As the wrestling season begins, senior Will Lewey has only one thing on his mind: his future. Will’s journey on the mat has set him up perfectly for his dream life of coaching and collegiate wrestling.
Although it wasn’t always his focus, wrestling grew to be a crucial aspect of Will’s life after joining the McLean wrestling team in his freshman year. Throughout his years of wrestling, he’s persevered through the difficulties of the sport both physically and mentally.
“Every time I’m cutting 15 or more pounds, I think to myself, ‘What if I just stopped?’ There’s always hard practices where an hour in you’re just trying to make it through,” Will said.
In addition to the dedication he’s put in for himself, he’s also impacted the team.
“[Will] has this ability to get the team [invested] with all of the work outside of practice,” head varsity wrestling coach Kenneth Jackson said. “He gets the team together, gets offseason work done and really buys the whole team into the process.”
While his commitment to wrestling is demanding, Will ensures he takes away the true importance of each practice and dedicates himself to advancing his skills. Even though he joined the team with previous wrestling experience, he takes every opportunity to better himself.
“I’ve become a better teammate and leader. I’ve gotten stronger, faster, more flexible and more mobile,” Will said. “In every possible way, I’m better than I was when I started.”
As Will committed more time to McLean’s team, he had a significant influence on those around him, including his sister. Freshman Rachel Lewey joined the newly formed girls wrestling team this year, inspired by her brother’s success.
“Watching [Will] improve in his matches over the years has been cool to see,” Rachel said. “He made me want to start and succeed just as he did.”
Last year, Will sustained two head-related injuries in a row at the district and regional finals. These injuries cost him the opportunity to compete in the state competition.
“Winning the state title would mean the world to me for so many reasons,” Will said. “I’m just praying I don’t get hurt again this year.”
Despite Will’s inability to compete at the state level last year, he remained valiant in his efforts to return and win the title. As he advances through the current season, winning the state competition is his top priority.
“[Will] is a really good athlete, not only just in wrestling,” Rachel said. “I’m certain he would’ve won the state title last year if not for his injury. His persistence to return made me want to be at that level too.”
Just as Will’s skills and determination inspire others, he was inspired by his coach to discover one of his greatest passions: coaching.
“I volunteer for a youth wrestling team as a coach, which I really love doing,” Will said. “I just hope that I can be as good of a coach as Coach Jackson is. He makes our practices hard and makes sure we focus on getting better, but he still keeps it fun.”
Will’s drive to succeed is stronger than ever as he works towards his future in wrestling. This discipline is reinforced by the challenges of wrestling, which keep him focused on his athletic goals.
“Being an 18-year-old boy, I’m very prone to poor decision-making, and wrestling is something that I have to stay disciplined for,” Will said. “Winning the state title is not easy at all—you have to sell your soul to accomplish something like that. It keeps me on the right track so I can wrestle in college.”
Will celebrated winning his 100th match on Dec. 7 and is looking ahead to the rest of the season as he continues to aim towards unifying the team, furthering his passion for leading and mentoring.
“We’re in an individual sport where you could very much just focus on yourself, and it would be easy to do that,” Jackson said. “[Will] has gotten the entire team to dedicate themselves to getting better, which will carry him far beyond McLean.”
