All-American wrestler Unser has golden goals for Blugolds
· Yahoo Sports
Wyatt Unser entered his freshman season of college with high expectations. And he achieved a majority of them.
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The two-time state champion from Glenwood City had a superb rookie season at 133 pounds for the UW-Eau Claire wrestling team.
Unser captured a conference title last season, was named WIAC Newcomer of the Year and became an All-American after placing seventh at the NCAA Division III Championships.
Now he is looking to build on and exceed what he did as a freshman.
“National champ, that is the target of course,” Unser said. “That is what I was shooting for last year. I fell short, but if you aim for high goals you’re going to get a lot of high achievements, too. I was still an All-American and I want to improve on that. I’m focused on winning that title.”
Unser is still at 133, but he looks bigger and stronger this season.
“I worked hard over the summer,” he said. “It’s nice to get the season started. Getting back on the mat, it’s exciting. This is what I have been training for.”
Unser won his first match of the season by technical fall last Wednesday at the McPhee Center before winning a tournament this past weekend.
“Wyatt has had a good start with a home dual meet win and a dominant performance at the Messiah Invitational,” veteran UWEC coach Tim Fader said. “All of his wins at Messiah were bonus point wins.
“Wyatt is able to score so many different ways from all three positions and he wrestles really hard. It’s already noticeable the steps that he took in the offseason.”
Unser knows nothing is guaranteed for his sophomore season.
“Last year doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s a new year. It doesn’t matter if I am a returning All-American or not. You still have to go out and prove yourself.”
Unser did say it was beneficial having a college season under his belt.
“The experience of last year helps a lot,” he said. “It’s a long season and I know what to expect now.”
Unser is part of a strong Blugold program that won the WIAC Tournament title last season.
“We have a great group of guys and some really good wrestlers,” he said. “Our team is really close. We all push each other and support each other.”
Unser has found the perfect fit as a student-athlete at UW-Eau Claire.
“This is exactly what I wanted in a college,” he said. “It’s a nice community and campus. We have a lot of good professors. I am studying business administration and it’s going well. It’s a great school.”
As for this wrestling season, Unser realizes it is a process and nothing happens overnight.
“You just take it one day at a time,” he said. “You can’t look too far ahead. I just have to make the most of every practice and every meet, and keep building toward what I want to achieve.”