Olympic wrestling trials now a reality for Metcalf

By Michael Selecky
VIEW Sports Writer

NEVADA — Like a summer breeze, 2005 Davison graduate and current University of Iowa wrestler Brent Metcalf came in calm and cool to the United States Senior Freestyle Nationals at the Las Vegas Convention Center April 25-26, only to come out smelling like a rose while still leaving himself room to improve.
“Brent’s strengths as an athlete are the same strengths that make exceptional people exceptional, whether it be an education, medical, business, marriage etc. He’s committed. He believes in himself, he believes in his coaches, he believes in his teammates and he believes in the values and goals of the program,” said Metcalf’s former coach, Roy Hall. “He has cat-like instincts and always find a way back to his feet.”
To compete in the event, Metcalf first had to place in the top eight of a 16-man qualifying event on April 25, where he won his first three matches.
From there, Metcalf then had to come in seventh or better in a 16-man field on April 26 at 145.5 lbs (66 kilogram). After a marathon day of competition where he participated in six separate matches, the current college sophomore wound up taking fifth in a field that included four grapplers with international experience on the national squad and nine NCAA champions.
“Brent finds a way to win and out-works not only his opponents but everyone,” Hall said. “The one incredible aspect of Brent’s wrestling is his rare ability to be able to leg attack both to the left and right. This is amazing, and to be able to do this only reinforces the commitment he has. This alone mentally breaks his opponents when they realize he can attack whatever leg they lead with.”
In his first match of day two, Metcalf faced former NCAA title holder Jared Frayer, losing, 4-1, 4-3, for his first defeat in nearly six months. Just when all seemed lost, the former Cardinal managed to regain his focus and hit his stride, shutting out his next three opponents to the combined tune of 20-0. Highlights include victories over former NCAA champions Trent Paulson, 3-0, 3-0, and Jared Lawrence, 3-0, 1-0.
“As far as international competition, Brent has already been exposed. He represented the USA in the Junior World Championships in 2006 in Guatemala and Russia, as well as Canada,” said Hall. “He’s defeated former Olympic Gold medalist Kendall Cross and just defeated 2004 Olympic trials runner-up Jared Lawrence at the U.S. Open, placing fifth. Brent believes he can win now and is worthy of an Olympic gold medal now.”
After losing to Frayer for a second time, 4-1, 3-1, Metcalf completed his day by taking a victory by injury default in the fifth-place match.
Metcalf will next compete at the Olympic trials in Las Vegas June 13-15, where he will have to win his division in order to make the national team.
“Most folks would put it off until they’re done with school. What makes Brent great is that he’s greedy. He wants to do it now, forget about reasons why he can’t. Normal people have excuses why they can’t do things. Brent doesn’t see obstacles, nor does he wait his turn,” Hall said. “He’s 21 and on the verge of greatness. The average age of US wrestling Olympians is 28, which is when most athletes are at their physical peak.”