By ALLEN GEMAEHLICH
The Daily Sentinel
Central High School senior Sean White is hoping to get a college wrestling scholarship, but has no idea where he might receive one.
White has at least one school in mind ” Mesa State College ” now that wrestling is returning to the NCAA Division II athletic program.
“It opens up an option for me for a college education and to continue wrestling through college,” he said. “I think the likelihood is pretty good. It will be cheaper for me and I can stay in town with friends and family.”
White’s situation is similar for many wrestlers who are seniors or who have already graduated.
It’s a good option for them, area high school coaches say.
“This gives (high school seniors) some direction to go,” Grand Junction coach Gene Wilder said. “Unless you are a four-time or three-time state champion, there are not a lot of places to go. You have Western and (Colorado School of) Mines, but you have to be a rocket scientist to go to Mines. This will help kids. It gives them something to look forward to. We see a lot of kids when football is over with say they need to take a couple weeks off. They end up taking three nights off and are ready to do something.”
Before Mesa State announced the return of wrestling, only Colorado Mines, Adams State, Western State and the University of Northern Colorado offered the sport in Colorado.
Palisade coach Brian Rush came back to Grand Junction to wrestle for Mesa State in the late 1980s after working for the forest service for a year.
“It’s good Mesa is getting it back,” he said. “It gives the kids an opportunity to stay local. It gives kids that play football and wrestle the opportunity to do that at Mesa State. I’ve already heard of two or three kids wanting to do both. Sometimes schools without wrestling lose kids.
“They could draw from Vernal (Utah) as well.”
The program was dropped one year after Rush’s collegiate wrestling career ended in 1989-90.
With it returning to Mesa State, some recent high school wrestlers are interested.
“Josh Pittsinger called me the other day and asked me, ‘What is this rumor I’ve been hearing? Is it true?’ ” Wilder said. “I told him, ‘Yeah.’ He asked me if he could come work out with us.”
Pittsinger, a 2004 state champion, is working in construction now and not attending college.
He isn’t the only former high school wrestler on the Western Slope interested. Wilder said another former Grand Junction wrestler, Trent Girtman, is working out. Four-time state champion Mike Smith of Nucla and two-time state champion Scott Garoutte of Moffat County are attending Mesa State College and are interested in wrestling next year.
“I’ll definitely consider it,” Smith said. “If I can be awarded scholarship money, I’ll definitely consider it. I don’t want to be stuck with paying for my entire college.
“If it does come back and they get a strong coach, I probably will wrestle.”
Garoutte, who pinned his way through the state tournament last year at 215 pounds, is playing football for Joe Ramunno.
“I’m excited about it,” Garoutte said. “I figured I was done with wrestling after state (last year).
“As wrestling season is getting closer, I’m eating better (not dieting to make weight) and excited to watch, but I know I’ll miss it (this season).”
Garoutte could have played football and wrestled at Western State College, but decided to attend college closer to home.
Smith graduated from Nucla last spring but turned down scholarships offers to other schools to take a break from wrestling and concentrate on school.
“I never thought about wrestling beyond winning four state titles,” he said. “I kind of wanted a break so I enrolled at Mesa, but I still miss wrestling now and then.”
Smith has stayed in shape since winning his fourth state title eight months ago.
He lifts weights religiously and is taking kick boxing and jujitsu lessons. He weighed 130 pounds during his senior wrestling season and is up to 170 now.
Smith works on wrestling moves with Central High School graduate and current Mines student Ryan Plieness regularly.
Grand Junction senior Justin Reed, who took up wrestling last year, is excited about Mesa’s new program.
“When I heard that I was stoked,” he said. “It will definitely be one of my considerations.”
Allen Gemaehlich can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].
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