A season of high expectations and great performances came to an end for Seaholm senior Mike Steltenkamp.
After placing second in both the district and regional tournaments, Steltenkamp finished among the state’s best 16 wrestlers in his class at.
On Thursday, March 12th, after a two-week layoff, Steltenkamp resumed his quest for a state title, coming in with an overall record of 41-8.
“I really wanted to do my best (in the tournament)”, said Steltenkamp “I didn’t want to have any regrets afterwards.”
His first opponent, Tully Chapman (52-9), was the #3 seed out of Eaton Rapids High School.
Chapman won a close match that was decided by a score of 9-3.
“I didn’t wrestle well on my feet” said Steltenkamp “I wasn’t able to work any of my take-downs.”
Steltenkamp had suffered an injury prior to the finals, often being seen on crutches in the week before the finals, and it was unknown whether or not the injury affected her performance.
After the loss, Steltenkamp entered the consolation bracket which lined up a match with Cory Draves (34-10) out of Cedar Springs High School.
Draves won another close match by a score of 7-1, ultimately closing the door on Steltenkamp’s high school career and leaving him tied with Adam Krieger at 132 career wins.
“It’s unfortunate that I wasn’t able to break the record” said Steltenkamp, “but I’m definitely satisfied with my performance overall.”
Looking back, Steltenkamp will go down as one of the most decorated wrestlers in Seaholm history and his upcoming career at the University of Pennsylvania will hopefully add to his legacy.
“I’m excited to be able to continue my career next” said Steltenkamp, “and I’m excited to continue working at Penn.
