Fourteen national titles, three National Triple Crown titles and over 800 wins in the course of 10; years at only age 14, Travis Wittlake Jr. is making waves in the wrestling industry.
Wittlake Jr. has dedicated his life to wrestling. He said he has had a tremendous amount of help from his dad Travis Wittlake, who encourages him to be the best wrestler he can be.
“He is the only coach I have ever had, and he has taught me so much,” Wittlake Jr. said. “I couldn’t ask for anything more, he has pretty much dedicated his life to helping me.”
According to Wittlake, he likes travelling to wrestling meets and helping Wittlake Jr. reach his full potential.
“When Junior was younger I made a deal with him that if he puts in the time and effort, I will give him the best opportunities to be successful,” Wittlake said.
Wittlake Jr. has been to the National Wrestling tournament numerous times and took the National Triple Crown in 2010, 2011 and 2013 along with two other titles. The National Triple Crown is awarded when a wrestler wins three national titles in Greco-Roman, folk style and freestyle wrestling all in the same year.
“It is truly an amazing experience to go to the national tournament,” Wittlake said. “It is never easy to win, and the competition is always hard.”
Wittlake Jr. also works hard in the classroom earning himself a cumulative GPA of 3.71, and he hopes to go to either Penn State University or Oregon State University on a wrestling scholarship.
One of Wittlake Jr.’s main goals is to be an Olympic athlete.
“You pretty much have to be so dedicated that you practice more than you sleep,” Wittlake Jr. said. “I couldn’t count the hours I’ve spent in the mat room trying to better myself.”
Right now Wittlake Jr. is ranked number one in the nation for the 136 pound weight class. He has been ranked number one since 2008 in multiple weight classes.
“It definitely puts a huge target on my back,” Wittlake said. “There is a lot of pressure that comes with it, and I always have to be the hardest worker in the mat room.”
Junior Tyler Campbell said Wittlake has a lot of talent in wrestling and said that his wrestling career probably will not end after college.
“He will definitely go far in his career, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him in the 2020 or 2024 Olympics,” Campbell said.
