Jan.
7, 2008: The Salt Lake Tribune
Prep Wrestling: Utah Wrestlers
Heading Out of State
by Chhun Sun
Though they're part of something young and
unproven, the coaches of the Utah Valley State College
wrestling program are quite ambitious. They're located in
Orem, in the midst of some of the best wrestlers in Utah,
which is also known to produce some of the best in the
nation.
So they went after the likes of
Springville's Jason Chamberlain, Cyprus' Matt Brown and
Wasatch's Jake Salazar. With UVSC lacking a long wrestling
history, it was difficult to lure them in.
Chamberlain, Brown and Salazar intend to
wrestle with Boise State, Iowa State and Michigan,
respectively.
So even being the only Utah school with a
wrestling program has not made UVSC attractive to the
state's top prospects.
"Right now, it's still not the case," UVSC
coach Greg Williams said. "And we want it to be."
When will UVSC grab the best Utah
wrestlers, the way Brigham Young and Utah football are
landing some of the state's best athletes? Williams says
when the Wolverines start producing All-Americans and
compete at the NCAA Championships - which won't be at
least until the 2009-10 season, when UVSC (now only in its
fifth wrestling season) completes its probationary period.
But what does it mean for local prep
wrestlers, many of whom would like to serve an LDS
mission, to look outside of Utah and take their chances at
colleges that sometimes aren't as understanding about
missions? West Jordan's Larry Jaramillo, as well as other
high school coaches, believe the Wolverines have an
advantage with many Utah wrestlers because they are
accustomed to athletes leaving for two-year LDS missions.
At the same time, Williams is working on
improving Utah wrestlers' view of UVSC.
Perhaps it starts with Ben Kjar, who is
arguably UVSC's top wrestler. The former Viewmont star had
offers from such schools as Boise State, Oklahoma and
Minnesota. He then served an LDS mission and returned to
Utah knowing that his former club coach was now the UVSC
coach - and Kjar could possibly be a part of something
promising.
And Kjar, a freshman, is one wrestler who
could earn All-American honors in the coming years. That
would do wonders for UVSC. Maybe then, wrestlers like
Chamberlain, ranked No. 1 grappler in the nation by
Wrestling USA Magazine, wouldn't overlook the Wolverines.
"I just look for people to work out with,
to make me better, and I felt like UVSC was lacking in a
couple things," Chamberlain said.
At one point, Utah had as many as seven
colleges with wrestling teams, including some at the
junior college level. Brigham Young fielded a team through
2000, but the program was eliminated due to funding and
gender equity issues.
Then in 2003, the wrestling program at
UVSC was created. Williams said it started slowly, but now
the Wolverines are making progress as some of the state's
top high school wrestlers for next season are showing
interest.
"We have to build that tradition. We have
to show that we can produce All-Americans," Williams said.
"Then we'll be in the ballgame with the Jasons, the Matts,
the Jakes."
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