WHO’S NEXT? USAW STAR OF THE FUTURE Gilman makes impact
By Craig Sesker Thomas Gilman sat in the stands and watched closely as the best freestyle wrestlers in the United States battled for berths in the 2010 World Championships. Gilman was in attendance at the Mid- America Center for June’s U.S. World Team Trials in Council Bluffs, Iowa. “I want to be a World and Olympic champion someday,” Gilman said. “That’s always been my dream.” Gilman may be on the right track to
make a run at his goals. A two-time state champion for Omaha Skutt Catholic High School, Gilman won the Cadet Nationals freestyle title at 119 pounds in July in Fargo, N.D. Now a high school junior, Gilman
placed third at Cadet Nationals in 2009 before winning the title this year. “It was important to win it this year because last year I was right there and real close to winning,” Gilman said. “I trained real hard through the summer to prepare for this. My mentality was to not lose a period and not give up a point. I wanted to dominate everyone.” Gilman is part of the powerful Skutt program that has won 13 straight Class B Nebraska state titles under Coach Brad Hildebrandt. “It’s an honor to wrestle for that pro-
gram,” Gilman said. “There is something special about walking into the Skutt wrestling room that makes you want to work that much harder. We train so hard. You have to be mentally and physically tough to stay in our practice room.” Hildebrandt, an NCAA Division II run-
ner-up for Nebraska-Omaha, was in Gilman’s corner in Fargo. “Brad’s had a huge impact on me,”
Gilman said. “He’s one of the best coach- es in the country. He is so enthusiastic and passionate about the sport. He moti- vates you and makes you want to go out there and conquer the World.” When Gilman walked off the mat after winning his title in Fargo he had a ques- tion for his coaches. “He asked, ‘How can I get better?’ Winning that title is just a steppingstone for him,” Hildebrandt said. “He is con- stantly looking to get better.” Gilman has studied tapes of Olympic champ Cael Sanderson, and three-time
20 USA Wrestler
Nebraska’s Thomas Gilman (top) wins a Cadet Nationals freestyle title at 119 pounds in Fargo. Gilman is a junior at Omaha Skutt Catholic. John Sachs photo.
Olympic champion and six-time World champion Bouvaisa Saitiev of Russia. “The sky’s the limit with Thomas,” Hildebrandt said. “He’s willing to work, and he brings a lot of intensity to the mat. He’s very skilled technically, and he just keeps getting better. He has a great atti- tude. He’s just a super kid.” Former Skutt standout Todd Meneely
also was in Gilman’s corner at the FargoDome. Meneely was a three-time NCAA Division II champion for Nebraska- Omaha. Meneely was a Junior Nationals champion in Fargo. “Todd has worked with me quite a bit,”
Gilman said. “He pushes me to train hard every day. I roll around with him a lot and I learn how to wrestle in different situa- tions with him. He’s very strong and physical, and that really helps me a lot.”
Gilman started wrestling at age 5. His
father, Pat, was a four-time state placewinner in Iowa for Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs. Gilman placed second at the 2010
FILA Cadet Nationals in Akron, Ohio. “The USA Wrestling events have
helped me a lot,” he said. “There is great competition and it’s great preparation for when you start trying to make World and Olympic Teams.” Gilman is already considered a top Division I prospect. “I really like Iowa,” Gilman said. “Our program is based off Dan Gable and the Iowa philosophy. I feel like I would fit in great at Iowa. I love the intensity that Tom and Terry Brands bring to that program. Our room is real intense, and we try to train like they do.”
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