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Austin Neal: Champion Wrestler

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Life is funny sometimes. You never know what exactly is behind the next door. Meet Austin Neal for example.

Neal, now an accomplish wrestler as a senior at R-S Central and finished second at nationals this season, will head to Newberry College in the fall. However, it wasn't all that simple. Wrestling changed the young man's life.

One day in seventh grade, Neal found out about wrestling. By eighth grade he was in love with the sport. That year, Neal went undefeated.

The change wasn't in just the wrestler, but on a personal level as well. Neal admitted that he wasn't as focused in middle school, but when wrestling came to call, his grades went up and his attitude about life changed. Sometimes we don't see the simple things in life to understand what a sport can do for others. For Neal, it was wrestling.

In his freshman year, his practice partner qualified for state, and Neal barely missed out. Although, it didn't happen that year, Neal felt in his sophomore campaign that he could change that among the 113 weight class.

"I worked extremely hard after my freshman year in the offseason to better myself on the mat and it paid off by finishing third in the state," Neal said.

Neal's third place at state in his sophomore year pushed him to win back-to-back state titles during his junior and senior year. Neal was in the 113 weight class his junior year and then to the 120 in his senior year when he took home top honor in both. Then went to the NHSCA Nationals in Virginia Beach where he placed second overall in the 113 weight class.

"I had a big target on my back this season and there was a lot more pressure at state then at nationals," Neal said. "I was expected to do well at state, but not as much at nationals."

And it was at nationals that made his college aspirations much clearer. Schools took notice and mentally, Neal was ready for the task at hand in Virginia Beach.

"I expected tougher competition in nationals, but it was a completely surreal to finish second at nationals," Neal said. "I never expected anything better than eighth considering who was there."

Now that a stout wrestling school in Newberry College is in Neal's future, he's not forgetting about what he has learned from the past.

"I think to be humble and to be willing to work hard are the biggest things I have learned in being involved with wrestling," said Neal.

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