WHO’S NEXT? USAW STAR OF THE FUTURE
Pennsylvania’s Marsteller already making big impact
By Craig Sesker
AKRON, Ohio – Chance Marsteller is a big-time wrestler with big-time goals. In the last year, he’s burst onto the scene by winning two Cadet Nationals titles and a FILA Cadet Nationals crown. Marsteller is just 16 years old, and still has two years of high school remaining, but he’s already talking about reaching the pinnacle in the sport of wrestling. “I want to be an Olympic and World champion,” Marsteller said. “That’s been my dream since I was 10 years old, and that’s what I’m working for.” The two-time state high school champion from Pennsylvania
certainly is on the right track. Strong, powerful and chiseled, with a physique that looks more like someone in their mid-20s than a teenager, Marsteller has landed a spot on the U.S. Cadet World Team in freestyle at 76 kg/167.5 lbs.
Marsteller already has caught the eye of USA Wrestling National coaches. He has spent considerable time training with Senior-level wrestlers at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
“I am very impressed with Chance,” said U.S. Assistant National Coach Bill Zadick, a past World champion. “He’s a super tough young man who has a lot of great skills. He’s shown a lot of maturity for his age, and he is far ahead of most sophomores in high school. He’s super exciting to watch and he’s real solid in all of his positions. He’s very potent offensively and he’s very strong. I’m excited to see what he can do at the Cadet Worlds. He’s certainly capable of winning it.” Marsteller turned in a dominant performance at June’s FILA Cadet Nationals in Akron, Ohio.
He swept another top young prospect, Zachary Beard of Oklahoma, 3-0, 6-0 in the finals. “It’s very exciting – it’s amazing to have the opportunity to wrestle at Cadet Worlds,” Marsteller said. “I’ve been waiting for this tournament for a while to redeem myself from Wisconsin at FILA Juniors. I am ready to go overseas and finally see interna- tional competition for the first time. I’m pretty pumped for it. I’m more excited about winning this than I was about winning in Fargo last year, because I’ve been wanting to wrestle interna- tional competition.”
Marsteller is scheduled to compete at the at the FILA Cadet
World Championships on Aug. 21-27 in Baku, Azerbaijan. “I’m going to get World-level experience against guys my age,” he said. “I can see where I’m at and see what I need to do over the next four years. It will let me know what I need to do and I can see where I need to improve.” Marsteller has made significant gains while training in Colorado Springs. “It’s been great to have the opportunity to train with the Senior-level athletes, and being able to learn from the coaches,” he said. “I can see where my weaknesses are and what I need
30 USA Wrestler
Chance Marsteller won Cadet Nationals titles in Greco- Roman and freestyle wrestling in 2011. John Sachs photo.
to work on.” Marsteller put his vast arsenal on display during his finals win
in Akron, scoring on a number of leg attacks and also looking strong defensively.
“I wanted to put on a show in the finals,” he said. “I was able to wear him down and stay on him the whole time. I went after him and just tried to tire him out.”
Marsteller is excited about wrestling against foreign competi- tion on his first overseas trip for the Cadet Worlds. “Every country is a little different,” he said. “I’ve watched a lot of those wrestlers on video, and they wrestle different styles. Some guys open up like the Americans, but a lot of guys wres- tle real defensively. Everybody brings a little something different to the table, and you just have to prepare for it all. I’m really looking forward to seeing how I can do against them.”
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