Central Michigan University Athletics
Pride and Perseverance
2/21/2018 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. â€" Perseverance and selflessness. Humility and pride.
For Hunter Rollins, a senior on the Central Michigan wrestling team, it started in 2013 with hope and determination, a legitimate goal of becoming an All-American after a standout high school career in Illinois.
In five years, so much has changed for Rollins. The opponent went from wearing a different-colored uniform, to an internal struggle: Is it good enough simply to do it for the sake of doing it? Is finishing, and the self-satisfaction one derives from achieving a long-term goal, enough?
For all intents and purposes, Rollins' college wrestling days are over despite the fact that the Chippewas have the Mid-American Conference and NCAA championships ahead of them.
For Rollins it's been about looking ahead since he arrived on campus in 2013, and now it will be about looking back, not at a successful career in the tangible sense. But instead one that is telling about a young man's drive, his perseverance, and his willingness to selflessly be a part of something.
It's about doing something because, well, it's the right thing to do. And it's about proving something to the most important person out there: You.
Rollins came to CMU in 2013 after a standout career at Hersey (Ill.) High School that ended with a loss, ironically, to current teammate CJ Brucki in the 160-pound title match in the 2013 Illinois state tournament.
It was during that state tournament that Rollins injured his shoulder, the beginning of a litany of injuries-followed-by-surgeries that would underscore the rest of his competitive days.
Then there was the competition in the wrestling room. A seemingly-always-rehabbing Rollins found himself battling the likes of Brucki, Jordan Ellingwood and alum Mike Ottinger for a starting spot.
Rollins kept showing up, kept rehabbing, kept going back at it. He saw former teammates in similar circumstances give up and drop off. Rollins dug in his heels, determined to see it through even as his window of opportunity became increasingly smaller, as he went from among the young guy in the room with potential to a veteran on a rung or two below the others.
"It's what my parents instilled in me," he says. "I've never quit really anything in my life. No matter what, really. I came into it with a class with 12 kids and we have five left.
"There were definitely times where I was like, ‘Is this what I want to do?' I had talks with my parents, I had talks with coach about it. But I just felt it was better for me and who I was going to be as a person later on just to stick it through. It's been a long five years, don't get me wrong, but I'm just glad to say that I stuck it out, did my best. Helped the team out as much as a I could when I could."
For that, Borrelli is grateful, and respectful. You don't, after all, become one of the most successful and respected coaches in the nation without knowing what it takes to build and maintain a program. The front-liners are nothing without good workout partners.
"I think sometimes that's tougher than the guys who get all the attention, the guys who get to start every weekend and everybody's talking about them," Borrelli says of the likes of Rollins. "The guys who never get to wrestle or who rarely get to wrestle, to me that's a tougher chore. … I have as much respect for those guys as anybody."
No, the college wrestling spotlight never shone on Rollins and now, after a few more weeks of practices in the wrestling room, the sun will set on his competitive wrestling career. For the record, he went 24-35 over four years as a Chippewa, wrestling in open tournaments.
There won't be a lifetime of looking back at newspaper clippings and videos of Hunter Rollins pinning opponents and winning matches in a maroon-and-gold singlet. No, but he can hold his head high every time he looks in the mirror, and every time he â€" or anyone else â€" tells his story.
He persevered in the wrestling room, and earned his degree. He also earned an awful lot of respect, even if today he doesn't necessarily fully see it in that light.
"I felt like I was just always one step behind, trying to work to try to get to that (next) level," he says. "I wish I could have provided more for (Borrelli) on this team. That's always a disappointment for me and I would have always liked to benefit the team more than I did. But I hope he's happy with what I contributed and how much I did."
