This year senior Nathan Dlugopolski, member of the varsity wrestling team, is heading to the state tournament on Thursday, Feb. 18. Weighing in at 130 pounds and 5 feet 4 inches, Dlugopolski appears to be just another young talented wrestler, but behind the state qualifying athlete, it is easy to see Dlugopolski is an man with a lot of heart and passion for what he does. Dlugopolski looks to push himself in all areas of his life, and wrestling is certainly no exception.

“I first started wrestling because I was looking for a more challenging sport than what I had already done,” said Dlugopolski. “My dad wrestled in high school and when he introduced me to it, I was hooked right away.”

Fortunately for the Antioch team, Dlugopolski was indeed hooked. Each year he came back for more, and with such a physically demanding sport, some people may wonder what keeps him going. The passion for wrestling in Dlugopolski is fueled by nothing other than his ability to go out on the mat and be worked to the best of his ability.

“What I love most about wrestling is the grind. This sport is the toughest sport on earth and I love being able to go into practice each day wanting to battle and step up to the challenge,” said Dlugopolski. “There’s a simple beauty to this sport. The harder you work, the more you get out of it.”
Going into the state tournament, Dlugopolski looks to truly prove himself as the talented wrestler that he is and prove everyone who is doubting him wrong. Knowing that he might be looked over by many, Dlugopolski has one thing to say– “They counted me out last year and I shocked them all. This year they’re doing it again and I can’t wait to keep proving them wrong.”