Thomas Propst '15 Recruiting Profile

My collegiate goals and aspirations are to pursue a B.A. in Dramatic Art at a four-year college, to minor in communications, and to wrestle at the collegiate level while pursuing my undergraduate degree. My life experiences and personal character traits have shaped me into a unique individual and athlete. I have no doubt that I will achieve the previously mentioned goals that I have set for myself. The summer before my junior year in high school, I went out for my high school football team. Prior to setting foot on that football field, I had no athletic experience....by the end of the season,I was a varsity,starting nose tackle/ offensive/ defensive lineman. I had become an entirely different young man and the Monday following my last football game of my junior year, I decided that I wanted to go out for our high school wrestling team. It was during my junior year as a wrestler that I discovered my true calling and what would become my greatest passion....wrestling. I truly love the sport, especially the comradery / brotherhood that exists amongst the team, the competition, and the fun. I began that season with "zero" experience as a wrestler and ended it as "The Most Improved Wrestler" and the only wrestler from my high school to qualify and compete at the NCSHAA 2014 3A West Tournament.

My name is Thomas W Propst and I am currently a senior at Hickory High School, Hickory, NC. I am 6'0 and 260 lbs. I am a wrestling team captain and varsity football player. I am an honor roll student taking honors classes. Currently, I am the N.C./ S.C. Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club Divisonal Youth of the Year and The 2014 Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Hickory, NC Youth of the Year. Additionally, I am the recipient of a YMCA of Catawba Valley 2014 Teen Character Award. I have been an active volunteer/ mentor at The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Hickory, NC since the beginning of my freshman year in high school and an advocate for child survivors of domestic violence. My own personal experiences overcoming the hardships resulting from being a child survivor of domestic violence & defying the odds of becoming a "statistic" impacted me tremendously. I put forth 110% of myself in all that I do, academics, athletics, and personally. The word, "quit", is not in my "vocabulary", and I firmly believe that I can achieve anything that I set my mind to, as long as I am willing to work hard for it. In the last four weeks, I have competed in the 2014 Big Cat Wrestling Tournament ( placed 1st, winning a gold medal) and the 2014 West Caldwell HS Invitational Wrestling Tournament (placed 1st, winning a gold medal).  I am confident that I would make a good candidate to become a member of a collegiate wrestling team and that I can make a great contribution to the collegiate wrestling organization that I become a pert of.