A lasting impression
GREENVILLE — Make no mistake. Nick Sutton left an impression on the Thiel College wrestling program.
The Butler graduate did not win 100 matches. He never made it to the Division III national tournament.
But his name will be forever attached to Thiel wrestling through “The Hatchet” award, developed by Tomcats coach Craig Thurber to honor Sutton's consistent dedication on the mat.
“I've been here for 13 years and have never seen any wrestler with the work ethic of Nick,” Thurber said. “He was unbelievable.
“I had to do something to recognize that and encourage that type of effort.”
So, naturally, Sutton became the first recipient of the Nick Sutton Hatchet Award — the first new wrestling award presented by Thiel in 40 years.
An acronym for Sutton's last name is printed on the award itself and describes his mat career: Steady, Unyielding, Tough, Tenacious, Obsessed and Nimble.
“I'm very honored ... humbled by all of this,” Sutton said. “I concentrated on staying healthy and eating right while I was here.
“To be rewarded for that is pretty overwhelming.”
Sutton was 95-61 in his mat career at Thiel. He won at least 20 matches in each of his four years with the Tomcats, including 25 wins his sophomore year.
He received the nickname “The Hatchet” from Butler High School wrestling coach Scott Stoner.
“I come up with nicknames for pretty much every wrestler I have, based on performance,” Stoner said. “Nick has an iron-man type mentality and he's such an intense competitor. The hatchet seemed to fit.”
Thurber was an assistant wrestling coach at Slippery Rock University from 1996-99 and has known Stoner for years.
“Scott called me one time during Nick's freshman year here and asked me how the hatchet was doing,” Thurber said. “He explained to me about the nickname and I loved it.
“I kept it going with Nick throughout his time here.”
Sutton will graduate from Thiel with a degree in international business this month.
The Hatchet Award will be presented to Thiel senior wrestlers in the future, but not annually.
“A wrestler will have to qualify for it and those qualifications will not be met every year,” Thurber said. “This will be a very special award when it is presented.”
The award winner will have carry at least a 2.85 grade point average, win at least 20 matches in each of his four years and wrestle in at least 147 total matches at Thiel “because that's what Nick did,” Thiel said.“The wrestler will have to stay healthy and eligible,” the coach added. “Nick missed one match in four years and that was because of a tweaked knee. He was at every practice, all of the time.”Sutton said the sport of wrestling “definitely pushed me, tested my abilities. I'm better in everything I do because of this sport.”Sutton did not begin wrestling until his freshman year in high school. He was below .500 through his first three prep seasons before going 35-10 his senior year. That final year earned him an opportunity at Thiel.“I missed qualifying for (Division III) nationals by one point my freshman year,” Sutton recalled. “I came within a match my sophomore year, too.“I never got (to nationals), but I'm proud of how close I came that first year.”Sutton wound up becoming a two-time individual Presidents' Athletic Conference champion while wrestling for a two-time PAC championship team.“Give me a team of Nick Suttons and we would have a realistic chance of winning our section title,” Stoner said. “That's what I think of that kid.”
