WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. –
This article was first published in the Lafayette Journal and Courier on Dec. 11, 2005. It was written by Mike Carmin.
Flash back to March 2003.
Purdue’s Chris Fleeger was on top of the wrestling world.
The then-redshirt sophomore was ready to battle Cornell’s Travis Lee for the NCAA championship at 125 pounds. He was 32-0, including a Big Ten Conference championship. Fleeger had planned to take the 2003-04 season off to train for the Olympic Trials.
Move ahead to December 2005.
Fleeger is dealing with a high left ankle sprain. He limps around The Blake Family Wrestling Training Center located in Lambert Fieldhouse, watching his teammates conduct drills. Fleeger pauses for a minute and then quickly resumes his workout with assistant coach Scott Hinkel. Fleeger’s world has dramatically changed since losing to Lee in Kansas City more than two years ago. He couldn’t deal with the setback, mainly because he believes he was the better wrestler that day. The Olympic Trials didn’t go as planned. Academic troubles forced Fleeger from the wrestling team.
“It’s probably been the toughest year of my life, “Fleeger said. Now, Fleeger is in the process of putting his academic life back in order. He’s juggling 25 credit hours this semester in order to show progress toward a degree, which should be achieved in May. Previously, Fleeger never took more than 15 hours in a semester.
Not only is he enrolled at Purdue, but Fleeger attends night classes at Ivy Tech and takes online corespondent classes from Ball State. That’s just one hurdle the Trout Run, Pa., native has to clear. If Fleeger is ruled eligible by the university, he has to petition the NCAA for a sixth year of competition. A decision is expected around Christmas. “It’s so hard to describe the things I went through, “Fleeger said. “I knew I dug myself a hole and I know it was all my fault. I lost my scholarship. I had to take out loans and tried to find work. Still, I had to fess up to my shortcomings and ask the university for a second chance. ”
Fleeger has a different outlook. The desire to win a national championship still burns inside, hoping to erase the pain from that 2003 loss. Those around Fleeger see a change.
“You have to make the right decisions and that’s what I’m seeing from him, “Purdue coach Jessie Reyes said. “He’s working harder in the classroom. He’s always worked hard in the wrestling room but he’s working harder. He’s always wanted the team to do well but he hasn’t expressed it in the right way.”
Ben Wissel, a senior who wrestles at 184 pounds, likes what he sees from Fleeger.
“He’s focused, “Wissel said. “He’s been doing all the right things, including training hard. He’s got one goal in mind — that’s winning a national title. I think he can do it and that’s what I expect to see out of him. He has the talent and the focus right now to achieve that. “After losing the NCAA championship, Fleeger began his downward spiral. In hindsight, Fleeger said he should’ve bypassed the Olympic Trials. He battled through injuries to take a shot at the Olympics but the dream fizzled.
“My heart wasn’t fully in it, “he said. “I wanted to wrestle but I was still upset about the loss. I wasn’t taking advantage of the training opportunities. I squandered a year.”
Once back at Purdue, Fleeger started missing class, the beginning of his academic woes. He posted a 6-1 record at the beginning of last season but lost the passion to compete. Family members, friends and teammates tried to talk to him about his situation. He gave them the courtesy of listening but tuned out their message.
The wakeup call for Fleeger was being declared academically ineligible. The pressure to perform and work out disappeared. Although initially relieved, he eventually realized his mistakes.
“It’s one of those things you need to learn on your own, “Fleeger said. Fleeger came to Purdue as a highly decorated wrestler. He was a two-time Pennsylvania state champion, compiling a 134-5 record. He was undefeated as a senior and sophomore at Loyalsock High School, recording identical 34-0 records.
If he returns to the Boilermakers, Fleeger will wrestle at 133 pounds. Fleeger has watched tapes from his freshman and sophomore seasons, when he was a combined 66-5.
“I really had a fire that I wanted to go out there and score a lot of points, “Fleeger said. “I wanted to dominate people. Later in my career, I wrestled not to lose. I didn’t put as many points on the board. I want to put points on the board, get those team points and go for the pin. I think I have a fire, and I hope it carries over when I eventually get on the mat.”
Since this article was printed in the Journal and Courier, Chris Fleeger earned passing grades in all of his classes in the fall semester and is on track to graduate from Purdue in May 2006. He now awaits word from the NCAA on his Olympic waiver application, which would grant him a sixth year of eligibility, allowing him to compete in the upcoming semester.
Wrestling Gear
