CMU wrestling opens its doors to Peter Sturgeon after UNC-Greensboro ended its program
North Carolina-Greensboro wrestlers were summoned a day before they departed for Nationals last year.
Peter Sturgeon’s concerns came to fruition when the team was informed that after the season concluded the program would be disbanded.
UNC-GB athletic director Kim Record decided to discontinue wrestling to save approximately $308,000 a year and raise their athletic profile.There was tears and anger among the group of Spartans wrestlers.
“The things she did were wrong ... to us,” Sturgeon said. “What she did was break up a family, not just the wrestling team.”
Sturgeon struggled in Nationals with the stress of being in limbo when the semester ended.
He lost to No. 11 Nathan Fernandez of Oklahoma in the first round 5-3, in sudden victory. He followed up with a 5-4 loss to Ohio wrestler Jeremy Johnson in the wrestlebacks.
Bowing out of wrestling was not an option for Sturgeon, with one year of eligibility in collegiate wrestling remaining.
“It was never really on my mind,” he said. “(I was) pretty determined, especially after what happened in Nationals, to go back there and finish things right.”
Sturgeon moved on from the feelings of disappointment about UNC-GB quickly. After he finished his last semester he let it go, but until then, times were tough.
“I was really upset,” Sturgeon said. “It was hard to walk around there with people looking at you knowing what happened to you.”
Sturgeon received a call from a Central Michigan assistant coach in the middle of the summer telling him there was an open spot on the roster.
Chippewas head coach Tom Borrelli discovered Sturgeon when he was speaking with his teammate Ivan Lopouchanski, who is now at Purdue.
Borrelli asked Lopouchanski when he came on a campus visit if any of his former teammates would be interested in CMU, and he referred Sturgeon.
Sturgeon had calls from many schools, but CMU was the only one that accepted his credits.
“That seemed to be the biggest problem. Being four years in college and having all those credits transfer over,” he said. “It was nearly impossible, but CMU found a way.”
Sturgeon is majoring in entrepreneurship because of a need for control that also leads to his love of wrestling, which is one-on-one.
He arrived on campus to train with the Chippewas on July 14, 2011.
Sturgeon has temporarily filled Jarod Trice’s position as heavyweight, while Trice pursues the Olympic dreams. Sturgeon wants to match the success Trice has had over the years.
He has blended in with the team, as CMU heavyweight Mike Murray put it, “seamlessly.”
Borrelli said he bought into his system and has caused no problems.
Murray, who was overtaken by Sturgeon for the starting position, said he is one of the most genuine people on the team.
When asked if he was disappointed about losing the spot to a transfer, he said “I was a little bit apprehensive at first, but it’s really hard to stay mad at a guy that’s such a nice guy.”
Sturgeon’s record this season is 25-10.
If someone was to explain his style on the mat, it would be more technical than most heavyweights. He wrestles like a light heavyweight, Borrelli said.
Murray has had the task of facing two NCAA qualifiers in Trice and Sturgeon at practice.
He said Trice is quicker on his feet, and Sturgeon has more “mat sense” and has great positioning, while Trice relies on his athleticism.
Murray said Sturgeon’s skills as a game planner should not be underestimated. He appreciates Sturgeon telling him the weaknesses of the next heavyweight opponent in case he has to go in his place.
“I think it forms a pretty good bond as teammates and friends,” Murray said.
Sturgeon has had his ups and downs this season as a result of a more difficult schedule than when he was wrestling for the Spartans.
“Definitely more of a grind here than UNC-GB,” Sturgeon said. “It’s definitely a positive. I’ve seen all of these guys now that are going to be at Nationals.”
Borrelli said he is now over the adjustment period and will come on at the end of the season.
Sturgeon is ranked No. 17 by InterMat at the heavyweight class. He suffered three-straight losses at the end of January that were all dealt by ranked opponents in duals. He was riding high before winter break began with wins over top-10 opponents, Minnesota’s Tony Nelson and Spencer Myers of Maryland.
Sturgeon shattered Nelson’s undefeated record, and since then, Nelson has only lost in one other match.
Sturgeon’s hope of winning Nationals has not wavered. He said entering the tournament he will not have the anxiety he felt last year.
“I want to win nationals. That’s been my goal ever since I stepped on the wrestling mat,” he said. “I won’t have the gigantic weight on my shoulders and not knowing where I’m going to be in two or three months,”
