Zachary Barnett '21 Recruiting Profile

Right before my senior year, at a wrestling practice, I tore my ACL and meniscus in my left knee. Unfortunately for me it was my best decision to get the surgery, which ended my high school wrestling career.  As a senior, on previously Top 50 nationally ranked wrestling team and team state champions, I had high expectations and goals to qualify and place at the Iowa High School State Wrestling tournament my senior year, over the summer, as many wrestlers do I spent countless hours preparing myself for the season to come. Getting extra drills/Sparing, lifts, runs with my team mates, eating healthier, watching as much elite level wrestling as I could, the only fork in the road was that I couldn’t get much actual competition with the COVID-19 pandemic just beginning.  With the lack of competition and then right before the season, injuring myself, I had no way to prove and show the levels I had jumped. I went from never believing in myself and dropping matches that I should have never lost, to competing with multiple state place winners and state champions that we had in our room, something I had never done before. That’s why I believe my injury was just a set back, I still have many aspirations for my wrestling career, and I feel as if I have something to prove to myself and those who saw me as a weak link on my team.