2008 Woodie Awards
Stewart thriving after injury-plagued season
By: Aaron Sides
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Sports
Trevor Stewart has experienced almost all of the ups and downs collegiate wrestling has to offer in just about one year.
Coming off injury problems during the second half of last season, the junior 165-pounder headed into this year looking to come back strong as he took the place of All-American Mike Miller, who is taking an Olympic redshirt.
While taking the place of an All-American is no easy task, especially coming off an injury, Stewart said he still stuck to his normal game plan in preparing for this season.
"The whole team is usually up here training pretty hard during the summer," he said. "I just did what the coaches asked of me."
Coach Tom Borrelli said the plan all along was for Stewart to be taking Miller's place and that his injury from the year before would not be a problem.
"We were pretty confident in him," he said. "We knew the injury from last year was healed."
The coaching staff was right to be confident in him. So far this year, Stewart has a record of 17-5 and is ranked No. 9 in the country at 165 pounds.
Borrelli said Stewart has done well up to this point, but it has not come without a few difficulties.
"So far his season's been good. It's been about what we expected," he said. "I think there's a couple of matches he'd like to have back though."
Though this season has been a successful one for Stewart, it has not come without another round of injury issues. For most of the year, he has had to compete while battling problems with both of his knees.
"I try to keep them as healthy as possible," he said. "It's just a matter of wrestling through the pain."
Stewart said he plans to have surgery on both knees in the offseason to have the meniscuses taken out, but should be ready to go by the start of the season.
As for the rest of this season, Stewart's biggest matches still lie ahead of him in the Mid-American Conference and NCAA tournaments. Borrelli said Stewart is ready to make a big late-season surge.
"He's always able to put together good year-end runs," he said.
sports@cm-life.com
Coming off injury problems during the second half of last season, the junior 165-pounder headed into this year looking to come back strong as he took the place of All-American Mike Miller, who is taking an Olympic redshirt.
While taking the place of an All-American is no easy task, especially coming off an injury, Stewart said he still stuck to his normal game plan in preparing for this season.
"The whole team is usually up here training pretty hard during the summer," he said. "I just did what the coaches asked of me."
Coach Tom Borrelli said the plan all along was for Stewart to be taking Miller's place and that his injury from the year before would not be a problem.
"We were pretty confident in him," he said. "We knew the injury from last year was healed."
The coaching staff was right to be confident in him. So far this year, Stewart has a record of 17-5 and is ranked No. 9 in the country at 165 pounds.
Borrelli said Stewart has done well up to this point, but it has not come without a few difficulties.
"So far his season's been good. It's been about what we expected," he said. "I think there's a couple of matches he'd like to have back though."
Though this season has been a successful one for Stewart, it has not come without another round of injury issues. For most of the year, he has had to compete while battling problems with both of his knees.
"I try to keep them as healthy as possible," he said. "It's just a matter of wrestling through the pain."
Stewart said he plans to have surgery on both knees in the offseason to have the meniscuses taken out, but should be ready to go by the start of the season.
As for the rest of this season, Stewart's biggest matches still lie ahead of him in the Mid-American Conference and NCAA tournaments. Borrelli said Stewart is ready to make a big late-season surge.
"He's always able to put together good year-end runs," he said.
sports@cm-life.com
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