Strayer looking to make most of last shot

"This is his last shot."

That's what Penn State assistant coach Mark Perry said of the Nittany Lions' senior starter at 133 pounds, Jake Strayer, in a published interview in The Daily Collegian -- the Penn State student paper -- at the end of the 2009 dual-meet season. A last shot for an elusive NCAA championship.

Jake Strayer

"People that have wrestled their whole life at this level understand how important it is to a kid like him," Perry said. "He has put in the time. He deserves to win it and he's got to go take it because it's not going to be given to him."

One last shot -- because, according to Strayer, ranked ninth in a talent-rich 133 class by RevWrestling.com -- "This is my last hurrah in wrestling."

No, he's not giving up the sport completely. The kinesiology major plans to go into teaching, and be a wrestling coach. But, right now, he's not setting his sights on international competition, or representing the U.S. at the 2012 London Olympics.

"I love wrestling, but I'm ready to turn the page," says Strayer, who will be getting married in May to Michelle, who he's dated since high school.

2009 Big Ten battles

The 2009 Big Ten championships were held this past weekend at Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State University. In this interview -- conducted just before the Big Tens -- Strayer cited that "home turf" advantage going into the conference championships: "It'll be great to sleep in my own bed, work out in familiar surroundings, have our friends and family here to support us."

Jake Strayer (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)

A 133-pound wrestler in the Big Ten could use any advantage available to him. Nationally, this weight class is loaded with talent … with a heavy concentration of top 133s competing at Big Ten schools, including No. 1 Franklin Gomez of Michigan State, No. 2 Reece Humphrey of Ohio State, No. 3 Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois, No. 4 Daniel Dennis of Iowa, and No. 6 Jayson Ness of Minnesota.

For the Big Tens, Strayer was the sixth seed. He drew a bye in the first round. In his first match, he went up against Jimmy Kennedy, and scored something of an upset, getting a 3-2 decision over the third-seeded Illini wrestler. However, in the semifinals, Strayer fell to second-seeded Franklin Gomez, 9-5. (The Michigan State Spartan went on to win the 133 title.)

Finding himself out of title contention, Jake Strayer's first opponent in the consolation bracket was Jayson Ness. The fourth-seeded Gopher pinned Strayer at 2:59, sending him to the match for fifth place against top-seeded Daniel Dennis (who had been upset by Reece Humphrey in the semis). Despite scoring the first takedown, and having a 4-1 lead at the end of the first period, Strayer lost to the Hawkeye, 11-7. By placing sixth, Jake Strayer qualified to compete at the 2009 NCAAs … and one last shot at a national title.

K-12: A life on the mats

Jake Strayer is about to put the wraps on a long wrestling career that started at age 5.

"Dad wrestled. He got me started on it," says the native of South Fork, Pennsylvania. "I remember that first practice. I cried. Got beat bad the first couple matches. However, once I started winning some matches, I really came to like it."

Jake Strayer compiled a high school record of 161-7 in high school before enrolling at Penn State (Photo/Penn State Sports Information)

"The elementary program was big where I grew up. They had to have split shifts -- one set of kids would practice Mondays and Wednesdays, while the other group took Tuesdays and Thursdays."

"I used to come up to State College for practices Wednesdays and Sundays," Strayer continues. "It was incredible. A lot of good partners from all over Pennsylvania."

At Forest Hills High School, Jake Strayer built a 161-7 record. He was a four-time district champ, a four-time regional champ, and a two-time winner of outstanding wrestler honors at districts. As a freshman, he placed eighth at the Pennsylvania state championships. The following year -- 2002 -- he capped off a 40-1 season by winning the 103-pound title in what Strayer describes as a "main highlight" of his high school wrestling career. "I wasn't expected to win first at state that year. There were a couple older guys in the bracket who were expected to be going for the title."

As a junior, Jake Strayer compiled a 45-1 record, with 25 of those wins by pin. But that second state title had to wait; Strayer placed third at the state tournament at 119 pounds. However, for Strayer, senior year was simply perfect -- 42-0 -- with a perfect ending: winning the 125-pound crown at the 2004 Pennsylvania state finals. He also earned a fourth-place ranking in the nation.

Realizing his Rec Hall dream

With those credentials, it's easy to imagine that Jake Strayer drew the interest of a number of top college programs. However, the two-time Pennsylvania state champ was focused on staying in the Keystone State … and wrestling at the school that was something of a second home for him.

"I wanted to wrestle for Penn State," says Strayer, almost matter-of-factly. "As a little kid, I wanted to someday wrestle at Rec Hall. I'd come up here with my folks for dual meets. Afterwards, I'd get autographs from the wrestlers."

"I got letters from other schools but I never really considered them."

"I took one visit, and decided that this was the place."

