"In high school I beat most people pretty easily, and then to come here where the matches in practice are more intense than state championship matches. "The difference in competition between college and high school is crazy," said Spiess, a 1998 Michigan state champion at 152 pounds. Without a redshirt year during which to sit back and take things in, they find themselves being forced to learn on the fly while competing at a much higher level than they have previously experienced. Fekete, a 184 pound freshman from Cranford, N.J., and Spiess, a 165 pound freshman from Ovid, Mich., both find themselves in the Spartan lineup as true freshmen. During my redshirt year, I was able to work on some things that have already given me some victories this season."įor Fekete and Spiess, their first year tells a different story. "In high school I wrestled on my feet a lot and was able to take everybody down. "When I came here last season, I didn't know a lot about how to ride my opponent or get off the bottom," explained Williams. For Williams, that year away from competition gave him an opportunity to learn some of the intricacies of collegiate wrestling. After posting a record of 101 wins and only 2 defeats over his last two seasons at Fowlerville High School, he sat out the 1997-98 season. Williams, a 125 pound redshirt freshmen from Fowlerville, Mich., is the elder statesman of the trio. Due to circumstances and ability, however, freshmen Nik Fekete, Kevin Spiess and Chris Williams have found themselves in the starting lineup for Michigan State wrestling. In a sport like wrestling where a combination of strength and technique is so crucial for success, it takes a few years before most athletes are ready to compete against top notch competition. While the incoming freshmen may have been the best athletes at their respective high schools, they move to the bottom of the pack the moment they step on a college campus. For Division I athletes, the process is no different. For many college freshmen, the transition from high school to college is a learning experience.
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