Nicholas Curley '21 Recruiting Profile

I first started wrestling in the 3rd grade at a club at Brandon High School in Florida. I wrestled my first tournament in Florida and got my first win, despite only knowing a double leg takedown and a half nelson. After moving to Massachusetts in 2012, I continued my wrestling career when I started practicing at Harvard University with Coach Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov. I have been wrestling with Coach Muz to this day and his guidance has helped me improve my skills tremendously. My hard work in practice led to success on the mat. I also wrestled at various camps at Penn State, Cornell, and Harvard. However, when I made the transition from middle school to high school, my wrestling career changed as well.

Before starting high school, I had to choose the school that was right for me. I decided St. John’s Prep was the best fit because I knew they had a great wrestling program and that Manny Costa, the head coach, was going to help me along the way to become the best wrestler I could be. I also knew they had a good academic program that would challenge me to be a better student. Wrestling in high school gave me a whole new love for the sport. High school wrestling is more about being a part of a team than just winning matches. I have made really great friends during my high school wrestling career. During my freshman year, I finished 3rd in the Division 1 North Sectional and 8th at Division 1 States. At the end of the season, I was given the freshman Coaches Wrestling Award at St. John’s Prep. After my freshman year, I knew I wanted to get even more serious with my wrestling career.

The summer before sophomore year I traveled to Fargo, North Dakota for the 2018 Cadet and Junior National Championships. Fargo was one of my first freestyle tournaments and not like any tournament I’d been to. At Fargo, I did not win any matches but I was happy to be there competing with the best wrestlers in the country. I continued to train for next year's competition. I returned to Fargo for the 2019 Cadet and Junior National Championships and my improvement showed when I won my first two matches and competed well during my other two matches.

As a sophomore, I finished 4th at Division 1 States and 7th at All States then progressed to New England’s where I went 2-2. At the end of the season, I was given the sophomore Coaches Wrestling Award at St. John’s Prep and the Inspirational Award by the St. John’s Prep wrestling coaches. My favorite moment was being named captain as a junior for the 2019-2020 season. I started going to more tournaments such as the NHSCA High School Nationals where I went 2-2 and the Northeast Regional Championships where I went 1-2. Wrestling in high school has taught me discipline and it helped me to strive for better grades.

As a junior. I finished 2nd at Division 1 States, 5th at All States, and 4th at New England’s. During the season, I also achieved honor roll status in the first and second quarters. My favorite moment of junior year was when my team, St. Johns Prep, won the Division 1 Dual Meet state title which hadn’t been achieved since 2015. During the offseason, I hope to achieve my goal of becoming an All American at Fargo. Also, I hope to compete in the World Team trials in Irving, Texas this spring to attempt to make the Cadet World team. My academic goals is to achieve an A in each class.

During my senior year, I want to lead my team again to a state title. Also, as a captain, I want to be a good leader and challenge my teammates to improve. My athletic goals include State championship, New England championship, and All-American status at NHSCA High School Nationals.

As I plan for college, I will look for schools that have a Mechanical Engineering program. I will also look for a school that will challenge me to grow academically, socially, and athletically. I will be an asset to a college wrestling program because I am a hard worker, a good listener, easy to coach, steady under pressure, and I appreciate the sport. I also like to inspire my teammates and help push them to succeed. I am very grateful for the opportunity to further my wrestling career after I graduate from high school. Thank you very much for taking the time to read my personal statement and thank you for considering me for your school’s wrestling program.

Thank you,
Nick Curley