Pioneer Valley wrestler Alex Grandy is ready for his close-up.
By virtue of a fourth place finish in the state finals in Bakersfield on March 6, Grandy qualified for the prestigious National Wrestling Championships. The senior won five of seven matches at state, punching his ticket to Virginia Beach for March 25 to 28.
“I knew who I had to beat, so I just went out there and got it done,” Grandy said.
In his first year wrestling at the 215-pound weight class, Grandy finished with 40 wins and four losses. He’ll end the season, facing off against the top wrestlers in the country, and the only person seemingly not surprised is Grandy himself.
“I kind of expected it,” Grandy said. “I worked hard throughout the season so it would have been a downfall if I didn’t make it this far. I’m just going to try to keep on going and try to place in Nationals.”
The Nationals appearance is an impressive climax to Grandy’s high school career, considering he hadn’t even stepped on a mat until his freshman year. He credited attending an intensive summer camp in Iowa for his senior-year success.
“Alex has been our best wrestler by far this year,” said his coach, Kevin Ilac. “He had an outstanding season. He was definitely a dark horse. Nobody expected anything from him this year. He’s meant everything to our team. He was the focal point and also a leader by example.”
Ilac said Grandy is the first of his wrestlers to make Nationals.
“We’re truly blessed to have him on the team, and I’m proud to have coached him for four years,” he said.
Two major schools—Cal State-Bakersfield and Cal Poly-SLO—are already courting Grandy. Depending on his showing at Nationals, Ilac said, more could come knocking.
After the championships, Grandy will play baseball for the Panthers. He said he hopes to wrestle for Cal Poly next year as a 197-pounder.
This article appears in Mar 11-18, 2010.