Jan. 14, 2016
By Ryan Hickey, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" His style may not be as flashy of a style as some of his teammates, but senior Jordan Conaway has quietly been one of Penn State's most consistent and reliable wrestlers.
Ranked No. 5 at 133, Conaway has posted a 15-2 overall record and an 8-0 mark in duals so far this season. The biggest key for his success has been his consistency, which is something that head coach Cael Sanderson has especially noticed this season.
"I think Jordan [Conaway] has been wrestling well and has been getting more aggressive," said Sanderson. "[Conaway] will just keep getting stronger as the year goes on."
Aside from fundamentals, the Abbottstown, Pa., native believes that his stamina is the difference between himself and his competition. Conaway likes to hustle and keep a high pace, which tires out his opponents and makes him stronger as the match goes on. While conditioning plays a huge role in keeping Conaway energized, he also believes that genes have a small role as well.
"Conditioning wise, the training stuff we do helps. Also, I think I am naturally more gifted with stamina. There are some guys that will do the same workout and they might get tired a little quicker," said Conaway. "I think it has to do a little bit with being gifted."
Contributing to his great stamina is the senior's mental toughness, as well.
"On top of that, it's mindset. Even if you are getting a little tired, you still have to use your hands, still have to move and if you are getting tired, then the other guy should be getting more tired," said Conaway.
"That's something we want to see out of him because he's a guy that doesn't get tired," said Sanderson. "He's a guy that could wrestle for hours, but you just have to push the pace and make sure points are being scored early."
Another huge boost for Conaway has been the competitiveness in the wrestling room. Conaway credits being able to wrestle against some of the best wrestlers in the country in practice is what makes him better. The talent level has allowed the senior to improve quicker than normal and he learned many valuable lessons along the way.
"It's definitely made me a lot better. I guess it would be harder to get good at wrestling with partners that aren't as good," said Conaway. "You can still get better, but it may take a little longer. I think through the time I've been here, I've gotten better quicker being here at this program."
Throughout his four years, the most improved part of Conaway's game has been his top wrestling. The senior credits Penn State and the program that is run by Sanderson on helping him improve in every aspect.
Though he wrestled at 133 earlier in his career, bumping up a weight class from 125 to 133 this season has brought a new set of challenges to the All-American. The Southern Scuffle was a great opportunity for Conaway to not only experience that same intensity level as Nationals, but also allowed the 133-pounder to size up the competition he will see at the end of the season. Even with the change, Conaway is focusing just on himself and his style, which he thinks is the key to being successful.
"It's just a different group of guys. They are still tough matches and just wrestling my pace and the way I need to wrestle," said Conaway. "Hustling makes up for a lot of it. I am more focused on what I want to do and just get into my offense when I wrestle."
With Nationals still a couple months away, it is easy for any wrestler to lose focus and sometimes lose sight of the ultimate goal. Conaway noted how great a job the coaching staff does of keeping the team rested to fight off that grind mentality from creeping in their minds around this time of the year.
"Our coaches, the way they have our training set up, I think they do such a great job of giving us time to recover and of giving us off days, so whenever we need to go hard, we go hard. They do a good job of getting us ready so we fresh every time we wrestle."
Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Conaway has his eyes set on Madison Square Garden and believes that as long as he just keeps improving everyday, he will shine on collegiate wrestling's biggest stage.
"I'm looking to be a national champion. This is my last time through the collegiate season, so I just want to be the best I can be," said Conaway.