Sports
Edinboro coach says Bunch has talent to challenge for Olympic team
By JASON NICHOLS, Times Sports Editor
OKLAHOMA CITY — Though he didn’t reach his ultimate goal during his college career, Shawn Bunch’s third-place finish at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City will do nothing to diminish his status as one of the greatest wrestlers in Edinboro University history.
"He had an unbelievable career," Edinboro head coach Tim Flynn. "He came in kind of an unpolished wrestler with a lot of talent and became a two-time All-American and both years was an eyelash from being a national champion. He’s certainly one of the best wrestlers we’ve ever had."
Bunch finishes his career with a record of 132-24, the fourth highest win total in school history. He was a two-time All-American, including a national runner-up finish last season and a third-place finish this year. During that span, Bunch compiled a record of 84-4. Bunch is also one of just five four-time Easter Wrestling League champions and was a four-time national qualifier. And he is just the second Edinboro wrestler to record two 40-win seasons.
"We’ve had some kids in the finals, we’ve had a champ, but he’s right up there with all those guys," Flynn said. "I think people are going to see down the road, he’s going to polish it up even more and he’s hopefully going to be on an Olympic team."
After one of the best careers in Kansas high school history — in which he was a four-time finalist, a two-time champ, the state’s Wrestler of the Year and posted a career record of 150-10 — Bunch chose Edinboro over several larger schools. He knows he made the right choice.
"Maybe I wouldn’t have gotten the same treatment at a bigger school. Maybe the coaches wouldn’t have given me the attention," he said. "We have good coaches at our small school, so it was a good choice for me."
Though Saturday marked the final two matches of his collegiate career, both dominating victories over top five wrestlers, Bunch feels like he’s got plenty of gas left in his tank, even after the disappointment of falling in Saturday’s semifinal round.
"Overall, yes, I’m pretty happy with my career," he said. "I didn’t get to my ultimate goal in college, but there’s always other things to do."
Bunch is already set to compete in the U.S. Open in Las Vegas in April. The senior-level freestyle tournament features the top wrestlers in the country, all of whom are trying to position themselves for a spot on the national team. Bunch did not have to qualify, by virtue of his No. 8 ranking on the 60-kilogram Olympic ladder.
Flynn said Bunch has the stuff to compete at the next level.
"I think everybody sees he’s got world-class talent," Flynn said. "In another year, he may have won a national title — or more than one. Everyone is so close now."
Bunch, who currently wrestles for the New York Athletic Club, along with Travis Lee, the wrestler who beat him in the 2005 national finals, plans to stay on at Edinboro before graduating with a marketing degree in the fall. Though he’ll have his degree in hand, it’s clear Bunch plans to focus on wrestling.
When asked what he planned to do with his degree, he joked, "I don’t know. Market myself?"
He may not have to at the next level. While he’s one of the best in the nation at folkstyle wrestling, he’ll compete on the senior level as a freestyler. And he may be even better suited to that style.
"The whole style is different and there are new rules, but it’s to my advantage," he said. "It’s all wrestling on your feet. I think I’ll be good at this level."
