"I gave my verbal to Tom Ryan and the Ohio State University to wrestle for the Buckeyes today," said Hunter Stieber. "I have always loved Ohio State. They have great coaches that love the sport. They care about their athletes and they stress the importance of academics."
For Stieber the decision was easy because there was only one school on his list.
"I got some letters from some other schools but they didn't really matter. In my mind I always wanted to be a Buckeye and Ohio State was the only school I wanted to go to," said the high school junior.
Hunter Stieber: The Wrestler
As the younger brother of the nation's number one ranked senior; Hunter has built an impressive resume of his own in Ohio and around the country. A two-time Ohio state champion for the Eagles; Stieber is 98-1 in varsity competition at 103, 112, and 119 pounds. Undefeated as a freshman; his only high school loss was an 8-4 decision to Devin Carter in the Ironman finals. Carter ended the season ranked first at 112 and is currently ranked thirteenth in his senior class.
Hunter Stieber of Monroeville (OH) is a two-time Ohio state champion with a 98-1 career record (Photo/Bob Tuneberg, BuckeyeWrestling.com)At the OHSAA state tournament Stieber has been dominant. As a freshman he pinned his way through the finals to take his first title. Last season he moved up to 119 pounds and won his second state championship with another pin in the finals.
"As a wrestler Hunter takes advantage of everything someone gives him and has a great knowledgebase to build from. He has been in some tough matches and he has the ability to make some adjustments, adapt, and prevail. He has a pinner's mentality and that can only help him in making the transition to college wrestling," said Bauer.
In freestyle Hunter is a two-time Cadet All-American; winning a national title in 2007 and placing third in 2008. This summer he chose to forgo Fargo in favor of the Junior Duals in Oklahoma. With an undefeated tournament as an individual, Stieber helped Team Ohio win the tournament.
"Hunter is a hard worker, he is a gamer, and is a big match kid. If he makes mistakes in practice he seems to correct them in his matches. He knows what he needs to work on and he has been focusing on those areas and improving. I think Ohio State is a fantastic choice and he is going to fit in great," said his club coach Erik Burnett.
Stieber's remaining high school goals are simple; to improve every day, to win, and to have fun.
"This season I will probably wrestle 119. In college they are projecting me as a 141 pounder, but I could be at 133 if I stay around the same weight," said Stieber.
Hunter Stieber: The Recruit
Hunter is the second member of his family to give a verbal commitment to Buckeyes. Following in the footsteps of his older brother Logan, both were the first wrestlers to commit to OSU in their class and the first juniors to commit nationally.
"Having Logan already commit to the Buckeyes made this an easy decision," said Hunter. "We have been friends our whole life, we are drill partners, and we do everything together so I think it something that is going to work out well for both of us."
"It is awesome knowing that Hunter is going to be on campus and training with me at Ohio State," asserted Logan.
"Nothing is a sure thing but I would like to say that Logan and Hunter will thrive off each other at OSU," commented Burnett who has coached both Stiebers since before they were in junior high. "Ohio State is a great program with a great coaching staff and I think they will both do well."
Hunter Stieber, who is ranked as the No. 10 recruit in the Class of 2011 by InterMat, cited the presence of the Ohio Regional Training Center as a factor in his recruitment (Photo/Bob Tuneberg, BuckeyeWrestling.com)"I think the Ohio RTC is awesome. I like freestyle a lot so having a group like the Ohio RTC on campus is a great resource," offered Stieber. "During wrestling season I can focus on my folkstyle and during the offseason I can roll right into freestyle."
Stieber has two years before he arrives on campus. He plans on signing with OSU during the early signing period next November. As far as knowing what he wants to do in school, he has at least two more years to figure that out.
"I still have some time before I have to pick a major in college but I am interested in business and computer sciences. Whatever I decide I am confident that I will get a quality education at Ohio State," said Stieber.
Hunter Stieber gives the Buckeyes four verbal commitments. As the charter member of the Class of 2011, he will follow in the footsteps of an outstanding Class of 2010. Seniors Logan Stieber, Derek Garcia, and Josh Demas are planning on signing their National Letters of Intent in November.
InterMat was granted permission to republish this article from BuckeyeWrestling.com.
http://www.buckeyewrestling.com/?q=node/37256
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