Finishing up strong

• Matt Michaelson

Press Photo by Chris Aarhus Dickinson State senior wrestler Matt Michaelson didn’t have to worry about providing leadership in previous years. However, that changed in his final collegiate season. Michaelson wraps up his career at today’s NAIA national tournament in Oklahoma City.

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When the door opened for Matt Michaelson and Stanton Schlecht to become leaders on the Dickinson State wrestling team this season, the seniors seized the opportunity.

While both have been nationally ranked since their sophomore seasons, Michaelson and Schlecht spent their underclassmen years playing secondary roles.

For the most part, they stood in the shadow of three-time national champion Justin Schlecht, Stanton’s older brother who graduated last May as the most decorated wrestler in school history.

Despite the loss of an athlete that could have been devastating for some teams, Michaelson and Stanton Schlecht stood up and left no question as to whom the team should turn to for leadership.

“We’ve had some of those guys who had been there for a while so they didn’t get a chance to do that,” DSU coach Thadd O’Donnell said. “This year, they got that chance.”

This weekend will be the last chance for Michaelson and Schlecht as they wrap up standout careers at the NAIA national wrestling tournament, which begins today and ends Saturday in Oklahoma City.

Regardless of whether or not Schlecht or Michaelson can bring home titles, there won’t be much disappointment for the two four-time national qualifiers.

“We’ve just got to focus in and rely on the same old stuff that got us to this point and got us to that point last year,” Schlecht said.

Last season, his first at 165 pounds, Schlecht took runner-up at the national tournament to Menlo College’s (Calif.) Robert Davis. This season, he is ranked second behind Davis and has a 23-7 record with only one loss coming to an NAIA opponent.

Michaelson, meanwhile, is ranked fourth at 197. He has a 17-8 record and has lost matches against all three wrestlers ranked ahead of him.

The Dickinson High School graduate said keeping a clear head is the key to his success.

“I wrestled kind of tight my first couple times there,” Michaelson said. “I realized I just have to look at it as just another tournament. … After that, hopefully I’ll be able to do some damage.”

Michaelson and Schlecht’s simplistic attitudes are the very reason O’Donnell turned to them as leaders when the graduation of Justin Schlecht left the team without a clear-cut captain.

Justin Schlecht was thought of more as an athlete who used quiet examples to guide his team rather than vocality. O’Donnell said that helped Michaelson and Stanton Schlecht when it became their turn to take the reins of the team inside the wrestling room.

“They’ve definitely taken things learned from the leaders in the past and kind of passed the torch along,” O’Donnell said. “Those two have done a great job.”

Schlecht said he and Michaelson were thrust into their leadership roles when members of the team — mostly underclassmen — were involved with an off-campus fight early in the fall semester.

“At the beginning of the year there, just when we lost track, we sat down and visited with coaches a little bit and we knew that someone was going to need to step up and visit with someone about these issues,” Schlecht said.

O’Donnell said the duo, along with the rest of the senior class, employ a leadership approach that suits the Blue Hawks.

“We’re not a big team on having meetings and pep talks and things like that,” O’Donnell said. “That’s just the mentality of this team. They fit real well into that mold that they’re not cheerleaders by any means, but they definitely let guys know if they’re not working hard enough.”

Heading into the final weekend of careers that span back to their elementary school days, both Schlecht and Michaelson say they’re happy with what they’ve accomplished.

“Just like any career I’ve had my ups and downs, but when I look back at it, I’ve had a blast and it was worth it 100 percent,” Michaelson said. “I’ve still got one more tournament left and I plan on giving it my all one more time.”

Tags: blue, hawks, dickinson, state, wrestling