Rutgers Assistant Coach Joe Pollard (left) at the 2022 NCAA Championships (photo courtesy of Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)With the fall semester underway, college wrestlers are busy not only acclimating to their new slate of classes but also preparing for the upcoming season, all while trying to fit in time for family and friends. For some athletes, this is their first time away from home or being out on their own.
Taking in all of this change at once can be difficult.
“Whenever high schoolers are coming into college for wrestling, they're still kids,†said Nick Lee, a two-time national champ who graduated from Penn State in May. “There is some maturing to do there. A lot of kids are ready for that and some kids have a hard time; they haven't been away from home.â€
It's not only the younger wrestlers who are dealing with a lot. InterMat spoke with Big Ten coaches over the summer and asked them what they believe are the biggest challenges facing college wrestlers today. A constant theme throughout the responses was mental health.
While an NCAA survey released in May showed improvements in levels of hopelessness since the fall of 2020, rates of mental exhaustion, anxiety and depression in student-athletes are still 1.5 to 2 times higher than identified before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Big Ten formally announced the launch of its Mental Health and Wellness Cabinet in May 2020. Indiana head wrestling coach Angel Escobedo said overall he believes the Big Ten is doing a great job of putting resources toward mental health but that they could always add more.
“I think we've got to continue to add more mental health counselors at schools, just because these kids are going through a lot,†he said. “They went through COVID, they went through not being in school and transitioning back to being in school, all while balancing their college life and balancing their own lives. And, you don't know if they lost somebody along the line.â€
What are the challenges?
There are a lot of different factors that could impact a wrestler's mental health. Some are old challenges such as weight cutting and dealing with injuries, while others are newer such as social media and Name, Image, and Likeness.
“There are so many distractions,†Illinois coach Mike Poeta said. “Social media is just out of control with the amount of comments and how judged all the time they are for everything they do. I know social media is really tough. They have a lot of distractions with rumors going around with NIL. You're definitely going beyond wrestling coach and managing a lot of stuff with that.â€
Rutgers assistant Joe Pollard also has concerns about how NIL is affecting his athletes. While he's overall supportive of athletes being able to make money while in college, he said it's important to help make sure they don't lose sight of their priorities: family, academics and making sure they are set up for future success.
Pollard also expressed concern for athletes dealing with injuries.
“I think a big part of mental health is kids that get injured. Because everybody who's here is an elite-level athlete and they're not used to being injured,†Pollard said. “So, it's like OK, now I'm not in the lineup, I'm on the side and now my coach is focusing on these guys and I'm not really in the limelight. Then they start to have issues there.â€
Making sure athletes have proper nutrition and mental health resources while cutting weight is a priority for Escobedo. As the season goes on, he said, maintaining weight wears on the athletes.
“We have a sports psychologist that works with our team every day, we have two of them,†he said. “And I think that's huge. I think I'm a big advocate for mental health. I always tell my guys that I see a therapist, and I think it's really important to continue to grow in that aspect.â€
What are they doing about it?
Before practice starts in Champaign, Poeta makes a point to take his wrestlers through some breathing exercises or meditation to block out everything outside of the wrestling room.
“We are here for the next hour and a half; our minds are shut off from the outside world,†he said. “So, we do some techniques and strategies to really clear their minds. Now let's really have a good practice where we're growing, getting better, figuring some stuff out. We don't just talk about mental strategies, we do them.â€
Poeta doesn't just have his wrestlers engage in these techniques, he does them himself. A few years ago, breathing exercise and meditation would have been looked down on as “foofoo,†he said, but now he says there's evidence to support that these strategies help not only with wrestling but also at home and in the workplace.
He believes that making these mind-clearing techniques a regular part of his practices is going to benefit his program in the long run.
“These guys are really good wrestlers and being in the right mindset is what's going to get them to perform the best and have fun out there,†he said.
For Escobedo, the best way to show support for his athletes during a challenging time was by making himself vulnerable. The past year has been tough for the Hoosiers, as Escobedo was dealing with the death of his younger brother.
Instead of keeping his emotions to himself, Escobedo opened up to his athletes and was honest about what he was going through.
“I don't want to fake it and just act like I'm this big tough guy because to me, that's not right,†he said. “I won't be able to see my athletes and what they're going through if I'm trying to hide it myself. So, I'm just opening up to them so that they can open up to me.â€
What advice do they have for wrestlers?
Despite the challenges, the coaches also spoke about the resources and support systems available to their athletes.
Pollard praised the Rutgers athletic department for providing the program with tools to help their student-athletes, including a team sports psychologist and wellness team within the department.
One key piece of advice Pollard had for college wrestlers of any age is to set a schedule and stick to it.
“Set your schedule then don't negotiate with yourself on what your schedule is,†he said. “My schedule is my schedule, the standard is the standard. How you get to that standard can vary from athlete to athlete. But once you set your schedule, there's no negotiating. If you do that, then your priorities will most likely stay in order.â€
In his five years of college, Lee went through the lows of losing in the first round of NCAA championships his freshman year and having the NCAA championships canceled his junior year to winning his two individual and three team titles. Over that time, he's developed perspective.
His advice for college wrestlers is not to get too caught up in themselves and remember that wrestling is a team sport and that the team aspect is important. It's also important, he said, to be able to take a step back and remember that wrestling is a sport and that “there are a lot more important things in their life.â€
As for those freshmen still trying to find their footing, Lee encourages keeping an open mind.
“Be honest with your support system, your coaches, your parents, your teammates,†he said. “Be really open and be willing to change. If you can do those things, it will be a lot easier to transition. But there will always be a transition period and it's going to be easier for some people than it will be for others. But everyone can make it through that transition period. You've just got to be open, be honest and willing to change.â€
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