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Maximus Konopka: On the road to greener pastures

Editor’s Note: This article appeared in WIN’s Volume 32 Issue 4, which printed Dec. 19, 2025.
By Tristan Warner
There are 490 miles that separate Greens Farms Academy in Westport, Conn. from Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
That journey was made by Jack Conroy’s squad … well, the seven student-athletes who caught an invite, that is … to the 2025 Ironman Wrestling Tournament.
What if you were told that 2025 Ironman champion Maximus Konopka, the first ever representing a school from the state of Connecticut and now the nation’s No. 1 ranked wrestler at 215 lbs., logged over 400 miles per week, in his own right,  just to get to school? You read that correctly.
The Simsbury, Conn. native made the offseason move to Greens Farms Academy just before the start of his junior school year in search of the best training opportunity in the Constitution State. He does not have to go it alone, though. In fact, the future Virginia Tech Hokie’s longtime personal coach, TJ Silva, made the move as well. The two commute approximately 160 miles round trip daily to GFA for school, practice and then home.
Getting to go to tournaments like Ironman made the move worth it, Konopka says. “Simsbury High School is five minutes from my house, and Greens Farms Academy in Westport is an hour-and-a-half drive every morning,” Konopka explained. “It is a big change, but it has been worth every second. This was the decision I had to make to keep developing academically and athletically and be ready to start as a freshman and hopefully win four NCAA titles.”
Silva, who has coached Konopka since he was in the elementary leagues, saw something special in him from day one. He has continued to serve as his mentor, both on and off the mat, to this day, even cornering him in the Ironman finals where Konopka outlasted Faith Christian (Pa.) senior Cael Weidemoyer, 9-5. “When we had the opportunity to make the jump, … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2025/12/29/maximus-konopka-on-the-road-to-greener-pastures/

January 1, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

Chadron State College Coach Brett Hunter Running 100 Miles this Weekend

By Con Marshall

Chadron State College Men’s Wrestling Coach Brett Hunter was a two-time state champion wrestler at Rushville High School and a two-time national champion at Chadron State, winning a total of 274 matches and at least 31 matches each of the eight seasons he competed in the sport.  But this weekend he’ll be attempting a much different and strenuous challenge.  
Hunter has entered the 100-mile race that is the headliner of the Lean Horse Ultra Marathon in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  On Monday, he said he was both excited and nervous about what’s ahead, then added that it’s something he’s eager to attempt. 
His previous longest race was a 50-miler over the same course a year ago, and he recalls that afterwards he felt terrible, hurting all over both physically and mentally.  “I had to gut it out to finish. It was terrible.” he remembers.
Now he’s going to try to run twice as far. He knows it will be miserable, but he’s steadfast in giving it his best shot.
He admits that during his days as one of western Nebraska’s all-time outstanding wrestlers he never enjoyed running, but did it to get in shape and to make weight.  “Back then I thought running two to four miles was a lot, and when I went out for track as a high school senior I never ran more than a half mile in a meet,” he noted.
Now entering his 14th season as the Eagles’ head wrestling coach, Hunter doesn’t relish running, but he wants to stay active and healthy, and obviously has become much more than a casual jogger.
His first distance race of special note was a half marathon (a bit more than 13 miles) at Jackson Hole, Wyo., in 2022.  The next year he ran two 30-mile races in the Black Hills, and was encouraged when he won his age group and finished seventh overall in one of them.
Last year he took on the 50-mile race and completed it in 11 hours and 57 minutes, placing about 30th among the 125 entries. … more at … https://chadronradio.com/csc-coach-brett-hunter-running-100-miles-this-weekend/

August 19, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , , , | Leave a comment