ryan wrestles with to this day: "For me, it was a hard decision … We forced it along, but he helped us win some important dual meets."
Colt Sponseller started his freshman season with a bang, but had a disappointing Big Tens (Photo/Kevin Schlosser)After recovering from the hand injury, Sponseller had an impressive debut for the Buckeyes in December 2007, getting a 3-1 decision over Wisconsin's Jake Donar. He was one of two Ohio State wrestlers to record a perfect 5-0 mark at the 2008 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals.
Yet, ask the Buckeye 165-pounder about the high points of his young college career, and he immediately responds, "I really haven't accomplished anything yet."
He quickly follows up with, "I had an alright year ‘til the Big Tens. I just didn't have the tournament I wanted."
At the 2008 Big Ten Championships, Colt Sponseller was seeded fourth in the 165-pound bracket. He drew a bye in the opening round, then, in his first match, lost in overtime to Illinois' Roger Smith-Bergsrud, the fifth seed. In the consolation bracket, Sponseller fell to unseeded Luke Manuel of Purdue, and did not place. Nor did he qualify for the 2008 NCAA Division I Championships.
"You learn from things," says Sponseller. "The Big Tens motivated me to keep that from ever happening again. I've stepped it up a lot more."
Joe Heskett weighs in: "After the Big Tens, Colt has learned strategy. It's definitely helping him win the big-time matches now."
"One of his most special attributes is his openness," adds Heskett. "He's open to learning, willing to grow."
Sophomore success
That openness to learning and relentless pursuit of perfection seems to be paying off for Colt Sponseller in his sophomore year. Right now, he's 25-3, with four pins, five technical falls, and three major decisions. Among the highlights of his second season as the Buckeye 165 starter: placing second at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational … getting a 4-1 win over Jarrod King to help rally the Buckeyes in a win at Edinboro … and being named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week in mid-December 2008.
Ask Colt Sponseller to describe his wrestling style, and the first word out of his mouth is, "Relentless. Always in your face, always trying to score. Always looking for the takedown."
Joe Heskett"Relentless" is also the first word out of Tom Ryan when asked about his 165 starter's mat style. "His greatest gift is tolerating discomfort. He has unbelievably high threshold for discomfort."
Joe Heskett agrees: "He puts in an amazing amount of work. He's able to push his body to incredible extremes … When you wrestle him, he will make you tired."
"He has a great belief system. He trains to win."
Life beyond wrestling
In addition to being relentless on the mat and in the training room, Colt Sponseller brings a similar level of intensity to his studies. As a freshman, he earned All-American Academic honors. When asked about his class work, the sophomore responds, "It's a lot harder this year … It's your responsibility as a student-athlete to do well in the classroom. After all, you can't be a wrestler all your life."
So, does Colt Sponseller have a life beyond the practice room and classroom? Yes, apparently in the offseason. The guy who grew up on a farm says, "I love the outdoors -- hunting, fishing, four-wheeling, paintball … I also like hanging out with friends, talking about anything but wrestling."
"I love to cook," adds Sponseller. "I'm very much a work-in-progress in the kitchen … With my parents both being busy, I had to learn to fend for myself, doing my own laundry and my own cooking."
Colt Sponseller is a business major. Right now, he's not sure what type of career might be waiting for him after graduation, but, in discussing his interest in cooking, he discloses, "I'd like to run my own business someday. Maybe even a restaurant."
He's also open to the idea of possibly becoming a coach. "I'd love to be a college coach. I like the intensity. I think I could turn my hard work and determination as a wrestler into a successful coaching career."
Colt Sponseller has quickly become a fan favorite (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)His coaches return the compliment. "Colt is the prototypical Buckeye, what we want here at Ohio State," says assistant coach Joe Heskett. "He excels in every way. He's a great person, a great student, a great wrestler."
"Colt Sponseller and Mike Pucillo have jump-started our rebuilding program," according to head coach Tom Ryan.
"(Sponseller's) quickly become a fan favorite here … Expectations are sky-high for him."
"Colt Sponseller is good for college wrestling," Ryan continues. "He's equally impressive off the mat, too."
"He sets the standard, not just for the team, but for the sport."
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