Jan.
17, 2008: The Salt Lake Tribune
Prep Wrestling: Wolverine Sheen
by Chhun Sun
Wrestler Ben Kjar had a stellar career at
Viewmont High. He won three state individual titles, and
helped the Vikings to their first team state title in
2002.
After he was done, he had a couple of
things he wanted to do. He wanted to serve a two-year LDS
Church mission.
And he wanted to play a joke on an old
friend.
The joke started after Kjar gave Boise
State an oral commitment. The joke came in the midst of
his former youth coach, Greg Williams, accepting the head
coaching job at UVSC in 2006. Williams wanted Kjar for
many reasons, including that Kjar could improve a young,
unproven program.
Kjar coyly asked, "What do you think
[about my commitment]?"
Williams offered support but was secretly
disappointed, and Kjar finally said: "Well, I'm going to
Utah Valley."
Everything else is history. And now, Kjar
and Williams are working on the future of the only college
wrestling program in Utah, which is in it fifth season.
Kjar is arguably the face of the program.
"What better place to come here and have
an impact and help build a program?" Kjar said.
At the Reno Tournament of Champions last
year - an event billed as "The Toughest in the USA" - Kjar
headlined all UVSC wrestlers with a fourth-place finish in
the 125-pound class. And most recently, Kjar was one of
two
grapplers who completed his showing at the
Lone Star Duals in South Grand Prairie, Texas, with three
victories.
"He understands what it takes," Williams
said. "He understands this is a good stage for people to
look at."
Essentially, Kjar is part of a movement
for the Wolverines to one day successfully land some of
the best wrestlers in Utah, which is known to produced
some of the best grapplers in the country.
UVSC tried to get the state's top
prospects this year, but failed. Springville's Jason
Chamberlain, Wasatch's Jake Salazar and Cyprus' Matt Brown
intend to wrestle for Boise State, Michigan and Iowa
State, respectively. If Kjar, a freshman, can earn
All-America honors by the time he finishes his college
career, Utah's top wrestlers might give UVSC a realistic
shot.
Williams and Kjar hope to change those
athletes' perceptions of UVSC in the near future.
"It'll happen before I leave," Kjar said.
"I believe before I leave here, we'll be in the top 20.
And those people who come here can be closer to their
family. The moral and the standards that they live by
their whole life, it'll be comfortable for them here."
Kjar's Credentials
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Former Viewmont star Ben Kjar is the face
of a young and unproven Utah Valley State College
wrestling program. Though he had offers from Boise State,
Minnesota and Cornell, Kjar decided on UVSC because it was
a chance to help build the state's only college team.
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At Viewmont, Kjar won three individual
state titles, as he led the Vikings to their first team
state title in 2002. After graduation, he served a
two-year LDS Church mission in Tucson, Ariz.
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