InterMat caught up with Imar and talked to him about this past season, Mark Perry, Jesse Delgado, freestyle and much more.
Isaiah Martinez celebrates after winning the NCAA title (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Martinez: It's been really busy, more so than I thought it would be. I don't get recognized that much, but every now and then I get recognized on campus. But it's been busy with clinics. Social media has been blowing up. Actually, that's probably been the most fun part besides the wrestling aspect. I've been getting a lot of followers and there's always like a running conversation on my social media pages.
You had 11 technical falls and 24 of your wins came by major decision or better. In your opinion, were you the most dominant wrestler in the NCAA this past season?
Martinez: I'm biased, obviously. Logan Stieber had a great year. Alex Dieringer had a great year. I feel like we were all really close. I was fairly dominant for a freshman. I would probably have to give it to Logan Stieber. He kind of controlled everyone. He wrestled guys like Mitchell Port, who was a four-time All-American. So, no, I don't think I was the most dominant, but it was very close at the top.
When did you really believe you would be an NCAA champion as a freshman?
Martinez: I was like every freshman coming in trying to say I was going to win four titles and I wanted to go undefeated. But at the time I think I was just talking a little bit. I didn't really understand the kind of work that went into becoming a national champ. It really changed for me after I lost at the Junior World Team Trials last summer. I kind of changed my lifestyle habits, my training habits and just started believing more. After I started getting my first few big wins in the dual competition in the Big Ten I really looked at it like I'm the guy to beat. So I guess sometime in early winter was the first time I really believed I was the guy to be the national champion.
Isaiah Martinz topped Nebraska's James Green in the NCAA semifinals (Photo/Rob Preston)Martinez: No, it wasn't a tough cut at all. Like I said, I really changed my life habits and I committed my life to wrestling. Everything in my life is about being the best wrestler possible. I always kept my weight really under control. It would have been a tough cut if I didn't consistently think about where I was and how much I weighed. I did a lot of cardio, which really helped with my weight. So it was actually fairly easy. I was always within 10 pounds at the beginning of the week. Doing the two duals a week really helped keep my weight under control.
Will you be staying at 157 pounds this coming season?
Martinez: Yeah, I'm only like 5'7 1/2" ... I'm not the tallest guy. I can understand if maybe I was growing an inch or two taller here or there, but I'm the same size as I was last year, so it's a good fit for me.
Obviously, fans love to talk about super matches. Alex Dieringer of Oklahoma State was an undefeated NCAA champion this past season at 165 pounds. You were both Dan Hodge finalists. Would you like the opportunity to face him at some point?
Martinez: Absolutely. I was that kind of guy in high school. I didn't care if I won or lost. I was just trying to look for the best matchups. Now that we're in college there is a little bit more to lose, but I'm still game. I would love a matchup with that guy. He's a real strong guy, kind of like me. He's probably a little bit more technical in some aspects. But I would kill for a matchup like that. I think it would not only be awesome for not just for me and him, but for the fans and NCAA wrestling.
After finishing your freshman season as an undefeated NCAA champion, people are going to make the comparison to Cael Sanderson. Was being an undefeated four-time NCAA champion a goal of yours coming into college?
Martinez: Yeah. I feel like every big recruit that comes into college thinks about Cael Sanderson and what he did and about going down that same road. So that was the goal at the time next to winning an Olympic championship. I constantly thought about that. After my freshman year it really became my main goal for college wrestling. I try to not let it weigh on me too much. I try to go out there and focus on wrestling my match. But in the back of my head it's always there.
Isaiah Martinez runs to embrace Mark Perry after the NCAA finals match (Photo/Rob Preston)Martinez: He's a real fiery guy. He's really good about the mental aspect of wrestling. He's a good mentor. He's just really fanatical about wrestling, which I like because like I said I committed my life to wrestling this past year. It's good to pick up some of his qualities and apply them to wrestling. We get along really well. We have a great relationship. He's always there for the mental aspect of wrestling.
Jesse Delgado finished his collegiate wrestling career as a two-time NCAA champion and three-time All-American, but battled injuries as a senior and came up short of earning All-American honors. How are you going to remember him as a teammate?
Martinez: More than just him being a teammate, he was a great friend, one of my best friends on the team. We always hung out, whether it was playing video games or just lounging around. He was a great friend of mine. The guy had an unbelievable work ethic. He wasn't the most highly recruited wrestler coming out of high school, so it was amazing to see him win two national titles. He's going to go down as one of the best Illinois wrestlers to ever step on the mat. He was just a real solid guy. His work ethic showed in the room. The kind of intensity he brought every single day is something that is going to last not just with me, but everyone around him.
