Butler grad Sutton makes mat reversal
GREENVILLE — Two years ago, Nick Sutton's wrestling career was seemingly headed nowhere.
The Butler junior was stuck behind standout Korey Caudill at 119 pounds and rarely got on the mat for competition. His regular season record was 8-7 that season and his career mark was 34-43.
“Most guys in that situation would have just quit,” Butler coach Scott Stoner said. “It takes a special athlete to spit on his hands, say to himself 'I'm gonna go get this.' ... Don't find excuses, find a way.”
Sutton found it.
He wound up entering the section tournament at a different weight class, qualified for the WPIAL meet, then fashioned a 35-10 record his senior year.
A four-time WPIAL qualifier, Sutton is now starting at 133 pounds as a true freshman for Thiel College.
Even he has a hard time believing it.
“I wanted to wrestle in college, but I didn't like my chances by my junior year (at Butler),” Sutton said. “I thought my wrestling future might be in trouble.”
Now his future opponents might be in trouble.
Sutton put together a 12-9 record during the first semester at Thiel, including a third-place finish at the Washington & Jefferson tournament.
“To have a freshman get that many matches in before the first of the year is really rare for us,” Thiel coach Craig Thurber said. “Nick simply defies the odds. He has a lot of room to grow as wrestler, yet he's further along at this point in his career than I could have imagined.
“He came in here and locked down our 133-pound spot. I mean, it's his. He's incredibly focused in the room and on the mat.”
That all goes back to his time in the room at Butler two years ago, battling with Caudill every day in practice.“I learned so much that year — and it made me hungry,” Sutton said.Stoner was a wrestler in the lower weights at Slippery Rock University and sees a lot of himself in Sutton.“I can identify with him in that I had to battle and scrap and learn, earn everything I got in this sport,” Stoner said. “Nick has that same kind of fire I felt like I had.“It's easy to support and admire a kid like that. I'm one of his biggest fans.”Sutton works in the Thiel wrestling room with assistant coach Corey Brown, a former four-time All-American at 133 pounds.“I remember when Corey first came to us as a wrestler. I see a lot of similarities between him and Nick,” Thurber said.Such comparisons suit Sutton just fine.“I want go become an All-American while I'm here,” Sutton said. “Working with Coach Brown is showing me how to get there. I'm fortunate that he's here.“Keep improving my record, start for four years, help the team win the PAC (Presidents' Athletic Conference) ... That's the plan.”Thiel has won six PAC titles in eight years under Thurber. He has sent 13 wrestlers to NCAA Division III nationals and produced six All-Americans.“Just seeing what Nick has accomplished so far, his work ethic, knowing he has so much room to grow fundamentally and in catching up to the college game, it's impossible not to be excited about what he may do here,” Thurber said.
