Your future, our focus
Sophomore Signs Early to Wrestle for Division I American
Make no mistake, Northwest College sophomore Keithen Cast made a calcualted gamble when he joined the Trappers out of high school in Broken Arrow, Okla. After all, he had turned away a few partial offers to wrestle at NCAA Division I wrestling programs.
“He had some offers out of high school, but they were smaller schools and smaller offers,” explained Northwest College wrestling coach Jim Zeigler. “I told him we could cover a better percentage of his costs those first two years and, if he did the things we asked of him, those offers would still be there.”
After a strong performance at the National Duals last January and a national runner-up finish at 174 pounds in March, those offers began to appear once again. Initially, Cast had planned to wrestle his sophomore year and then decide on his future.
“I wanted to come back and try to win the national title,” Cast said. “I wasn’t going to really look at schools until the season was over. I knew I had a bunch of schools looking at me, but nobody was really approaching me yet.”
That changed earlier this year when American University, a Division I program located in Washington D.C., invited Cast to campus. The Eagles immediately got his attention.
“I didn’t even know you had the opportunity to go on trips (to visit schools) before the season,” Cast said. “I really liked everything I saw once I got out there. They’re a smaller school. The wrestling program is really coming along.”
That could be a bit of an understatement. The Eagles are currently ranked ninth in the latest InterMat wrestling rankings and have appeared as high as seventh over the course of the first semester.
That ranking, however, pales in comparison to another national ranking. American University ranked second in academics last year. For Cast, who harbors dreams of continuing his education into medical school after earning a four-year degree, the combination of wrestling and academics was too much to pass up.
He signed his letter of intent on the first day of November’s signing window.
“It’s been a crazy path,” Cast said of his journey from Oklahoma to Wyoming and, after this year, to Washington D.C. “Coach said I’d be successful if I put in the time, and here I am. I’ve got a full ride scholarship to a top-10 wrestling program and a strong academic school.”
With the big decision of what he’ll be doing after his graduation from Northwest College this spring now out of the way, Cast, the top-ranked 174 pounder in the latest NJCAA rankings, has been able to focus on his wrestling.
“Watching Nick (Petersen) last year really helped show me the mindset you need,” Cast said. “Last year, I came in and felt like I had to prove something to people. This year, I just have something to take, and seeing the way Nick competed last year really gave me an understanding of what I needed to do this year.”
Having questions about his future out of the way, Cast said, has allowed him to focus without distraction on wrestling.
“It took a big weight off my shoulders,” Cast said.
That proved to be important when Cast suffered a high ankle sprain early in the season. The injury, which robbed Cast of most of his first semester on the mat for the Trappers, could have been cause for panic had he not had his future sorted out.
“I definitely would have freaked a little,” Cast said of the injury.
Any worries that mishap may have held are now gone. Cast indicated the ankle is 100 percent, although it will be heavily taped for the remainder of the season, much like his other ankle, which he sprained in high school. Instead of the future, he can focus on the goal that he calls his “icing on the cake” — the 2012 national title at 174 pounds.
“I couldn’t be happier for him,” said Zeigler. “I’m particularly excited because it’s a highly prestigious academic institution with a good wrestling team. He had some offers out of high school, but he came here because he wanted bigger. Now he’s got the whole ball of wax — full ride to a top academic school and a top 10 wrestling program.”
Cast’s success could also prove to be a selling point for Zeigler as he hits the recruiting trail this spring.
“It says a lot about our ability as a junior college program,” Zeigler said of Cast’s success and opportunity. “It sells to the next recruits to take note. If you come here and do the things you have to, we can successfully market you. Coaches will take note of what you’re doing here and this is the kind of opportunity you can get.”
For Cast, it’s an opportunity that has his entire family pleased.
“My dad has always wanted me to wrestler at a Division I program, so he’s excited that I’m going to a team that’s ranked in the top 10,” Cast said. “My mom has always been more about the academics, and she’s super stoked that I’d be able to go to a school like that, with that reputation.”
The Trappers return to action Jan. 7-8 at the National Duals in Springfield, Ill. Northwest College is one of eight junior colleges invited to compete at the national showcase event.