Turtogtokh LuvsandorjOriginally from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Turtogtokh (pronounced: ter – tog – tahk) was a National Prep champion and NHSCA All-American at St. Benedicts in New Jersey. Originally there wasn't much stress in finding interested schools -- a well-built kid with 15 years of experience banging heads with the best in Europe and Asia tends to attract the attention of coaches (see: Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov, Alan Gelogaev, the Novachkov brothers). Coaches called and Turtogtokh returned their interest. He had confidence he'd get an offer and retain his student visa, but as the months passed he missed out on a few opportunities and eventually the scholarship offers had disappeared.
By the second week of August, Turtogtokh's chances at wrestling in college were dimming quickly. Most schools were less than a week from opening their fall semesters and Tutogtokh was living in a Brooklyn apartment with his Russian girlfriend, no money, and no scholarship offers. If nothing happened he'd be on a plane back to Mongolia.
Turtogtokh's twin brother, Turbat, had flown home that summer, choosing to wrestle for the Mongolian National team. Going home would have been easy to do. "Turbat wanted to be with our family," Turtogtokh said. "I didn't want to go home. I love my family but wanted to stay in America."
Rob Hjerling"Coach Fleckman at St. Benedicts called me and said Turtogtokh didn't have a school,' Hjerling said. "I knew he wasn't interested in March, but when his circumstances changed he was all ears." Without a normal courting process, Hjerling didn't know too much about Turtogotkh and would have to trust that he'd work hard and be a good student.
Turtogtokh's recruitment process became a sprint to complete paperwork, working to get him accepted and secure scholarship money. "We had our first conversation on a Friday and by the next Saturday he's sitting in a chair getting his head shaved and people are screaming at him," Hjerling said.
Hjerling is being rewarded for his good faith -- Turtogtokh has delivered on the mat and in the classroom. The 157-pounder is heading into this weekend's Southern Conference tournament with momentum as the conference's final "Wrestler of the Week" fresh off a win over 16th-ranked Thomas Scotton of North Carolina; a 3-0 decision. He's also 15-1 in his last 16 matches. According to Hjerling he's also a sociable team leader, keeping a good attitude throughout the season.
Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (Photo/CitadelSports.com)"My biggest problem is locking hands on top. I work a lot with the coaches to improve my top-bottom," Turtogtokh said.
Turtogtokh's aggressiveness on his feet and improved mat techniques are what won him the match against Scotton. He drew a stall point, earned an escape, and even secured a riding time point - the trifecta of a solid top-bottom wrestling.
Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (Photo/CitadelSports.com)With the recruiting process behind him and fully acclimated to a sometimes intimidating school life (he's a business major), Turtogtokh looking forward to making his coaches proud, "My goal is to win the conference and be an All-American," said Turtogtokh,
"Coach Rob did a lot for me and I'm very thankful to him to be here."
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