For former NC State wrestler Nick Gwiazdowski, now two years removed from a college career that saw him win two ACC Wrestler of the Year awards, two ACC titles and two national titles, a normal day of training looks much like his days with the Pack.
“A typical day for me is something in the morning, whether it’s a technique session or strength and conditioning,” Gwiazdowski said via phone interview Monday. “Then I come back in the afternoon, normally around two or three o’clock for more on-the-mat wrestling. That’s for anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours. That’s about it. I do some other things midday occasionally on recovery days to keep my body healthy and recover to feel good, but every day is productive.”
Now, however, Gwiazdowski is training with even bigger goals in mind. After claiming a two matches to none victory over Dom Bradley of Ames, Iowa, at the USA Wrestling World Team Trials Saturday, Gwiazdowski will compete in the World Wrestling Championships in Paris, France, Aug. 21-26. The former Wolfpacker will represent his country on the highest stage for the first time in his young career.
“For sure; the USA is one of the greatest countries on earth,” Gwiazdowski said. “We’re always one of the top countries in wrestling and being able to represent us at the Worlds is special. I look forward to it.”
Gwiazdowski will not only get to represent the red, white and blue of his country, but also the red and white of the school that helped him start his pro career in Paris in two months.
“They’ve done a lot for me while I was in school, and also now with the regional training center we have here at NC State and the donors that make it possible for me to do what I’m doing, Gwiazdowski said. “That, along with our coaches and the training partners we have in the room, the college guys I work with. That combination of training partners, the coaches and the support staff, it’s big for me. The people in the training room, the strength and conditioning coaches, all of it, they all do a really good job and are very supportive.”
The former NC State grappler credits his time with the highly successful program in Raleigh for preparing him to wrestle on one of the world’s biggest stages.
“I think it’s done a lot,” Gwiazdowski said. “I’ve spent a lot of time there the past five years. Just what the coaches instill in us, and the lessons you learn, whether it’s how you want to learn a lesson, or sometimes you learn lessons the hard way. Things you learn, and a lot of them are more than wrestling, discipline and how to conduct yourself. I think those are important things that I definitely learned in college and I’m using now. They are very important.”
For Gwiazdowski, some of the best parts of his sport come not just from success on the mat, but the ability to better other facets of his life through wrestling.
“The most rewarding, beyond the winning is the ability to test yourself against tremendous competitors, and learn more about yourself in terms of pushing yourself to limits and beyond limits,” Gwiazdowski said. “Learning more about yourself in terms of discipline and what you’re capable of doing, how you can better yourself in your training and becoming a better person overall. There’s a lot of things that are tough to put into words but it’s challenging. There’s a lot of things that I know through my daily life that have really changed. It’s fun to literally be able to change your life and change who you are and those type of things, it’s fun.”
The key to a successful World Championships run for Gwiazdowski will be to continue doing what he has done throughout his entire college and pro career: improving every aspect of his technique and preparation that he can.
“Improving on things I’m doing and picking up a couple things in terms of small technique things,” Gwiazdowski said. “Wrestling on my feet and wrestling on the mat also. Being in great shape and ready to make these foreign wrestlers work really hard in the time and being productive in my time on the mat instead of just standing around.”
Turning the sport they love into a professional career is a dream many college athletes share. As someone who has been able to do this himself, Gwiazdowski offered his advice for college performers hoping to follow in his footsteps.
“I think the earlier in your career that you look at yourself as a professional [the better],” Gwiazdowski said. “You start to live like a professional, act like a professional and train like a professional. Do everything at a high level; have high expectations from yourself. When things don’t go your way, don’t give up on them. Look to how you can improve them and turn the negative into a positive. Don’t be afraid to make sacrifices, because if it’s what you want to do, then anything’s possible.”
