KUTZTOWN, PA (February 25, 2010) – It's not easy to play one sport at the college level, let alone two. And when you factor in two of the most physically demanding like football and wrestling, you can only imagine the wear and tear that junior Kevin Bolinsky goes through each year.
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The two-sport standout is prepared to wreak havoc on his opponents this weekend at the 2010 NCAA Super Region I wrestling tournament hosted by the University of Pitt-Johnstown.
“I have to give tremendous credit to Kevin,” said head coach Rob Fisher. “Those two sports are very physical and mental, it takes a special person to excel at either one of them.”
Bolinsky has been able to translate each sport to help with the other. As a defensive lineman on the gridiron and heavyweight on the mat, he has gone up against essentially the same foe.
“In football I use an arm move to get past the lineman that I typically use when I am wrestling. The hand fighting in wrestling is also very helpful with dealing with blockers.”
Last season, Bolinsky was dealt a tough blow with a season ending injury which made him miss the regional tournament. This season, Fisher gave Bolinsky a break from the end of football until the beginning of January.
“We didn't want a repeat of last season,” said Fisher. “Working on the defensive line he is getting beaten play after play, by the time we get him at wrestling he has gone through a lot of physical punishment.”
Bolinsky, who is ranked No. 2 in the east region, did not fight with his coach on his decision.
“I needed a little bit of a break to unwind from learning defensive schemes to working on wrestling moves,” said Bolinsky. “Also, the early part of the season doesn't have as much of an impact as the later part does.”
The crowd at Keystone Arena throughout the home matches has helped root on the Golden Bears all season. But in a match against Franklin & Marshall, Bolinsky was treated to a personal cheering section in the upper balcony consisting of twenty-plus football teammates.
“It made me feel good to know that the guys would come out in the free time to support me,” said Bolinsky. “It showed me how close the team is to me that they wanted to watch me.”
Some would think that the busy sports schedule included with academics is too much to handle. However, Bolinsky finds the hectic schedule to be a treat.
“At this point I have a routine down,” said Bolinsky. “I'm the type of person who needs to stay busy to keep me motivated and disciplined.”
Heading into the regional, Bolinsky has a lot of motivation to be successful.
“I felt like I was deserving of All-PSAC honor s in football, but I missed out,” said Bolinsky. “Now my goal is to go to nationals and earn All-American honors. Hopefully next year I can earn the honor in both sports, but for this year I want to at least get the one.”
In the 2009 football season, he led the Golden Bears with nine and a half sacks and recorded 49 tackles.
Bolinsky has a 13-1 record with his only loss coming in his second match of the season. The loss came before he got into a rhythm that has set him up perfectly for the tournament.
Preview of the rest of the Golden Bears
125 pounds Chris Sheetz(18-4, ranked No. 3 in East Region): The junior is wrestling in his first Division II regional, but has a lot of experience after strong showings at the Division III level. Sheetz is a two time NCAA All-American and won the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional and took home eighth place hardware at the NCAA Championship last year. At the PSAC Championship in December, Sheetz placed third. He might be the hottest wrestler heading into the regional, winning each of his last nine bouts by fall, including a school record nine second pin against Millersville.
133 pounds Austin Williams (19-9, ranked No. 5 in East Region): Williams will be heading to regionals for the first time as a freshman. His 19 victories leads the Golden Bears and his seven win by major decision are also a team high.
141 pounds John Paukovits (17-3, ranked No. 6 in East Region): Paukovits did not place at last year's regional tournament after going 1-2. Paukovits had a strong season with 10 of his wins earning bonus points for the Golden Bears. He had five falls, including a 25 second pin, and a team-high three technical falls.
149 pounds Brett Martinez (11-6, ranked No. 6 in East Region): The senior fell in the quarterfinals at last season's regional with a 2-2 record for fifth place. Martinez also had a fifth place showing at the regional in his sophomore season. He has recorded three pins this season and has won six of his last seven matches.
157 pounds Ricardo Pena (8-11): Pena will be taking part in his first Super Regional. He had a season-best pin in 48 seconds which was later broken by Sheetz.
165 pounds David Zeek (15-6, ranked No. 3 in East Region): The senior won his first two matches of last season's regional before dropping the next two and placing fifth. In 2008, Zeek finished in fourth place and was the lone representative for the Golden Bears at nationals.
174 pounds Alex Depew (7-7): The freshman will be wrestling in his first regional. At the PSAC Championships, Depew went 1-2 and had a fifth place showing in the season's first action at the Washington & Jefferson Open.
184 pounds Tim Darling (12-1, ranked No. 1 in East Region): Darling will be wrestling in his first Division II regional. Since joining the Golden Bears in January, Darling has mowed down his opponents. He has won by major decision in five matches and pinned four opponents.
197 pounds Scott Snyder (13-8, ranked No. 5 in East Region): Snyder qualified for the NCAA Division II national championships last season. He finished second in the NCAA Division II Super Region 1 tournament. Snyder just missed out on nationals in 2008 with a fifth place finish. Snyder has won in five of his last seven matches.
