Central Michigan University Athletics
Former Chippewa a National Wrestling Champ
12/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
LAS VEGAS - As is always the case in wrestling, you reach one goal, there's another.
Former Central Michigan All-American Wynn Michalak defeated Scott Schiller of Minneapolis, 12-4, in the 97 kg (213 pounds) gold-medal match Saturday at the USA Wrestling U.S. Nationals/Olympic Trials Qualifier at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Michalak, a three-time All-American at CMU from 2004-08, wrestles for the California-based Titan Mercury Wrestling Club and is a volunteer assistant coach at Illinois. It was Michalak's first U.S. Nationals title, and it punched his ticket to the U.S. Olympic Trials in Iowa City, Iowa, April 9-10.
"It was a great feeling to wrestle well," said Michalak, 31. "The accomplishment of winning the national title is nice, but at this level my goal isn't to just win a national title, it's to win an Olympic title.
"This is something I have to do to get there. It's a great feeling and I'm going to enjoy it for a few days, but the big picture is definitely the Olympics. So I'm going to get back to work and try and keep improving to try and win that Olympic gold medal."
Michalak was one of the most-decorated wrestlers in CMU history, finishing as the national runner-up at 197 pounds as a senior in 2007-08.
He was a four-time Mid-American Conference champion, a three-time MAC Wrestler of the Year, twice earned CMU's Chick Sherwood Most Valuable Wrestler Award, and in 2004-05 was named the MAC Freshman of the Year.
A native of Caro, Mich., Michalak earned his bachelor's degree from CMU in 2008 with a double major in secondary mathematics education and physical education. He is working toward his master's degree in athletic administration.
After graduating, Michalak served as a graduate assistant under CMU coach Tom Borrelli. In 2010 he moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to train at the Olympic Training Center. He moved on to Illinois in 2012.
He competed at the Olympic Trials in 2012, finishing 0-2. His trip to the 2015 U.S. Nationals was his eighth in that event. His best previous finish was second, in 2014.
On Saturday, he defeated his first two opponents by technical fall, and his third on a pin.
"It was a really good tournament," Michalak said. "I've had tournaments that kind of came close, but I don't think I've ever scored that many points in four matches. I think I was really on and I just kind of let my offense go.
"Over the last few years, through coaching and wrestling, I think I've learned a lot about match strategy (and) if you want to be the best in the world you need to be able to score a lot of points. You need to be able to score when you want to and for me that means creating more scoring opportunities, that means more attacks, going out and just flowing through a match instead of going out and trying to execute one specific plan."
At the Olympic Trials, the competition will ratchet up significantly. Among the competitors at 97 kg are expected to be World Champion Kyle Snyder, defending Olympic champion Jake Varner, and former U.S. World Team member J.D. Bergman. None of those three competed last weekend in Las Vegas.
At this level of wrestling, there are few surprises. Most of the wrestlers have faced one another, in some cases several times, and sometimes they even train together. At 31, Michalak has been through the ins and outs of the sport; he's been ranked among the best in the world, he's scored wins over Olympic champions.
"It's been a long road," he said. "I've been wrestling for a long time now and I knew I was always capable of (winning a national title). I've always knocked on the door, but to actually get that national title feels really good. I just want to carry this momentum for the next four months into the Olympic Trials."
Michalak said he has put an emphasis on mental preparation, something he hopes pays more dividends come April.
"At this level, everybody's talented," he said. "It's getting your body and your mind to do the things you want them to do all the time.
"Everybody's good, and every match that you go out there for is going to be tough. You can't take matches off. There's no warmup matches. You have to be ready from the very beginning to compete.
"In my career I've had some issues with consistency across the board. It was just (a matter of) going out and actually doing it. I'm hoping with my training right now I can maintain this consistency in competition. I'm still training with that, still tweaking it to maximize what I'm capable of."
The trials - if he doesn't make the Olympic team - may signal the end of Michalak's competitive days on the mat. Certainly, it's been fulfilling. But most don't continue to compete into their 30s without a goal. And for Michalak, that's the Olympics.
"At 31 I don't want to wrestle forever," he said. "I'm getting married on Jan. 1. I want to start a family, I want to start a career. This is my last go 'round. I don't really consider it a do-or-die matter, just because that's not how I want to wrestle. I don't feel like that benefits me to say 'win here or it's over.'
"I am going to go out and wrestle like I have nothing to lose."
Michalak said he would love to get into coaching fulltime once his competitive days are done, whether that comes in April or at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio De Janeiro.
"Wrestling is a platform for me, it's a sport but it's also a way for me to reach out to kids and be a role model and a mentor," he said. "If it wasn't for God keeping me healthy and giving me these abilities, I wouldn't be doing it.
"I love coaching, I absolutely love it. Whether it's at the college level or youth or high school level, I just love being able to make an impact in a kid's life."
Michalak credited CMU coach Tom Borrelli with helping to instill and cultivate in him a love of the sport, and for teaching it, and using it as a vehicle for education and personal growth.
"Tom was always there for me," Michalak said. "I could go to him for anything, any time. I still talk to him relatively frequently, just to say hi, see how things are going.
"He'll call me if he saw something in one of my matches. He's always been there for me. He's definitely been more than a coach to me. He's been a mentor, a teacher. He taught me how to work hard, how to be successful, how to be a good person. He does a great job of being not only a coach, but a mentor and a teacher.
"I'm very thankful that I was part of his programs not just as a wrestler, but as a person. A lot of coaches are more than just coaches. And that's what I want to be. I want to be more than just a coach to kids, I want to make them better people, I want to make them better citizens."
First though, there's another goal out there.
