I recently had the opportunity to talk with former Ryle High School wrestler Kyle Ruschell and discussed wrestling in both Kentucky and College. Kyle just completed his fourth year at the University of Wisconsin where he had a 32-8 record and finished third at the NCAA Tournament. Kyle became just the third All-American from the state of Kentucky, the first since his high school coach Dave Barnes (Simon Kenton) in 1992. The other Kentucky All-American was Dominick Black (Henry Clay) of West Virginia who placed fourth at 190 lbs. in 1991, making Ruschell the highest finisher from the state of Kentucky.
Ruschell's High School and College Accomplishments:
Current College Record - 88-24
High School Record - 191-18
3 Time NCAA Championship Tournament Qualifier
2008-2009 - NCAA All-American - 3rd
2008-2009 - 5th - Big Tens
2008-2009 - 4th - Cliff Keen Invitational
2008-2009 - 2nd - Midlands
2007-2008 - 5th - Big Tens
2007-2008 - 5th - Cliff Keen Invitational
2006-2007 - 2nd - Big Tens
2006-2007 - 3rd - Cliff Keen Invitational
2005 - 3rd - NHSCA Senior Nationals (112)
2005 - KHSAA State Champion (119)
2004 - KHSAA State Champion (103)
2004 - 7th - Beast of East (103)
2003 - KHSAA State Runner-up (103)
Q. How did you find out about the sport of wrestling? Who were your earliest mentors and influences in the sport?
A. It’s actually a weird story. It all started when my father broke his back at work. He went back to school and became a teacher. He got a job at Gray Middle School and he put us both into that school system. It is in the Boone County School District. But since he taught there we could go to those schools. During my brothers first year at Gray (8th grade) he met a kid named Matt Peace (Bryan Peace’s older brother). He told Keith to come out for wrestling. Keith went out and the next year, being the younger brother and wanting to do everything he did, I went out for the Middle School Team. My father, who coaches the Ryle High School team, now started the Middle School Program and that was my first year, the same year as Gray’s first year. So I have looked back and if my dad wouldn’t have broken his back and went back to school I would have went to a school without wrestling and I wouldn’t be where I am at now.
Q. Tell us about your family and how your father, who was your high school coach, helped you grow as a student athlete while you were in high school.
A. My father molded me into the person I am today. Not only on the mat, but off the mat as well. From a young age he always told me to do my best and he will be happy, and you only get what you want out of something that you put into it. So in high school I knew before then what he wanted. I knew I was going to be the hardest worker in the room because my dad knew what I wanted to become and he wanted to help me reach those goals. He not only expected me to want to work harder than everyone else but a good role model as well, because everyone looks at the coaches son as an example.
Q. Talk about your four years wrestling in high school in Kentucky, where you were a two time KHSAA State Champion and Runner-up and began placing in events on the national level. What made you so successful at that time, and who was involved in giving you these supports?
A. Although my father supported me and gave me that extra drive he is too big for me to wrestle. So I couldn’t get on the mat with him. There are two people that come to mind when I look at this question. First, Rick Barker. He was closer to my size and I could get on the mat with him anytime I asked. We did everything together, biked, lifted, wrestled, and since he was our assistant coach our families would get together and eat. He kicked my butt for three years and it wasn’t until my senior year it started to get close. He taught me how to keep wrestling and not giving up points so easy. He also created nicknames for kids in my weight class to get me mad and make me drive that much harder.
The other person is Dave Barnes. I believe he gave up the head coaching job to my father my 8th grade year, but he had been the last All-American from the state of Kentucky. His skill was unmatched around this area, and knew all aspects of wrestling. However, being that you that is not what attract to him. It was that he had done one of my biggest goals, become an All-American and I knew he knew what it took to get there.
My three coaches were the best coaches a kid like me could ask for. They all cared about me as a person and wanted me to reach my goals not theirs, and would do anything in their power to help me reach those goals.
Q. During your junior year in high school in 2004, you became the first Kentucky wrestler to place at the Beast of the East Tournament in Newark, Delaware. What made you believe that you could compete on the national level and do so well at one of the toughest high school tournaments in the nation?
A. I believe it was my senior year, the winter of 04, so the 04-05 season. When I went there I really did not know what to expect. I went out there to just wrestle and knew that if I wanted to continue to wrestle after high school and be the best, I had to wrestle the best guys I could. So Coach Barnes got me into the tournament and went out there with me. He also did this so coaches around the nation could see me. My own personal drive made me think that I was one of the best kids in the nation. The other thing I had going for me is that I didn’t know who was who, so I went out there not knowing if the kid was nationally ranked or not and so wrestled the same every time.
