Colby’s Grewe will wrestle for NIU
Carter Grewe paces back and forth as he gets ready for the first match of the WIAA state individual tournament.
At 6’1” and 195 pounds of rock solid muscle, Grewe can be intimidating, just ask his opponent, who casts a nervous glance to his coach, who just shrugs, as if to imply “Good luck, kid.”
Grewe would finish fourth in the 195 weight class at the WIAA D-2 individual state wrestling tournament last month. For some, it would be a great achievement, for Grewe, a senior at Colby High, it was not up to his expectations.
But that’s OK. After all, he’s got several more years to prove his skills after he recently committed to wrestle for Northern Illinois University.
In doing so, Grewe becomes the first NCAA D-1 athlete from Colby in living memory. It’s an achievement he’s proud of, and one that becomes a blueprint for everyone else to follow.
For as Grewe tells it, what he achieved is possible by anyone - so long as you’re willing to work for it.
“College sports has always been a dream of mine, going all the way back to when I was a little kid,” Grewe says. “But back then I wanted to play Division One football. Me and my teammates would lift all the time and go to the practice field during the summer and our life revolved around football. That was the dream - Division One football.”
But something changed midway through his junior year. Grewe had established himself as a dominant wrestler at an early age, traveling to big tournaments as junior. He had competed in state as a sophomore, but he experienced a slump during his junior season.
That season filled him with a resolve that bordered on superhuman.
“Last year my heart changed towards wrestling,” Grewe says. He took the club circuit, which was slowly starting up again after a year long absence due to COVID- 19. Grewe attended several national recruiting showcases, and also competed for Team Wisconsin at the National Duals in Tulsa, Okla., where he helped Wisconsin place fifth as a team - their best finish in ten years.
“Through beating state champs every tournament and dominating kids, things just started to snowball and things kept getting bigger and bigger,” Grewe said.
While some athletes took time off from the gym or practice mats, Grewe continued to work his body into the best possible shape. And it wasn’t just his body he was shaping, but also his mind.
“Once you really and truly put the work in yourself, and you believe in yourself, everyone’s opinions don’t matter. The success you have comes inside, if you tap into that mindset, things just continue on. You chase personal greatness, and improving yourself, and then others will become attracted to that.”
That was certainly the truth in Grewe’s case. Those lonely lifting sessions, work on the mats, yoga sessions and diet began to pay off. While others took time off, or competed in other sports, Grewe maximized his talent and athleticism. In his own words, he forged himself into a champion.
“If you look at the old pictures of me, and all my old third and fourth place medals from youth tournaments, I was not a natural athlete.”
The difference, Grewe says, between himself now and his younger self is all in the mentality. He learned to embrace and then love not just the competition, but the entire lifestyle of a Division One athlete. This included a mentality that was as rock solid as his muscles.
“My whole mindset changed after my junior year and I found a purpose in life. I started reading books, stretching, doing yoga and I found the love for the sport. I just lived it,” Grewe explains. “Every day I went to practice I was excited, and I was focused on getting better every day and learning something every day.”
Grewe says those on the mat habits translated to off the mat habits.
“God, wrestling and family. That’s me. My life revolves around this and I don’t do stupid things or try to get away with breaking the rules,” Grewe says.
“I knew that what I was doing was the right thing. I believed in my coaches and my preparation. I just had to continue on the path and be consistent and I knew good things would follow, and obviously they did.”
By the time Grewe entered his senior year, he was a hot commodity, ranking in the top 25 of the nation in his weight class. Grewe started fielding phone calls and messages from college coaches heading into the fall of his senior year.
It began with the cream of the crop at Division III, with school like Augsburg University reaching out.
“Augusburg is one of the best Division III programs in the country,” Grewe explains. “They’re a 13 time national champions. I went on some other D-3 visits, and then some D-2 visits. I really enjoyed Augusburg - the coaches, the people, the process and competition.
But the wins kept piling up. And as those wins piled up, the spotlight shone even brighter on the brawny grappler from Colby High.
Grewe remembers the call right after the Spencer Triangular. He had defeated a wrestler from Auburndale who was ranked seventh in the state in the WIAA D-3 rankings. That win came by way of a pin in less than one minute. Needless to say, that result put some of the wrestling world on notice, and shortly after Ryan Ludwig of Northern Illinois University got in touch with Grewe.
“We set up a visit, and while we were doing that, North Dakota State called, and we set up a visit there. So it was back to back weekends at Division One campuses. You cannot say no to a Division One school when they ask you to come compete for them.”
The attention Grewe received was especially gratifying considering all the work he had put in.
“It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to be a D-1 athlete. It took countless hours of work and blood, sweat and tears. The personal growth required to do that is crazy,” Grewe says.
Grewe enjoyed the visits to both campuses, but there was something special about his trip to Dekalb, Ill., that stuck with him. Grewe said while talking with coach Ludwig, he was struck how easy things seemed to be with him, and how much they had in common. It was slow at first, but as Grewe says, “By the end of the visit we were talking like best friends. We just clicked. He loves that I love wrestling.”
Grewe also said NIU kept in touch with him, and that stuck with him.
“It felt like NIU wanted me more, and you want to go to a place where you’re wanted, where you feel like you’re a priority. I didn’t want to go somewhere if you’re just another number.”
Grewe says that his accomplishment is something that anyone can reach, and he hopes other student-athletes learn from his example.
“Anyone can do it,” Grewe says. “I wasn’t always the best wrestler or the best athlete or the smartest guy in the classroom. I’m an example of what happens when you’re willing to work hard, be dedicated and have the love for something. I knew that if I put in the work, lived the lifestyle and developed the mentality, I could be a D-1 athlete.”
Grewe says he’s looking forward to going to NIU in the fall, and looking to see what he can do against the best wrestlers in the country. He knows getting to D-1 was the first hurdle, but as he’s proved these last four years, he’s more than willing to work for his goals.
“Getting to D-1 is a great feeling, like I said, it’s a dream come true, but that’s not the only dream I have. I want to be a national champion, and I’m never afraid to put the work in. You put the work in, stay focused, and good things can happen.”
Unity, WI
BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS -Grewe works to pin Jack Callen of Portage in the opening round of the state tournament this year. Grewe has spent the past four years putting in countless hours of training, and has now achieved a life-long dream - becoming an NCAA D-I athlete. STAFF PHOTO/ROSS PATTERMANN
