Sun, Nov 22 2009
|
Top of his class Kyle Gilchrist of Jefferson leads way as Star Beacon’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year KARL PEARSONStar Beacon There will also be plenty of competition within the squad as Gilchrist moves up to 125 pounds, the lowest weight in college wrestling.
“They recruited another kid from Washington at my weight, too,” he said. “They also brought in two guys at 133, so there should be plenty of great workout partners in the wrestling room. The wrestleoffs are going to be pretty tough. It’s going to be a challenge.” Of course, the real reason Gilchrist is at Columbia is to get a quality education. Balancing the demands of the academic load at an Ivy League university along with all the expectations of a Division I athlete will test him. “To compete in Division I and to juggle the academics is demanding a lot,” he said. “It’s like a job. “If I make the team, we’ll have a trip to California and we’ll be wrestling out at the Las Vegas Invitational. We travel a lot. I guess it will be a test of time management and how good my skills at it are. I guess my main concern is about how to balance all the course work and wrestling.” He’s always shown the ability to handle the time demands before. Gilchrist not only excelled in wrestling, but also lettered four years in soccer, serving as a team captain and earning Star Beacon Ashtabula County and Coaches’ All-Northeastern Conference honors. He also was a key component of Jefferson’s NEC championship and Division II district qualifying baseball team as an infielder. Still, Gilchrist managed to maintain a 4.0 grade-point average and finish at the top of his graduating class of 195 at Jefferson. He also earned four academic excellence awards and participated in the post-secondary options program at Kent State University-Ashtabula Campus. He was a member of National Honor Society, too. He is grateful for all the support he received from his family, especially his parents. His father, an accomplished wrestler in his own right, was an assistant coach for Tom Avsec at Jefferson and also worked with his team at the AAU nationals. “I rely owe a lot to my parents for all their support,” Gilchrist said. “They’ve done so much for me.” The support systems also include his sister, Amanda, who worked as a statistician for the wrestling team, and his grandparents. He knows he will rely upon them in the task that lies ahead, as well as his teammates, coaches and community members in Jefferson, as well as coaches and competitors from other schools. “I want to thank all my friends, my family and everybody in the community for all their support,” Gilchrist said. “I loved being at Jefferson and competing around this area.” Now, he’d like to take it to the next level at Columbia. Gilchrist has a number of goals he’d like to achieve. “I want to make the varsity team first,” he said. “Then I’d like to try and do well in our conference and, hopefully, do something at nationals. That’s everybody’s goal. “Everybody is tough at this level. I know it will be tough, but I think I’m ready for it.” 
More from the Sports section
A Don McCormack column: Meyer to be pursued by many Jon Hall's Buckeye Notebook: Bollman one proud Buckeye A Don McCormack column: Courting history Sports Editor Don McCormack's Mailbag: The readers get their turns |
Print this story
Post to del.icio.us
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
© 2009, Ashtabula Star Beacon
P.O. Box 2100, Ashtabula OH 44005-2100 (440) 998-2323, Send news tips and feedback 
|
Popular Business directory links - Ashtabula Apartments | Ashtabula Attorneys | Ashtabula Auto Dealers | Ashtabula Auto Parts | Ashtabula Auto Repair | Ashtabula Beauty Salons | Ashtabula Car Rental | Ashtabula Dentists | Ashtabula Doctors | Ashtabula Flowers | Ashtabula Hotels | Ashtabula Insurance | Ashtabula Loans | Ashtabula Mortgages | Ashtabula Movers | Ashtabula Pizza | Ashtabula Realtors | Ashtabula Restaurants | Ashtabula Storage | Ashtabula Tax Preparation | Ashtabula Travel | Ashtabula Featured | More...
|
|
Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. • CNHI Classified Advertising Network • CNHI News Service |
