Feature Friday: In A Class of His Own

Feature Friday highlights the tremendous personal stories our coaches and cadet-athletes have to share on a weekly basis. Each Friday, a new feature story will be prominently highlighted on GoArmyWestPoint.com. The features will include multimedia pieces, as well as written stories by media outlets and the Army West Point athletic communications staff.

In an individualized sport such as wrestling, it is very easy to get caught up in your own personal success and lose the mindset of team first. With junior Jack Wedholm, however, his dedication lies with the success of the Army West Point wrestling program and less on his personal win-loss record.

Wedholm began his third season at West Point at 174 pounds in November after wrestling at 184 pounds just a year ago. While he started the year 11-3 at 174 and placed in both tournaments he competed in, Wedholm failed to advance to the quarterfinals of the Southeast Open and New York State Championships. This resulted in him needing to work his way through the consolation bracket in order to get on the podium.

"Originally, I wanted to go at 174 because Brian Harvey was graduating, so that spot opened up in the lineup and I thought it would be the best thing for the team if I went there," Wedholm described. "I was struggling with making the weight and staying motivated. Finally, Coach Ward evaluated how I was wrestling and thought I would be better suited at 184 since I wrestled there last year and did well toward the end of the season."

That daily struggle at 174 took its toll on Wedholm, which eventually became evident to the coaching staff as well.

"Coming fresh off the scales at 174, he struggled a little bit," remarked Army head coach Kevin Ward. "We knew he was a guy that works incredibly hard, is in incredibly good shape and has fantastic conditioning. There's really no reason for him to struggle early on in tournaments other than not being able to manage the weight cut."

Ward felt cutting down to 174 was a little too hard on him, and was comfortable with the guy Army had currently in that weight class. Ward also thought it was best for Wedholm and the team to bump him up to the 184-pound weight class. Wedholm, who's a very selfless member of the team, has always had a willingness to compete at whatever weight class the coaching staff needed him at the most.

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A feeling of relief came over Wedholm when coach Ward called him into his office to discuss the change he had in mind. Wedholm was now able to just focus on wrestling instead of his weight. The enjoyment of the sport returned as quickly as his energy and strength.

"Jack said that he was going down to a weight he hasn't been since plebe year," noted Army's assistant strength and conditioning coach Jon Clancy. "He lost a lot in the weight room doing that. Once that decision was made, he had some freedom again to where he didn't have to pay as much attention to the scales or put in the cardio miles to keep off the weight. His strength levels came back. He got back to his percentages in the weight room. It wasn't anything different than what anyone else on the team was doing, but he was able to get that strength back and that provided a huge boost to his confidence."

Clancy had recommended to the team last year that going on a 'paleo diet' would help making weight become an easier task. The diet consists of consuming fruits, vegetables, lean meats, seafood, nuts and seeds and healthy fats, as well as cutting out things such as dairy, grains, processed food and sugars, legumes and starches.

For Wedholm, the reduction of excess carbs and the focus on more natural foods allowed him to feel better throughout the day as well as provide heightened energy levels while training both on the mat and in the weight room.

"Eating properly is something Coach Clancy really harps on," said Wedholm. "Whatever you put into your body is either going to help you or harm you, and I'm always choosing the healthier side of that.

"I've just been naturally moving up in the weight groups for our lifting partners. Now, I'm with the heavier guys, which is nice because I feel like I can throw around more weight with them. Since I'm not as weak as I was at 174, bumping up to 184 and dabbling in 197 allows me to train with those guys so I'm able to lift the same amount of weight as they are. It's helping me transition to being a bigger wrestler."

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Wedholm debuted at 184 pounds this season at the Lock Haven Classic on Dec. 29. After dropping his first match, the Blairstown, N.J., native rattled off a run of six-straight wins with a pin, technical fall and three major decisions, resulting in a third-place finish.

The Black Knights returned to action a week later at the American Duals in Washington, D.C., where Wedholm was slated as the backup at 184 pounds. An unlikely opportunity arose for him to get into the lineup though, and he took full advantage of that.