Jake Strayer was an All-American in 2007 (Photo/Penn State Sports Information)

Jake Strayer got his wish, and, for the past four seasons, has worn the blue and white of Penn State, and wrestled home meets in venerable Rec Hall. After using his redshirt in the 2004-2005 season, Strayer compiled a 26-6 record in his first year wrestling for the Nittany Lions at 133, placing third at the 2006 Big Tens … but just missed placing at the NCAAs. Sophomore year, his record was 27-8, and placed fifth at the Big Tens. At the 2007 NCAAs, Strayer earned All-American honors with a seventh-place finish at 133.

Jake Strayer moved up to 141 pounds his junior year. The 2007-2008 season started off strong, but, as Strayer describes it, "In the wrestle-offs in late January, I tore some cartilage in my ribs, and missed the rest of the season."

"Sitting out was more painful than the injury. I wanted to be out helping the team."

Strayer and Scott

After Jake Strayer's injury, competing in his place at 141 last season was Garrett Scott, who wrestled at that weight for Penn State at the 2008 Big Tens and NCAAs.

Garrett Scott

There's some history between Strayer and Scott that goes back a few years. "He used to come up here on Sundays, like I did," recalls Strayer, talking about those trips to State College in high school to work out with other Pennsylvania prep wrestlers. "We worked out together, got to know each other."

"Junior year, in the district finals and the regional finals, I beat him."

However, the eagerly anticipated rematch between Strayer and Scott for the 119-pound title at the 2003 PIAA state championships didn't happen. "He won the title that year. I got pinned in an earlier round."

"The next year, he moved up to 130."

When asked about their high school history -- and battles in the Penn State practice room -- Jake Strayer answers honestly: "It's tough. You develop a relationship with someone, then you go up against him. It's brutal."

Now it's no longer an issue for Jake Strayer, as Garrett Scott is no longer a Nittany Lion. He now wrestles at Edinboro University after being dismissed from Penn State in May 2008 for violating team rules.

In condition for a fantastic finish

In his last year at Penn State, Jake Strayer is back to wrestling at 133. In the just-completed 2008-2009 dual-meet season, he compiled a 15-5 record, with four pins, two technical falls, and two major decisions. Four of the five losses were to top opponents: Ohio State's second-ranked Humphrey, Iowa's No. 4 Dennis, No. 5 Andrew Hochstrasser of Boise State, and Minnesota's No. 6 Ness (though Strayer avenged that loss a few weeks later).

Ask Jake Strayer to describe his wrestling style, and he immediately responds, "I'm a goer."

Then he explains, "I've been told my biggest strength is my conditioning. I might be down five points but when the other guy is tired, I have the energy to break him down."

Jake Strayer is ranked No. 9 in the country by RevWrestling.com heading into the NCAA Championships (Photo/Penn State Sports Information)

That conditioning may well be a product of Strayer's involvement in track and cross country in high school. "I started in cross country for endurance, was good at it, so I went out for track." Natural athletic ability is also part of the equation; before high school, Strayer participated in a wide range of sports, including football and baseball.

Tenacity may be yet another factor. In a February 2009 Daily Collegian article, Penn State redshirt sophomore Mike Eagan says, "I love how he comes in here everyday with the same attitude. When I'm watching him wrestle, he just scraps hard. He never gives up on a situation. He doesn't give up just because it's in practice. He fights until the end for everything."

In that same story, head coach Troy Sunderland is quoted as saying, "When another wrestler might think 'I'm sore, or I'm hurt,' Strayer goes above and beyond the things an average athlete would do."

Looking back, looking forward …

As Strayer wraps up his senior season, he looks back on his time at Penn State, starting with the transition from high school to college. "The first year was the toughest," Strayer discloses. "The wrestling was what I was expecting. The practices weren't shocking, though I got my butt kicked in the room plenty of times."

"The biggest adjustment for me was the greater freedom, and the academic demands."

"You have to balance classwork and wrestling," continues Strayer. "We had a class on things like time management … You have to make the right choices, set priorities."

That philosophy seems to have worked for Jake Strayer, who has earned Academic All-American honors while at Penn State.

Jake Strayer is looking to make the most of his last opportunity (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)

When not in the practice room or the classroom, Jake Strayer can be found at one of a number of streams in the State College area, fishing for trout or small-mouth bass. "I've been fishing as long as I've been wrestling," says Strayer. "With wrestling, there's pressure and stress. Out on a stream, that all disappears, and I'm able to relax completely."

As a key member of a wrestling program that just celebrated its centennial, Strayer also reflects on the Penn State wrestling legacy. "It's something that our coaches stress all the time," says the 133-pound starting senior. "In the locker room there's a photo of all of us (wrestlers) in a circle, with the quote, 'From the inside, you can't explain it; from the outside, you can't understand it.'"

"All of us here -- wrestlers and coaches -- know why we're here."

"Now that I'm in my last month, I probably won't remember specific matches, but the Penn State experience, being a member of the team, a part of the program."

Jake Strayer is looking to end his career in the blue and white on a high note. In talking about his goals in post-season competition, the Penn State 133 starter simply says, "I plan to wrestle the best I can."

Strayer adds, "I give a lot of credit to God. I owe everything to Him … I have to trust that everything will work out with Him."

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