Wrestling Debuts at Bethany Wrestling debuts at Bethany
By Randy Fisher, staff writer
The McPherson Sentinel
Posted Nov 04, 2011 @ 11:01 AM
Lindsborg, Kan. —
If being passionate about a sport has any bearing on success, then the coaches of the brand-new Bethany College wrestling program are on the right track.
“You have to be really committed and passionate about college wrestling,” said Colt Rogers, a wrestler from Smith Center. “The coaches are young and passionate about each and every one of us. You can see that in practice every day, and it transfers over to us.”
Head coach Jacob Marrs and assistant coach Cody Garcia know a thing or two about success. They were members of a national championship program, as both wrestlers and assistant coaches, at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. And they are quite passionate about the sport and what it has done for them.
“This is a great opportunity for me and Coach Garcia to give back to something that has given us, besides our parents and UNO, pretty much everything we have,” Marrs said.
Hired in February 2011, Marrs hit the ground running. With high school wrestling in Kansas and neighboring states either over or rapidly winding down, he was already behind the recruiting eight ball. But he weathered the storm.
“I’m really proud of the bunch we got in, no more time than we had to recruit,” Marrs said. “These guys are laying the foundation for us. They’re going to build this thing to what it’s going to be.”
Of the 28 squad members, several come with impressive high school resumes. Those include Rogers and fellow Kansans Courtney Strauss (Abilene), Matt Atwood (Smith Center), Kyle Allen (Clay Center), Cole Schreiner (Topeka) and Colby Crank (Hutchinson), along with New Jersey’s Ottis Wright.
A senior, Allen also brought some college experience to the mat. He competed at UNO as a freshman but transferred to Kansas State as a sophomore. He had been content with just being a student until Marrs persuaded him to pull on the singlet again.
“He asked if I felt like trying it another year and giving it another shot,” Allen said. “I trust coach Marrs, and what he’s doing here. I felt like it was a good place for me, a good fit.”
Allen believes the biggest transition from high school to college is getting used to setting your own routine after being used to having one set for you.
“It puts a little bit more pressure on you as an individual to get things done and be accountable,” he said. “That also, in turn, shows on the mat. When you come to practice, really go through the process and work hard and put your time in, the work does itself in competition.”
Last year, Rogers was a freshman at Pittsburg State on a football scholarship. He missed wrestling and decided to transfer after hearing about what Bethany was doing.
“I knew Coach Marrs and Coach Garcia were going to be the coaches,” Rogers said. “I grew up hearing about them and watching them in high school, and knew the success they had in college. I couldn’t think of two better people to wrestle for.”
Although there is a team, wrestling is definitely an individual sport. The Swedes have outcome-based goals, as does every team, but don’t dwell on them.
“We focus on the process,” Marrs said. “I think that’s why wrestling is such a beautiful sport in that it parallels life so well. You’re going to get out of it what you put in.”
Bethany kicks off its season Nov. 6 in the Dan Harris Open at Baker University in Baldwin. The Bethany Swede Open is Nov. 12, and Marrs is hoping for a full house.
“We really want to give these guys an opportunity to wrestle in front of a great crowd,” he said. “We’d like to squeeze 2,000 people into Hahn and make it one of the meanest places to wrestle in all of college wrestling.”
Regardless of whether you know the difference between an arm bar and a half nelson, or you think a chicken wing is finger food, you should still experience Bethany wrestling for yourself.
“Even someone who isn’t there for the wrestling hopefully will grow to love the sport through some of the other things that bring the younger kids in,” Marrs said. “I really hope people will see our heart and family-like atmosphere. We just want to make it a happening, something that people look forward to coming out to a couple of times a year.”
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