Takedown Report

Miklus has embodied everything that’s good about college wrestling

His father taught him to put his head down and work, to be accountable, to set a positive example for others around him, and to look beyond the singlet color and admire the wrestler inside it. So in his pre-teen years, Willie Miklus flipped semi tires up a 500-yard hill on his family’s property south of Des Moines and followed that up with another series of strength and conditioning drills. He became one of the most dependable volunteers for his high school team’s fundraisers, never bowing out because he was a two-time Iowa state high school champion with a Division-I future. He helped elevate Southeast Polk into the national rankings for the first time before moving on to the University of Missouri, where he became a three-time All-American. Miklus left the Tigers last summer to come back home after his father’s health took a turn for the worse. Garry Miklus passed away Monday morning at the age of 58 after a three-year battle with ALS, a vicious motor neuron disease with no cure. Willie wanted to be closer to his father in his final months.  So he transferred to Iowa State and the Cyclones wound up with a guy who embodies everything that’s good about college wrestling. Miklus is working on a master’s degree in Family Financial Planning. The 25-year-old, sixth-year senior already a master’s in Educational Counseling Psychology. On the mat, he’s 19-2 this season heading into this weekend’s Big 12 Championships. He’s ranked sixth at 197 pounds and he’s been a key figure in Iowa State’s turnaround as a team. Rest of the story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1552003909688&twSessionId=pissuaijsu&postId=1376409132&mc_cid=154493b531&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 23, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized