Sanchez places third in Pac-10, prepares for NCAA’s
BAKERSFIELD – Matthew Sanchez – a one-time Central Coast Section Champion and state-medalist at Bellarmine Prep Academy – was not used to getting thrown around on the wrestling mat. The Gilroyan was more accustom to delivering the pain rather than taking it.
“Every match you wrestle in practice is a state final or CCS final here,” said Sanchez, a sophomore 133-pounder on the California State University at Bakersfield wrestling team. “You can’t step into a room like that and expect to be beating people.”
The jump from high school to college is a big one in any sport – especially when it comes to wrestling. But Sanchez knew with each practice he was getting a little stronger and a little wiser.
“I got my butt handed to me everyday. It took a while to get takedowns,” said Sanchez, who spent half a season at Iowa State before transferring to CSU-Bakersfield. “After a while, you either crumble or get stronger.”
Sanchez got stronger.
“It’s a big step,” the 21-year-old grappler said. “If you’re ready for the challenge, it makes you even better.”
The transition phase was a brutal and difficult one – but the rewards were waiting for him on the other side. Three days a week, Sanchez was up running and then lifting weights. Twice a week, he took a break from running and just lifted. Every day, he came out on his own to work on his technique with his assistant coach. And every day, he was “banging heads for two hours” at practice with his Roadrunner teammates.
“In high school, I thought I couldn’t possibly work harder. When I showed up for practice in college at Iowa State and Bakersfield, it was three, four times harder,” said the kineseology major and sports management minor. “You just end up doing it on a daily basis. At Bakersfield, we work harder. We’re up at seven every morning – but you don’t worry about it as much after a while. You just do it and get through it.”
Sanchez got through it and, after qualifying for the NCAA Division I National Championships as a 125-pound freshman in fifth place, he’s back in the hunt for All-America status since placing third at the Pac-10 Championships as a 133-pound sophomore.
“I’m definitely going in to be All-America,” said Sanchez, who went 2-2 at last year’s national meet. “It’s a hard tournament to walk into for the first time. It’s sold out every session with about 15, 16 thousand people.”
This year’s NCAA Division I National Championships will in Kansas City, Missouri from March 20-22 with the top eight wrestlers in each weight class being honored with the All-America tag.
“Practices are going really well. We’re picking up the training. I feel like I’m in great shape,” Sanchez said. “I just have to do what I did at the Pac-10 Championships and take it one match at a time and go from there.”
At the Pac-10 Finals held on the Boise State campus in Idaho, Sanchez finished with a 3-1 record – rebounding from an opening loss to win three in a row to qualify for the nationals.
“My first round match, I thought I got the takedown at the end to win it, but (the official) didn’t call it. I definitely thought I could have won (the Pac-10 title),” said Sanchez, who was seeded fourth going in. “In wrestle-backs, I got to wrestle some kids that I lost to earlier in the year and I beat them so that felt good.”
Sanchez won his final two wrestle-backs by major decision – topping Stanford’s Brad Metzler, 12-0, and Cal Poly’s Nate Ybarra, 13-5, to win third place.
As a team, Cal State Bakersfield (6-6 overall, 3-3 in Pac-10) finished the 2003 Pac-10 Championships in sixth place with 66.5 points as four Roadrunners qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships.
“Some parts of this year, I tried to change up for certain guys, but that just clouded my head up and I didn’t wrestle well and lost to some guys I should’ve beat,” Sanchez said. “Now I just go out there looking for fight one match at a time. My only plan is to go out fighting… and not worry about what they do.”
While All-America is an immediate goal for him, Sanchez said he wants to train for the World Trials and, possibly, compete in the Olympics.
“Right now, I’m more focused on my goals as a college wrestler,” said Sanchez, who spent time working out with the Gilroy High wrestling team over the summer and last spring. “I just wanted to say congratulations to the Gilroy High guys.”
Sanchez first stepped on the wrestling mat when he about 10-years-old, but “I didn’t like it. I got my butt kicked so I quit and played basketball,” he said. It wasn’t long before Sanchez returned to the mat in junior high and then he got serious about it in high school.
Now, “we wrestle all over the county on the East Coast and in the Midwest,” said Sanchez.
