Bryce Saddoris gets his hand raised after a victory at the World Wrestling Championships (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)"He submitted a package in the hopes of getting a meritorious exception, to no avail," wrote Lance Bacon of the Marine Corps Times. "Saddoris was on track to be a civilian in May -- three months before he is expected to step on the Olympic stage in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil."
In other words, Saddoris' career with the Marine Corps would be over.
Late last year, Saddoris learned he was not being offered career designation, which is offered to "the best qualified officers" in their fifth year of active commissioned service. The competitive process is based on an officer's official record and designed to retain those with the best potential.
Bacon wrote, "Marine Corps Times first learned of Saddoris' predicament in mid-January and submitted queries about the captain's situation and the career designation process as a whole. Days after those questions were fielded by Marine officials, Saddoris received word that he'd get to remain in uniform."
"I've always made it known that I am a Marine first," Saddoris told the Marine Corps Times. "I'm not looking to stay in the Marine Corps just so I can do this for the next 20 years. I'm 27 years old. In the athletic world, I'm a grandpa. I'm the old guy. I'm wrestling kids under 18 and 19 years old. I don't have that much longer as far as competing.
"I would be happy to stay with the team and help develop up-and-coming Marines, I would be happy going to the fleet. Whichever way it goes, I am comfortable with that."
Saddoris is currently ranked No. 1 at 66 kilos/145.5 pounds in U.S. Greco-Roman competition, according to USA Wrestling, the Olympic governing body for the sport in this country. He will have his opportunity to make the U.S. Olympic team at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in April.
Meanwhile, as he continues to prepare for the opportunity to wrestle in Rio, Saddoris can take comfort in knowing his Marine Corps career remains on track ... and take pride in his latest honor.
"Being named Marine Athlete of the Year is an honor I don't take lightly," Saddoris told the Camp Lejuene Globe , the newspaper which serves Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune where the wrestler is based. "I know there were a lot of people that were considered and me being chosen to win feels great, it also just comes down to my hard work and everything coming to fruition to be able to be chosen."
"This year's an Olympic year, so it's a very big year and a lot of people that retired prior to this year are probably coming back to try to make an Olympic team to be an Olympian," said Saddoris. "Being able to be a Marine and go and represent the Marine Corps and the United States in the Olympics is a dream that I've had since I first put on wrestling shoes."
Representing the Marine Corps as a wrestler and coach is a duty that Saddoris does not take lightly.
"We on a daily basis interact with a quarter million youth wrestlers that have the same mentality and the same characteristics that we want in our future leaders and those athletes could be future Marines," said Saddoris. "Having the Marine Corps wrestling team represent and go around and have that exposure to them and show them the opportunities that they have post high school, really pays a lot of dividends."
Saddoris built a successful mat career long before entering the Marine Corps. He was a four-time Nevada state champ for Spring Creek High School, and earned 2006 Nevada Wrestler of the Year honors. At the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., Saddoris was a four-time NCAA qualifier and two-time NCAA All-American (2009, 2011), and 2009 EIWA (Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) champion.
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