Freshman Jake Strausbaugh held off his college choice until the final days leading up to the May 1st deadline. It was a tough decision that came down to a military appointment at the prestigious West Point Academy or a liberal arts education and an opportunity to wrestle at Wabash College.
Luckily for Wabash, especially the wrestling program, Strausbaugh made the choice to come to Crawfordsville. The Orville, Ohio native, who wrestles at 141 lbs, leads the Little Giants in wins and most statistical categories going into the conference and regional meets.
“I first heard about Wabash from my older brother,” Strausbaugh said. “He played football at Allegheny and always talked about how loud the Wabash crowds were. It just made sense to check it out.”
Strausbaugh was a recruit at the top of Head Coach Brian Anderson’s radar last year. A three-time state placer in Ohio, Strausbaugh made several trips to Wabash to visit and meet his future teammates.
“We got to know Jake really well last year and went to watch him wrestle a ton,” Anderson said. “It wasn’t a fluke that he came here after all those visits. What Wabash has to offer athletically and academically is very impressive.”
Once enrolled, Strausbaugh hit the ground running, perhaps even exceeding the high expectations his coaches had of him. The freshman was recently named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Monon Bell Classic, won several invitationals, and currently holds a 37-9 record and national ranking in his weight class.
“Jake has beaten some of the best wrestlers in the country this year who were seniors,” Anderson said. “He has done a great job and stands a chance to become the first freshman All-American in Wabash wrestling history.
“He’s one of those guys who, if he makes a mistake in a match, he remembers and learns from it. You don’t see him make the same mistake twice.”
For Strausbaugh, a desire to improve and strong work ethic has helped ease his college transition.
“I love wrestling because you have to take your spot in the line-up,” he said. “You really can’t leave it up to anyone else. The coaches don’t decide, it is all on you.”
This year, Anderson and the team captains made a concentrated effort to help Strausbaugh and the large freshmen recruiting class become comfortable with Wabash.
“Besides pre-season workouts, the team gathered early in the school year for team cookouts, Ultimate Frisbee, paintball, service projects, and Monday night Bible studies,” Anderson said. “All of the activities were put together for the guys to get to know each other better outside of wrestling.”
“It was easy to adjust to the team,” Strausbaugh said. “It’s like any other team really; you just have to figure out where you fit in. I’ve learned a lot from our older guys, just how they go about their business.”
The early team bonding exercises paid off, as the Little Giants are enjoying another season that follows along with the tradition of wrestling excellence at Wabash College. With ten underclassmen in the starting line-up, Anderson cannot help but be excited for the future of the program.
“With the success we are seeing this year, it gets you excited that everyone is coming back,” he said. “Add in the strong recruiting class for next year and it brings even more competition at each weight class.”
Having Strausbaugh in a Wabash singlet for three more years only brings more excitement.
“Barring injuries, I can’t see how Jake Strausbaugh does not beat Chris Haley’s most career wins record at Wabash,” Anderson said. “He has the potential to be the best wrestler in Wabash history.”