Michael Petersen '16 Recruiting Profile

I am a wrestler. It is who I am. I have been wrestling since I was 6 years old. By the time I started high school, I had already competed in over 500 matches. My mother was born and raised in Mexico and she moved to the US when she married my father who is from Nebraska. I grew up and now live in Illinois, but I lived with my family who moved to Mexico City for two years when I was in Middle School. During that time, I qualified for the Mexican National Championships twice. Once in Freestyle and once in Greco Roman. I want to be a doctor. My primary goal in college is to wrestle and to prepare for medical school. I am looking for a school with good academics that can help me get there. My favorite hobby is weightlifting. I go to the gym to lift at least once per day, but many days I go twice. Some of my friends were making bad choices. They were partying and not taking care of themselves. I helped them get their lives turned around by inviting them to come to the gym with me. Now, they are lifting and working out instead of drinking and partying. Helping them help themselves gives me satisfaction.