ODU Wrestler Ready to Make His Mark
Written By: Greg Arnold
Staff Writer
Last season, Old Dominion wrestler John Nicholson watched from the stands as his team earned a losing record of 7-13. This season, as a redshirt sophomore, he is able to do something about it. He is personally holding an 8-2 record and leads the team with four major decisions. His team is 4-1. He does, however, have a long way to go before he considers himself a success.
A shoulder injury kept Nicholson off the mat, but he has recovered and is ready to get back to it. Nicholson was not too pleased about having to sit out last season, “It was hard, it sucked. There were a lot of times where I just wanted to jump right out there and wrestle, but I couldn’t.” He was redshirted and forced to watch from the sidelines.
This season has been marked by change for ODU wrestling. Not only is Nicholson now eligible to wrestle, but he says there has been a huge swing in the entire team. “It’s a more disciplined team,” Nicholson said, “We’re doing a lot better, we are more focused.”
Another new element to the team is senior Te Edwards, who transferred in from Arizona State University. “Te is a great asset to the team because he is a leader. He is new, but everyone looks at him and sees he is winning and doing well.”
The mountain Nicholson is looking up at is his own goals. When asked about his goals, he answered before the question was even finished, “National Champion.” Then he put that goal even higher, “If you want to reach a goal you have to shoot past it, so my goal would be to pin the National Champion.” Not only does Nicholson want to be the National Champion, he wants to score a pin to win it.
Nicholson knows he will have tests coming soon that will show him just how high that mountain really is. “In a month, eight of the top ten guys are going to be at the Scuffle.” While many are recovering from New Years, Nicholson with be at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Jan. 1 and 2. There, ODU will face some of the best colleges including Penn State, the defending National Champions.
Nicholson also understands he has to do more than beat the best to be a National Champion. He has to beat pretty much everyone. He will not be able to let his guard down because any other wrestler can beat him if he is not careful. This gets to be harder and harder as he climbs the rankings and becomes a target. Lower ranked players will look to beat Nicholson to make a name for themselves. “I’ve never looked at myself as a target, I always look at myself as an underdog no matter what.”
If the name Nicholson is familiar, it is because John’s older brother James is a three-time All-American wrestler who graduated from ODU after last season. “We rough housed a lot, my brothers picked on me,” John said of his childhood, “But that is why I think I am tough today.”
The next time Nicholson and the rest of the ODU wrestling team has a match at home will be Jan. 11, 2012, when they take on Bucknell.
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