Former A-J wrestlers competing at SIUE

Dustin Young assumed his athletic career was over after high school.

Young, a freshman, attends Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he is in the Reserve Officer Training Corps, ROTC.

“The wrestling coach said he needed 125-pound wrestlers so  I tried out and made the team,” Young said.

Young, who competed in the 119-pound class last year for Anna-Jonesboro Community High School, finished 29-8 for the Wildcats his senior season.

Competing at the Division I collegiate level has been quite a challenge.

“It’s a lot different than high school wrestling,” Young said. “It’s really competitive here. There’s a lot of upper class wrestlers in college and they’re pretty experienced. I’m learning a lot (about wrestling) everyday.”

Young said SIUE is in a rebuilding mode, with six freshmen starters in 10 of the weight classes.

“The  program has been up and down the last couple of years,” he said.

Young has yet to record a win at the collegiate level yet but sees that in the future. He’s already competed in tournaments in Las Vegas and Iowa City, Iowa, this season.

SIUE freshman Kris Treat, another former A-J wrestler, has also made the team and is competing in the 125-pound bracket as well.

Young and Treat are not the only A-J graduates competing in sports at SIU-E.

Luke Partridge, who also graduated from high school last year, is a member of the baseball team.

Another former A-J wrestler, Mitchell Holshouser, is competing in wrestling at Rend Lake Community College near Ina.