Dexter's Will Feldkamp earns All-America honors

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Will Feldkamp, with arms raised, after a big win. photo courtesy of Clarion Athletics

Going into the NCAA Championships, Will Feldkamp, a Dexter High School alum and Clarion University wrestler, said he was taking it one match at a time; staying focused and calm.

Once it was all said and done, emotions went from calm to excitement after he was named an All-American. He is the 47th All-American placement in Clarion University wrestling history.

“It was surreal,” Feldkamp said of the achievement. “I was taken aback.”

Feldkamp took seventh-place in the 184-pound bracket.

In summing it up, Clarion Athletics said, “With the win, Feldkamp wrapped up a remarkable season that saw him become Clarion's first NCAA place winner in 10 years. His seventh-place finish makes him the Golden Eagles' highest finisher since Bekzod Abdurakhmonov took third place at 165 pounds in 2013.”

Going into the NCAA Championships, Feldkamp, a senior, was ranked 21st. He was just the third Clarion wrestler in school history to win a Mid-American Conference title.

The Sun Times News asked him about the lead up to the tournament and how he approached each match. He said he was keeping in mind what Clarion’s assistant coach Dakota Geer was telling him.

Stay focused, calm, and remember his style and strengths. Feldkamp said with those things in mind he believed that good things could come.

And they did.

“I didn’t hold back,” he said of his approach in each match.

In thanking his coaches and teammates, Feldkamp looked back on his wrestling career and in getting to this point. He said his father has always played a big role in his life and been an important supporter, along with his mother, girlfriend and family, who are always there for him. He also pointed to the coaches he’s had since he was young. From the Dexter Wrestling Club to competing as a Dreadnaught, he said his coaches helped him learn the fundamentals and instilled in him the work ethic and mentality that helped lead to an All-American ranking.

Feldkamp's trophy from the NCAA Championships. photo courtesy of Will Feldkamp
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