Is Delgado planning on continuing his wrestling career after college?
Martinez: I'm not sure what he's going to do. Whatever he chooses to do he's going to be very successful in. The guy's got a work ethic like no other, so whether it's mixed martial arts, freestyle wrestling or pursuing a job in business, he's going to be successful. We'll see what he chooses pretty soon.
Isaiah Martinez runs to the elevated mat in the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Martinez: Our team expectations are the same every single year. We believe that we can win a national championship with the talent that we have. Maybe some guys need to buy in a little bit more and believe in themselves, just buy into that mental aspect of college wrestling, which is a huge part of it. It's the same as it was last year. It's the same as it was five years ago. It's to win a national title as a team. That's the ultimate goal, and that's what we try to focus on every single day.
Zac Brunson fell short of All-American honors, but just this past weekend dominated his competition at the University Nationals. Were you surprised that he was so dominant?
Martinez: No way. That guy is a monster on top. I was training with him for the past couple weeks, so I really got to get a feel for him in freestyle. We train a lot together, so I know how good he is. It was maybe a little bit of a surprise that he teched everyone. I thought he would control everyone. But to see him tech everyone, it's just awesome to see his progression. He's got one nasty gut wrench that you don't want to feel. It's good for our program. It's good for him. I think he's going to do really well next season.
Isaiah Martinez defeated Minnesota's Dylan Ness, a two-time NCAA finalist, in the Big Ten finals (Photo/The Guillotine)Martinez: Not too much. I was in eighth grade when Brent Metcalf was wrestling (in college), so I think I kind of looked up to that kind of style a little bit ... just the kind of aura he brought to the mat. Most guys lost before they ever stepped on the mat with him. His relentless attacks were something I looked up to.
Were you disappointed that you didn't get the opportunity to compete in the U.S. World Team Trials?
Martinez: Yeah, I was little disappointed. I was training. I still believe that I'm the best guy at 70 kilos right now. Sometimes things don't go your way. I'm not too disappointed, but I would have liked the opportunity. But now it's time to refocus and focus on the guys coming up in folkstyle at my weight and progressing in folkstyle. I still have a lot of work to do as an NCAA wrestler.
Does USA Wrestling need to change the process for wildcards into the World Team Trials?
Martinez: I'm not really sure. I think USA Wrestling really needs to focus on getting their young guys out there and acclimated to that level of competition. You look at some of the Cadets that wrestled this past weekend ... I'm just amazed. These guys are wrestling at such a high level when they're 15, 16 years old. When I was that age I was worried about how I was going to convince my parents to let me borrow their car for the weekend. I think if USA Wrestling focuses on getting these younger guys wrestling senior level competition it's only going to be good for us as a country. You look at some of the other countries ... They have guys winning titles at 18, 19 ... It's not impossible. They just need to get these guys out and exposed.
Anthony Valencia won by technical fall in two matches against Isaiah Martinez (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Martinez: At the time I think relied more on athletic, physical abilities that were God given instead of honing in and focusing on the mental aspect and the technical aspect. He was someone I had a close match with at the National Championships about a month before that, and then to go out there and get teched, it was kind of heartbreaking. It was a turning point because it put things in perspective. The guy was a high school junior at the time, and I was a redshirting freshman. I was telling myself every single day that I wanted to be a national champ this next year. But I wasn't doing the right things to be a national champ. After that loss my coaches dug into me pretty good, and they got to me. It forced me to make a change and adjust.
Anthony Valencia placed third in the U.S. Open and won by technical fall over Tyler Caldwell, a University World champion. Were you surprised by Valencia's performance at the U.S. Open?
Martinez: No way. These young guys are good ... and they're going to be great in the future if they keep progressing. I was not surprised. As a guy who felt him and wrestled with him, seeing where I am now and seeing what he did to me then, I had no doubt that he was going to be very successful. I grew up with those kids. We wrestled a lot growing up. Even though we were from different parts of California, we always ended up at a lot of the same tournaments. I know the kids pretty well, and it doesn't surprise me the kind of success they are having.
Will you attempt to make the U.S. Olympic Team next year at 74 kilos?
Martinez: I think so. Like I said, I'm not big enough to be at the weight class yet. That was kind of made apparent last year when I was at 74 kilos for the Junior World Team Trials. If I can get big enough I believe I can beat anyone in the country. I definitely do need to get a little bit better in freestyle technically, but the physical tools are there. I just have to get a little bit bigger. So maybe ... I'm not sure. But I want to. I want to be an Olympian.
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