Q. Talk about how difficult the transition was from high school wrestling to wrestling in the toughest conference in the NCAA, the Big Ten at the University of Wisconsin.
A. The transition was what everyone had said it would be, hard. I remember my first day in Wisconsin’s wrestling room and I was told to go with a kid just a year older than me from New Jersey, Zach Tanelli. Not knowing who he was really and being nervous because it was my first time on the mat I soon found out how good the competition was going to be in the room. He shot in on my leg within 15 seconds, and expecting to do what I did in high school and just get my leg back, I instead found my leg up in his armpit in the air. Bouncing around on one foot I was not on my feet for long. Zach had smacked me as hard as he could across the face and tripped my standing leg. Seeing stars and think that this kid was a jerk I had just gotten a taste of what to come that redshirt year.
In a college room in the big 10 you know everyone is at least a state placer if not a state champion from states like Ohio or Pennsylvania. SO the competition in the room if it doesn’t break you it just makes you a better wrestler. That redshirt year I clung to a 2x All-American, Tom Clum and absorbed as much as I could from him. That year other than my coaches he was my most influential person in my wrestling because he was a senior he sat there and taught me things and then would get up and kick my butt. When I made mistakes he helped me fix them, and boy I made a lot of mistakes that first year.
Q. In 2008, you were seeded 7th going into the NCAA’s but fell a few matches short of being an All-American. How did that affect the next months leading up to the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
A. I had gotten hurt about two weeks before big 10’s and the night before the first round I was cutting weight and wrestling Donny Pritzlaf and we were just drilling and I hurt my neck. This hurt me in the national tournament. Knowing I should have been and I let it slip through my fingers I had to watch kids that I had beaten reach one of my goals, including National Champion Jeff Jaggers. I was two matches away when I got knocked out of the tournament I and could only sit there and watch. I had beaten the national champion and four of the all Americans. So that experience could only motivate me to continue and just get thirstier.
Q. In the 2009 NCAA Tournament, you defeated Lance Palmer from Ohio State who had beaten you earlier in the tournament in the Quarter Finals to finish 3rd at 149 lbs. behind only Darion Caldwell of NC State and Brent Metcalf of Iowa. Tell us about the challenge of defeating Palmer in the later medal rounds by a score of 5-4.
A. I had wrestled him two or three times before the national tournament and he had beaten me all of those times also. So I had a good feel for what he was going to do. I went into the match wanting to keep it in bounds and that is just what I did. I didn’t allow him to dictate the match and let him keep going out of bounds.
Q. Explain your emotions and thoughts after having your hand raised to take third place and become only the third Kentucky wrestler to be an All-American in the NCAA’s.
A. Well to me that was not when my emotions got the best of me. It was when I beat the kid from central Michigan to become an all American. I had been in that situation before and had lost, so getting past that I felt I had nothing to lose. I talked to my coach after my third place match and he said my last two or three matches were my best ones of the tournament because I was more relaxed and just went out to wrestle because I had already become an all American. Looking back he was right. After my all American match I just remember sitting and just thinking I did it, I met a goal that I had been reaching for the past four years and accomplish since I started wrestling.
Q. How good can you become as a wrestler? What can you improve upon to put yourself in position to win a National Championship in 2010?
A. I tend to stand around sometimes and rest my hands. I need to be more active on my feet (more offensive) keep my hands heavy and moving. When I do this and keep improving on all my others skills and endurance I believe I can become an National Champion.
Q. Looking ahead, what are Kyle Ruschell’s new goals as a wrestler? Can we expect to see Kyle Ruschell in the US Olympic Trials anytime soon?
A. My goals have always been the same since seventh grade when I wrote them out. So I still have the goal of being a national champion in college and to make the Olympic/ World team. I need to train and learn a lot to make the Olympic/ World team but that is the same with everything.
Q. What message or advice would you give to current middle and high school wrestlers?
A. What I would like to say is don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t do something. When I first got to college I heard from so many people, “oh this kid is from Kentucky why did we pick this kid up.” That and I always love proving people wrong. Other than that you need to wrestle the best to beat the best, so don’t be scared to lose to someone in practice or in a match, you will find out what you need to work on, where you sit, and you will learn more.
Kyle is a great role model for Kentucky Wrestlers on and off the mat. Below is a video link of the UW Season Highlights in which Kyle is shown throughout.
http://www.uwbadgers.com/video/default.aspx?mid=3379
