Edward Hamilton '25 Recruiting Profile

Wrestling has been one of the most significant parts of my life. For my high school years, I’ve devoted myself to wrestling as it helps me grow and build myself. Over these years, I have grown as an athlete and as a person, facing many challenges along the way. I’m a 2x state qualifier and have accumulated 76 wins through my freshman to junior year. I’ve been through a few weight classes ranging from 106 to 126 pounds. Wrestling has taught me perseverance, resilience, and the importance of overcoming adversity, which has shaped me for my last year of high school and this upcoming season.

During my freshman year, I placed 5th in my region, which was disappointing because only the top 4 wrestlers from each region were able to qualify for the state tournament. This motivated me to work harder and prepare for the next season. In my sophomore year, I made it to the regional finals and placed 2nd, a jump not even I expected from my freshman year. I lost in the finals to someone who became the state champ that year and one of my best friends, Mohammed. He has taught me what it means to dedicate yourself to something and show how much work it will take if you really want it.

The most challenging moment of my wrestling career came last year, during my junior season. The entire season I had pushed myself to my limits in practice and came into the region 32-11 and earned myself the first seed. However, in my first match at regionals, I didn’t believe in myself as much and stressed the whole match. Little did I know, the stress was not the worst of my problems. I ended up trying to get off bottom and going for a reversal and pulled the guy between my legs. He jumped back and clipped my leg, causing my foot to get stuck under him and me tearing my MCL. This injury was a setback that I had never even imagined I would face. It was soul-crushing to know that I went into the tournament as the top seed and that I had just lost my first match. I ended up going 0-2 to finish my season off. Not only did I feel like I let myself down, but I also felt like I had let down my team and coaches. It was one of the hardest moments of my life, but it sparked a new drive and anger to conquer everything in my path and to finally prove that I am capable of more.

As I head into my senior season and am currently in it, I am more determined than ever to show that I deserve to be considered one of the best in my class in the state. I want to prove why I deserved that first seed last year, despite what my outcome was. I am focused on becoming a state placer, and ultimately, a state champion but I know the type of path that takes and that everyone dreams of it. I am prepared for what is to come and I know it will take everything I have and everything that I don’t even know I have.

Wrestling is more than just a sport for me; it’s a life lesson and a key part of my life. It has strengthened my determination, my grit, my confidence, my physical self, my mental, and everything about me. People don’t say it’s one of the hardest sports for nothing. I’ve made brothers in this sport; brothers I have to prove something to. Each victory and loss, every practice and injury, has prepared me for this moment. Me tearing my MCL is only a setback, it does not and will not determine what I am and what I can become in the future.