Wrestler Jeong leads with hard work and heart

With rough tussling and sweat dripping on the hard mat, wrestling is an intense physical and mental battle for dominance through grappling one another for control, demanding the strategic utilization of speed, endurance, technique, as well as strength. Senior Connor Jeong, currently ranked 15th in the state for boys wrestling, was the only Trojan champion who won his weight class at the CVHS tournament.

Jeong has been wrestling for seven years, originally finding a passion for wrestling through inspiration from his older brother. 

Reflecting on his recent victory, Jeong shared, “It felt really good winning this tournament as I’ve never won this tournament before.”

This wasn’t Jeong’s only win, as he has a strong win-to-loss record of 14-3 this year for his matches.

For Jeong, working on his timing and knowing when and what to do in the moment has been effective as a strategy and technique for him, especially contributing to his victories. Not to mention, while wrestling is a one-on-one sport, teammates still play a major role in supporting one another.

“At dual meets, everyone is watching you,” Jeong remarked. “When you hear loud cheering or your teammates going crazy, it motivates you to do better.”

Jeong’s teammates support and acknowledge him as he is also the current captain for boys wrestling.

“Connor is a wrestler with a strong mentality as well as a good leader,” said teammate Caleb Giannecchini.

To stay motivated throughout the season, Jeong continues to strive for constant improvement, putting in the effort at daily practice rather than dwelling on his numbers. While rankings may measure a wrestler’s skill in a certain regard, it doesn’t directly contribute to his skill and improvement. 

“Honestly, I don’t really look at rankings,” he stated. “I just look at myself and how I can do better.” 

As of now, Jeong’s goal is to win a state championship, but he hasn’t yet thought of wrestling beyond high school. Looking back at his career, Jeong would tell his past self to work even harder and to put in the work to do more workouts with additional practice. 

“You just gotta love the sport,” Jeong advised young wrestlers. “If it’s something you want to do a lot of and you want to get really good, you gotta learn to love it.”