Nittany Lion Wrestling Check-In with All-American Nick Lee
As the events of early March unfolded and changed all over the country, Penn State student-athletes found themselves facing uncertainty and transition in their academic and athletic realities.
The Penn State wrestling team, winners of eight of the last NCAA National Championships, were just days away from heading to Minnesota for the 2020 NCAA Championship when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted. As the entire Penn State family works for ways to stay connected, we can check in with some of head coach Cael Sanderson's wrestling team to get some insight into how typical student-athletes reacted, adjusted and began the process of forging ahead in our current circumstance.
Today we check in with two-time All-American Nick Lee. Lee was 20-1 when the season was ended and now has an 83-12 career record. Lee earned All-American honors in 2018 and 2019 and was a 2020 NCAA qualifier.
Lee took the time to answer some questions from GoPSUsports and offers some good insight into the daily life of a Nittany Lion during this time:
GoPSU: What was your first reaction when you heard that spring break had turned in to online learning?
Nick: "I think that initially it was disappointing since part of the experience of Penn State is interacting with your fellow students on our incredible campus. It isn't great, but it's a good opportunity for us to see how we operate in a challenging environment."
GoPSU: How have you been adapting to online learning?
Nick: "I've taken online courses before, just not on this scale. The most difficult part is not being able to communicate face-to-face with your professors and classmates, so I think just staying in contact as much as possible is key."
GoPSU: Athletes are by nature focused on staying healthy, what have you been doing to keep fit, active and energized?
Nick: "Unfortunately, our facilities are shut down so we have had to improvise. Luckily, we have the best gym in the world at our disposable: the great outdoors. I've been running, doing body weight exercises, and getting creative with anything I have in my backyard like logs or playground equipment. It's also important to maintain reasonably good nutrition since we are all more sedentary in this environment."
GoPSU: What has your family been doing together during this extended period of social distancing? Any family activities, etc.?
Nick: "My family spent some time in Florida in an isolated part of the state, so I'm sure they have been trying to stay occupied in the sun where the weather is nice. I chose to stay in State College since it is the best town on Earth and hold down the fort for them."
GoPSU: What is the one thing you miss most right now about not being back at Penn State?
Nick: "What I miss most is interacting with my fellow students and teammates. Also, I know it is rough on local businesses without students here so that is one thing I keep on my mind. Nothing can really replace face-to-face interaction, so this is a good opportunity for us to reflect on how valuable that is."
GoPSU: How have you been keeping in contact with your teammates?
Nick: "We try to keep communicating on what kind of workouts we are doing and how everyone is feeling about the current situation. We have been thinking about doing a Zoom video meeting all together, but you would not believe how hard it is to get a large group of wrestlers to get on the same page. That is something I generally leave to our incredible coaching staff."
