Nikolas Karamaniolas '24 Recruiting Profile

As a 10-year wrestler, it wasn’t until my wrestling career started as a Freshman at Saint Patrick High School that I began to realize how special of a sport wrestling is. 3 years as a Varsity Wrestler I have grown physically and mentally in the sport. My dedication to the sport includes training in the off season to learn techniques, gain strength and to challenge myself.

 Freshman year was cut short due to Covid, but I feel like I made up for it my sophomore year as I qualified for the IHSA State Wrestling Tournament. To be honest, I was completely intimidated being there with the lights and so many people, but I left that weekend knowing I will do everything I can to make it back as a Junior. I joined another wrestling team during the off-season learning freestyle to widen my skills. I qualified for the Fargo Wrestling tournament in North Dakota representing the State of Illinois, WOW what an amazing experience. As a Junior this year I started the year sick with fevers as high as 102 and I went out on the mat every week and took first place. A collarbone injury that almost took me out for a few weeks but I This past year was the best season of my wrestling career, YET! Ranked #4 in Illinois for the 138-weight class, I was predicted by many wrestling social media outlets that I was to place in the State this year. I was working hard. Unfortunately, my mental state was not on the mat as it had been the whole season. The day after sectionals my family was leaving to attend my 14-year old cousin's funeral. That last match that determined if I qualified, I went out on the mat and had a brain freeze. I have never experienced anything like that, I can only explain it as an outer body experience, I wasn’t there mentally. Unfortunately, my mental state was not on the mat as it had been the whole season. Mind you, I have dealt with an older brother that struggles with mental health and drug addiction, this the first time my mental state was not on that mat. Wrestling is a sport where you are up against yourself and your opponent. You have no one to blame but yourself once you step on the mat. I walked away that day heartbroken that I didn’t qualify for State and that my year ended in such a way, but I also feel that I learned so much in that moment. Wrestling is a mental challenge, it doesn’t matter what’s going on in your life around you, the only thing that matters is what’s in front of you on the mat. I know my life is going to continue to be filled with many ups and downs, so I am taking the initiative now to learn how to better deal with outside stress. Granted it’s not like something so tragic happens often in one’s life, but either way I am working on strengthening my mental state so that I become more aware of what’s in front of me and become a stronger, more prepared wrestler.  

 Wrestling has been my vice during my high school years. I am addicted to it; I need it, it fulfills every part of me. Wrestling has given me confidence in ways no other sport has given me. I have been challenged in ways I have never been challenged and I owe it to wrestling. More than anything, I want to Wrestle in college. To be able to represent a college wrestling team is such an honor that I don’t take lightly. There is amazing talent out there, I’m not oblivious to the competition when it comes to college wrestling. Therefore, I plan to work every part of me to the core so that my senior stands out, I want to mentally and physically be prepared so that the colleges see what a comeback I make next year. Dust your knees off and you get back up and work twice as hard, that’s what I’m doing… the work has officially started.

 As your college wrestler you will learn that once I put my mind to it, I work hard to achieve my goals, academically, physically, and mentally. I know what needs to be done and I do it, I acknowledge what areas need to be strengthened to make me a better student, athlete, person.

 My educational goal while in college is to study kinesiology as well as get involved with any mental health programs to raise awareness. My experience with my brother and cousin has made me a big advocate for Mental Health and I want to encourage my peers to end the stigma on mental health. Early this year I personally worked with a Sports Medicine doctor for 2 months when I injured my collarbone and will hopefully be interning with him over the Summer of 2023. After my first meeting with him, I walked out and told my mom ‘That’s what I want to be’. It’s absolutely fascinating how our body works and how we can push our body to be so much more productive by certain stretches or working specific muscles. I look forward to learning more and one day being able to motivate another student athlete to study kinesiology in college.