Sports
TECHNICIAN
PAGE 11 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019
Wrestling roots run deep for NC State’s Justin Oliver Emma Sheppard Correspondent
For NC State graduate student Justin Oliver, wrestling has been a part of his life since the age of six. His mother’s boss introduced him to wrestling, but little did Oliver know, “wrestling” was not what he expected. “I was 6-years old, so wrestling to me was WWE,” Oliver said. “I got to the first practice and I literally cried the entire time because it was completely not what I thought it was going to be.” In that moment, his dad asked him if he wanted to continue to wrestle, and he said yes, which led to him becoming the person he is today. Oliver grew up in Davison, Michigan where he attended high school, where successful wrestlers such as Brent Metcalf, Jon Reader and Paul Donohoe were produced. Having these greats in his back-
yard gave him experience and prepared him for the next level. Oliver had a stand-out high school career, going 172-5 and winning Division-I state championships in 2011 and 2012. He
tional administration. “I wasn’t mentally mature enough to move that far away from home,” Oliver said. “I didn’t quite know myself enough to be able to move 12 hours away from
“There’s more of a fight from the guys,” Oliver said. “No matter what position you’re in or what you’re feeling, everybody gives 100 percent, and that’s definitely something that I needed.” placed third in 2013 and was the runnerup his senior year. When choosing a college to go to, Oliver said that his choice came down to Central Michigan and NC State. Ultimately, Oliver chose to go to Central Michigan, where he earned a degree in organiza-
my family, from everything that I knew and into a completely new environment.” At Central Michigan, Oliver redshirted his freshman year and was named the Chippewas’ redshirt freshman of the year. He qualified for the NCAA Championships for the following three years,
earning All-America honors and placing seventh his sophomore year. With one season of eligibility left, Oliver transferred to NC State in 2018. “Justin has been a great addition to our team,” head coach Pat Popolizio said. “He helped fill a need, and his experience will help us through both our ACC and NCAA Championships in March. I’m excited to watch him compete here in his final campaign.” After falling one win short of All-America honors both his junior and senior seasons at Central Michigan, Oliver said that improving his game at the NCAA Championships was at the top of his list of goals he wanted to accomplish this season. “I want to win this last match as a team, and as an individual, against Virginia Tech, so we can secure the team ACC
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SINDY HUANG/TECHNICIAN
Graduate Justin Oliver, No. 8 in the 149-pound weight class, grapples with Pittsburgh senior Robert Lee at Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. The Wolfpack lost to the Panthers 18-16, its first home loss of the season.
