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| Max Hautaniemi |
Throughout the week, Monday through Friday, the RIT
Wrestling team practices below the Clark Gym. Among
them, you will find Brad Mayville, a second year Criminal
Justice student who has just transferred to RIT this year.
Resting on a 28-8 record and with his first Empire
Collegiate Wrestling Conference Championship under his
belt, Mayville has been a strong addition to the team.
According to Mayville, his interest in wrestling traces
back to his family. “My dad wrestled in high school. I have
three brothers who also wrestled in high school, so I just
continued down the line with wrestling,” he recalled.
Mayville distinguishes wrestling from other team-oriented
sports like soccer: While the entire team is collecting points
to win, individual members secure the points on their own
mats independently. “It’s just you out on the mat, so it’s all
up to you.”
Having wrestled since kindergarten, Mayville has played
for three different teams over his high school career, going
from Marion High School to Bishop Kearney in Rochester
to Wayne High School in Ontario, N.Y. While switching
schools was a regular occurrence, Mayville was glad to
have had the opportunity to play under different schools
and coaches, citing the change as beneficial to reaching his
current skill level.
Because each of Mayville’s coaches had different styles of
wrestling, he was exposed to diverse wrestling moves and
techniques. “Throughout my career, I was wrestling with a
different aspect of how to win a match,” said Mayville.
RIT’s head wrestling coach Scott Stever, who has played
a role in RIT Wrestling for 25 years, had high regard for
Mayville when he joined the team.
“I knew he was a blue chip wrestler,” said Stever. “He’ll
make it at the college level since he is very determined,
talented, hard-working, coachable and a good student.”
While Stever said that Mayville was acclimated to the RIT
wrestling community, there are challenges ahead for him.
According to Stever, Mayville will face “a strong field of
wrestlers” at the team’s first NCAA Regional Tournament
hosted at Ohio Northern University next month, competing
against 18 teams. If Mayville places in the top three of his
weight class (149 pounds), he will qualify for the NCAA
National Tournament at the University of Wisconsin La
Crosse on March 15.
