Andrew Connoly, Staff Writer
The Bergen Community College Bulldogs Wrestling Team competed in the 2020 Wrestling Championship in Iowa this past month. The college brought three wrestlers along with Head Coach Chris DiSanto to Iowa. Freshmen John Perez and Jacob Knight as well as sophomore 149lb Corey Eyer. To learn more about the experience and event, I spoke with BCC wrestler Corey Eyer.
Eyer touched on the opportunity to be apart of the tournament. “It was great for the team to spend time together and compete on their biggest stage,” said Eyer. Nationals had wrestlers from all around the country, mostly from New Jersey, Iowa, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and Indiana. Eyer enjoyed facing different competition and seeing what other states and colleges had to offer.
With an event like the National Championship which holds so many individuals in the same building in the face of the current pandemic we are under in the country, the question has to be asked, what precautions were taken for the tournament? Eyer stated that besides some teams being “concerned to fly”, there weren’t many concerns regarding coronavirus at the time.
While preparing for the tournament Eyer believed he had to maintain an appropriate workout regimen, ensuring he ate properly to feel good and maintain his weight for the tournament, and attempting to get in the right state of mind and being thankful for the opportunity before him. Eyer set out to be in peak condition both physically and mentally and put in as much work as he could to be ready to wrestle some of the best in his division and weight class.
Eyer went 1-2 in the tournament and was happy with the result, stating it was a “cool experience” to get a win for himself and the college at the tournament.
Bergen Community College went on to finish in the top 35 out of 55 colleges.
A job well done, according to Eyer.
While this is a tough and confusing time for everyone in the college including the wrestling team it’s good to see that not everything had to be canceled because of coronavirus and the wrestlers were able to experience what it’s like being on a national stage.