"I just said, 'Awesome,' when Coach Ward told me I was going to wrestle at 197 against Wyoming," Wedholm remembered. "The team needed it, and I knew I could do it. There was never a doubt in my mind that I was going to go out there and win. It was my first dual match as an Army wrestler, which was really exciting."

While the nerves may have gotten to Wedholm a little bit prior to the match, he was dialed in and ready to go from the opening whistle.

"I've always wrestled bigger people," said Wedholm. "Last year, I wrestled at 184 as a true 174-pounder. This year, I've dabbled in 197 as a 184-pounder. I know that they're going to be bigger and most likely stronger than me, so I try to use speed and distance to my advantage and not to let them hold me down. I also try to push the pace against them because I know they usually don't wrestle someone as fast as me. The conditioning I get from wrestling at West Point definitely helps me because my opponents aren't used to it and it puts them in a difficult position."

He took a 4-0 decision in the second-to-last match of the day which gave Army its first lead against the 23rd-ranked Cowboys. This gave Wedholm a win at three separate weight classes on the season, a feat that had not been accomplished by an Army wrestler since Derek Stanley did so during the 2011-12 season at 184, 197 and heavyweight.

"When you eliminate the need to make weight, it allows some people to focus on their skill development a little bit more and compete every day in practice with nothing else on their mind," Ward explained. "I think you saw that with him. It became less about beating the scales and more about getting better so he can beat opponents out there in competition."

The decision to have Wedholm bulk up to 184 pounds has paid off both for the team and individually as he currently leads the Black Knights with a record of 23-5, in addition to going on a team-best 12-match winning streak. The adjustment has allowed Army to increase its depth with some quality at both the 174 and 184 pound weight classes. If the designated starters are not feeling great or are out with an injury, the next man up can step in and provide a quality replacement to the point where Ward feels the team is not missing a whole lot, if anything.

"We're fortunate that we have some really good guys at both 174 and 184. It allows us to have someone of quality to step in when we're in positions where guys may be out. We're building to the point now where we have some real strong depth. We feel like if somebody who has been the starter has to sit out a match, we're not going to skip a beat with whoever we plug into the lineup."

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With his experience throughout the three weight classes this season, Wedholm has allowed Army to be more flexible and rest guys without taking a step back in competitions to keep everyone at the top of their game.

"Jack is really strong," said Ward. "He has an endless gas tank and a good motor. I don't think he's noticed much of a difference since going back to 184. He feels better coming fresh off the scales going into competition. I don't think it's been a disadvantage for him to move up and wrestle bigger guys at all. He's a big, strong guy, and he can handle it."

Wedholm realized that going into his plebe year that his wrestling career was on the down slope. He only had four years left of finite wrestling, and it was a scary thought. The second Wedholm has to leave wrestling he knows he is going to miss it terribly. His aspirations for wrestling and his motivation to continue to strive for a winning culture has never changed because of the realization that his time is ticking down.

"What pushes me, and hopefully everyone else on the team, is that wrestling is going to end one day," reflected Wedholm. "You're either going to look back and regret what you did or didn't do, or you're going to look back and be satisfied with how you accomplished your goals and gave everything you had to make it happen. I've carried that throughout my entire career at West Point, and it's really helped me give it my all at any weight class I compete at."

After West Point and his military career, Wedholm would like to remain engaged in the sport through coaching. He is fully aware that his commitment to serve comes first, which allows him to be his best in every aspect of cadet life. He also noted that being a member of the wrestling program here has also played a pivotal role in his development as a future leader.

"Being an Army wrestler is a different breed," Wedholm commented. "I think it might be something they put in the water here, but these guys are just tough. There's a blue-collar aspect to being an Army wrestler that I didn't have coming in, one that I'm still developing. We take pride in that as a team. We're humble in knowing that we don't need to tell people that we're tough, they just know it."

Ward and his staff do not take for granted the attitude and selflessness Wedholm brings to this team. The wrestling program is fortunate to have somebody with his type of leadership. Someone who says, 'I'll do whatever it takes for the team and wrestle at whatever weight class they need me.'

"If the team needs me somewhere, that's where I'll go," said Wedholm.

Army West Point Athletics

Feature Friday: In A Class of His Own

Players Mentioned

Brian Harvey

Jack Wedholm

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