By Michael Jason Lee
Junior Carlos Eason is ranked sixth in the country at 190 pounds.
Photo by Tim McKinney
By Michael Jason Lee
Cornell wrestling coach Rob Koll made a big mistake in judgment when he recruited Carlos Eason.
"We expected absolutely nothing out of Carlos. He was one of our weakest recruits," Koll said. "He weighed 155 pounds and he was 6-feet tall. We thought, well, he'll be a good kid, maybe in a couple of years he can contribute."
It did not take long for Koll to realize that he had underestimated Eason.
"The day Carlos got into the wrestling room, we knew we had a special kid," Koll said. "He had just an incredible work ethic ... a very gifted athlete with tremendous technique. He had just not grown into his body."
Eason, a graduate of Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Va., struggled through a frustrating freshman season in which he had diffi culty transferring his practice performances to match competition.
"It was a rough year because I wrestled well in the room, but when we got onto the mat during the course of the year, I didn't wrestle well," Eason said.
By the end of the year, though, Eason offered a glimpse of what was to come, as he finished sixth in the 177-pound weight class at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association championships.
Eason dedicated the following summer to becoming a better all -around wrestler.
"I came in a lot stronger, so I was more physically prepared for the weight class," Eason said. "My attitude was different. I was more confident than I was my freshman year."
Eason's improved confidence reaped tangible results as he claimed the New York state championships and placed second at the EIWA championships, thus earning him a trip to the NCAAs at the University of Iowa. In addition, he led the squad with 10 major decisions and received first-team All-Ivy laurels.
Koll is quick to note that Eason has supplemented his considerable athletic ability with a determination that has enabled him to achieve a high level of success.
"You would see him in the mornings swimming, in the early after noons lifting and he'd go to practice in the late afternoon," Koll said. "For the first couple months of the year, he'd work out three times a day, five days a week, and of course Saturday's he'd work out with the team."
Eason, who is the lone captain on this year's squad, has emerged as the premier performer for the wrestling team this season.
Wrestling at the 190-pound weight class, he has already amassed a 16 -0 mark (through Feb. 21) and notched the Orange Bowl Sunshine Open championship and his second consecutive New York state championship.
Despite moving from the 177-pound weight class to the 190-pound weight class this season, Eason is hardly surprised that he has posted an undefeated record.
"I'm not surprised; it's what I expected," Eason said. "It's how I worked and how I prepared."
Koll noted that he has abandoned his modest expectations for Eason and replaced them with expectations more fitting of his abilities.
"He shouldn't even be touched in the Easterns this year. He hasn't had a close match yet," Koll said. "He also has the ability to place very high in nationals.
"Carlos is getting better every day," he said. "Next year I expect him to win nationals."
Eason contends that he is unfazed by his coach's lofty expectations.
"I don't feel any pressure, because I feel the same way," Eason said. "It's not like he's putting ideas into my head, because I'm thinking along the same lines."
And why should he feel any pressure? After all, Carlos has never met an expectation he could not beat.
Michael Jason Lee is a senior at Ithaca College.