Hermsen Reaches Pinnacle as Division III Wrestling National Champion
Photo courtesy of UWSP Athletics.

Hermsen Reaches Pinnacle as Division III Wrestling National Champion

The three year wrestling evolution of Logan Hermsen reached it’s climax with him winning the 2016 Division III wrestling national championship at 165-pounds.

Hermsen, a junior, has gone from having a losing record his freshman year to being a national champion in his junior season. The lumps he took early on can be credited to where he ended up.

“Not a lot of freshman get the amount of matches he did, and I think it helped him learn how to adjust to wrestling on the college level right away,” head coach Johnny Johnson said.

Hermsen, who actually didn’t win a tournament until regionals, soaked in the moment of being on top for all it was worth.

“I kind of blacked out. The feeling of all your hard work paying off is a feeling that is hard to describe in words,” Hermsen said.

Hermsen exploded onto the scene his sophomore year with a 27-15 record, which ramped up the expectations for his junior campaign.

“Logan is the kind of kid who will do anything he can to live up to his self expectations,” Johnson said. “We as a staff didn’t necessarily expect him to get as far as he did this year, but we knew that he was definitely capable of doing so.”

Throughout a long wrestling season, it was crucial for Hermsen to keep up his level of play as he entered the postseason.

“I made sure to stay healthy and work with the athletic trainers and continue to make sure my conditioning and diet were up to par,” Hermsen said.

Although a national title wasn’t expected, as the tournament went on, Coach Johnson and Hermsen both saw a possible path to the title.

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Photo by Caleb Williams/ d3photography.com

“He got by a guy in regionals who has given him some problems, and then after that we looked at the route and kind of said he’s got a chance at this thing,” Johnson said. “He won his semifinal match and then you know when you get to a championship match anything can happen.”

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point wrestling team finished 19th overall, their highest finish since 2009. Hermsen credits his teammates for helping him get to the top.

“Hanging out with my teammates and bonding with them all the time doesn’t get old. We are like family and I give them all the credit for the season I had,” Hermsen said.

Being with a wrestler the caliber of Hermsen has an impact deeper than just his individual accomplishments, and his teammates take note of his efforts.

“We got to UWSP at the same time and wrestling against a guy like Logan every day, like I do, as his practice partner makes you want to match that level and work even harder to do so,” junior wrestler Jaden Boivin said.

Technique wise, Hermsen’s development while on his feet was the key for his historic run.

“Coach Johnson has taken me under his wing and helped me with anything wrestling wise and has instilled in my mind that I was the best in the country,” Hermsen said. “I also want to give a ton of credit to coach Jake Wozniak who taught me everything I know about on my feet and was the reason for most of my takedowns this year.”

The coaching staff, maintaining Hermsen’s high level of production was their top priority with him.

“He got so good at attacking his opponent’s legs and being able to adjust while on his feet, on top of already being so good while on the ground as well as on top,” Johnson said. “As the season went along we weren’t doing much with him other than fine tuning.”

Although Hermsen finished a champion, his season had more ups and downs than any other season he can remember.

“I had a couple concussions and leg injuries throughout this year and it was hard to overcome it, but my teammates helped me through the whole year and to finish on top is an amazing feeling of accomplishment,” Hermsen said.

Winning a national title as a junior could call for some complacency with Hermsen who still has a year left of eligibility, but that isn’t a concern for those in the UWSP program.

“He’s not the kind of kid who is going to relax,” Johnson said. “He is an extremely smart kid and knows that repeating is even harder than the first one, so none of us have any worry about him not being ready to go come next year.”

Hermsen confirms his coach’s beliefs, as his offseason has already ended.

“I took a couple weeks off, but this past week I just started training for my senior year,” Hermsen said. “I’m going to concentrate a little more on my hand fighting, and know that I have to work harder than I did last year if I want to repeat.”

Charles Klumb

Reporter

cklum166@uwsp.edu

 

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