Michael Smith By Michael Smith
The Air Force wrestling team is on the rise and associate coach Joe Johnston said he feels good about his team’s chances of getting its first All-American wrestler since 2003 next season.
This year, the Falcons did not have anyone finish in the top eight of their weight division to claim All-American honors, but the team has taken steps forward in becoming a better program in recent years.
Two of those wrestlers came from high schools in Kansas. Wyatt Hendrickson came from Newton High School and was a four-time USAW Junior National Freestyle and Greco Roman All-American. He was a two-time Kansas state champion and a three-time finalist.
The Air Force freshman had a successful first season as he was one of three Falcons wrestlers to earn an NCAA Tournament bid after starting his season 13-3 and taking third in the Big 12 Tournament in the heavyweight division. He was ranked as high as 16th in his weight class.
Hendrickson fell one win shy of earning All-America honors in the NCAA tournament after he fell in the blood round of the consolation bracket. He was the first Air Force wrestler to qualify for the NCAA Tournament during his freshman year since 2013.
Kayne Hutchison, an Air Force junior, was four-time Kansas state medalist and a two-time state champion at Pittsburg High School. He was also a USAW Junior Freestyle and Greco All-American in 2016 and a UWW Cadet Freestyle and Greco Roman All-American.
He has not yet qualified for the NCAA Tournament but has had a winning record each season in the 197-pound weight division. This season, he finished 1-2 in the Big 12 Tournament.
So, what has the experience at Air Force Academy been like for these two former Kansas high school wrestlers? I asked the two and about it:
Q: Why did you choose to wrestle at Air force Academy?
Hutchison: “I knew I really wanted to wrestle in college and my father was in the military. And going to the Air Force Academy set me up for what I want to do.”
Hendrickson: “Wrestling is a big part of my life, but it’s not my entire life. I was really interested in my career after wrestling and after college. Air Force gave me a solid foundation and I knew after I graduate, they were going to help me become a leader of character. I am going to wrestle for four year and maybe a little bit after.
“I still have the rest of my life to live and I want to get a good job. I knew I could wrestle here and get a good education, as well.
Q: Everyone at the Air Force Academy is separated into groups called squadrons? What are squadrons and how do they work?
Johnston: “The main mission of the Air Force is to create leaders of character. The squadrons are divided up evenly for seniors through freshmen. The idea is, as you get older, you have more leadership responsibilities in your squadron. So your freshman year, you lead yourself. Your sophomore year, you’re supposed to lead someone else.
“Your junior year, you’re supposed to have a smaller leadership role in your squadron. And your senior year, you either lead your squadron or you lead a bigger portion of it. There’s 40 squadrons of approximately 100 people (each). They learn what it’s like to become a great officer.”
Q: What has it been like to be a part of a squadron at the Air Force Academy and what did you learn about leadership?
Hutchison: “From the beginning, you are soaking up as much knowledge as you can. Then your sophomore year, that’s your first experience actually leading somebody. You are in charge of a freshman and they are coming to you for guidance.
“As a junior, I have about 10 to 20 people that I am looking after. In my current position, I am in one of the top junior leadership positions. So I am in charge of the welfare and the morale of the whole squadron. I am looking after 100 people already as a junior and I report to the senior leaders.”
Hendrickson: “I am really just a small piece to the puzzle. You think of teamwork, you are like, ‘Oh yeah. It’s working together.’ But when you are put into situations when you have 30 other people you have to rely, you really learn about teamwork. You really learn how important it is and how important the small things are.”
Q: What were your thoughts about your 2020-21 season?
Hendrickson: “Right before competition, I had an injury that didn’t impact me too much. It kept me off the mat for a few weeks. I had a goal of qualifying for nationals, but once I did, I thought, ‘Hey, I am a pretty good wrestler. I think I have a shot at this (becoming an All-American). It was a great first experience.”
Hutchison: “I felt like I had a lot to prove this year. I came down from heavyweight and I was wrestling at 197 this year. It was a new class and new style. It was a transition year, but I achieved the goals I wanted. I have a lot of room to grow and I am not where I want to be.
“(At 197) you definitely have to be quicker and have good reaction time. Almost everyone in the division takes shots. At heavyweight, people didn’t shoot as much.”
Q: What was the transition like going from wrestling in high school to college?
Hutchison: “It was a difficult transition for sure. You have to constantly wrestle from a good position in college. You have to work hard to not give up points. The matches are a lot closer. You aren’t going to dominate very often.”
Q: What was it like wrestling during the COVID19 pandemic?
Hendrickson: “It was definitely different adapting to Division I wrestling. We took all the precautions we could (because of COVID19) and wrestled in bubbles. If someone happened to be contact traced or tested positive for COVID, we did all we could not to spread it to the rest of the team. We didn’t jog as a team but we still found a way to stay connected.”
What aspect of your wrestling did you improve on most since the beginning of the season?
Hendrickson: “It was mainly just the little things. In college, you can’t get away with as much stuff as you could in high school because the level of competition is so much harder. It’s little things such as hand fighting. You need to be good at that so you can get a good shot off. I took advantage of high school because I was more skilled and athletic than most of my competition.
“I got away with some stuff I shouldn’t have. If you try to shoot without tying up in college, it just doesn’t work.”
Q: What has it been like to wrestle in one of the toughest Division I conferences, the big 12?
Hendrickson: “It was a great experience. I had high goals for (the Big 12) Tournament. I thought I had a chance of winning it. The first match, it was just one little mistake that led me to lose the match. You can’t be lazy whether it’s your finals match or your first match. It will come back to get you.
“It was cool going from watching these teams to being a part of one.”
Hutchison: “The competition for me in the Big 12 this year was really competitive. I think 11 out of the 12 people at the tournament were ranked. It’s definitely a high level of competition.”
Q: What are your goals for the rest of your wrestling career at Air Force?
Hendrickson: “First, I just want to win every single time. I also want to be a three-time All-American and become a national champion. That has always been a goal in the back of my mind. After this year, I know that I have potential.”
Hutchison: “I am still chasing a national title. I am going to keep chasing that until I am told that I can’t do it anymore.”
