University of Minnesota Athletics
Mr. Versatility; Gopher Sophomore All-American Garrett Lowney
1/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
`They' were the fans of international wrestling at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. `This guy' was Garrett Lowney. `This kid' was a native of Freedom, Wis. `What he just did' was defeat four-time and defending world champion Gogui Koguouachvila of Russia in the 213-pound quarterfinals of Greco-Roman wrestling in the Olympics en route to capturing the bronze medal.
The stunning performance instantly shot Lowney into the wrestling spotlight both at home and around the world. Competing in his first major international event at the senior level, this virtual unknown from eastern Wisconsin quickly became well-known as a force to be reckoned with on the mat. Following his surprising finish in Australia, Lowney's name was mentioned as the future of United States Greco-Roman wrestling.
In a few short months, however, Lowney would be making a change on the mat much like a switch hitter in baseball does to a new pitcher. Instead of crossing over home plate to bat lefthanded, Lowney would be making the switch from Greco to collegiate wrestling. Based on his performance at the Olympics, many in the media labeled him as an early-season favorite for the NCAA title at heavyweight. But Lowney was quick to play down that talk.
"Wrestling college and wrestling Greco is totally different and I haven't proven anything in college yet," he said prior to the 2000-01 season. "I'm definitely motivated and excited about the season and about wrestling for the University of Minnesota."
But Lowney was also quick to assure Golden Gopher fans that making the switch to collegiate wrestling would not be that significant of a feat for him. "I've been switching back and forth since I was pretty young, probably in the third grade," he mentioned. "So, it isn't that big of a deal for me."
Although a confusing and frustrating eligibility dispute with the Big Ten kept him out of action until January 2001, Lowney quickly served notice that he was not a one-hit wonder. He opened his college career in the Maroon and Gold with 20-straight wins, a Big Ten individual title and a third-place, All-America finish at the NCAA Championships - certainly a conspicuous start to his career as a Golden Gopher. Clearly, all of Lowney's talk of not proving anything in college yet was thrown out the window. He proved that he could make the switch from Greco-Roman to collegiate wrestling and maintain a high level of performance in both styles.
Developing the ability to successfully switch wrestling styles didn't start overnight. It took years of practice and training year-round to hone his skills as an elite Greco-Roman and collegiate wrestler. It all began when Lowney was a kindergartener. And it didn't take long for his parents and coaches to realize he had the necessary talent to excel.
"I was five years old when I started wrestling. My dad got me started just playing around in a little kids club," Lowney recalled. "A few years later, they realized I had some potential and they started pushing it a little bit more. Probably about third or fourth grade, my dad got me into freestyle because, by that time, there wasn't anyone in my club or in my area that was anywhere near where I was. So, we went to the national tournaments and I got a lot of match time and went up against a lot of very tough kids in that age group."
It all took off from there. By the end of high school, Lowney's list of credentials was impressive to say the least. A three-time Junior National freestyle champ and a two-time Greco-Roman champ, Lowney was ranked as the top heavyweight high school wrestler in the nation, according to Amateur Wrestling News. He captured three Wisconsin state titles and three high school All-America honors, and compiled a 155-5 career prep record with 97 pins.
But the dream to wrestle in the Olympics blossomed much earlier for Lowney.
"My mom says that I told her when I first started wrestling, at five or six years old, that I wanted to be in the Olympics," he said. "I don't really remember that, but she swears by it. I do remember watching wrestling as a very young kid and dreaming about being there."
That dream came true for Lowney in 2000, but he is far from meeting all of his goals. Following the 2001 NCAA Championships, he was able to scratch off `win NCAA team title,' `qualify for Olympics' and `medal in the Olympics' from his to-do list. But `win an individual NCAA crown' and `win World Championship and Olympic gold' are still on the docket for the Golden Gopher sophomore.
In 2001, Lowney would again make the switch in wrestling styles, this time from collegiate to Greco-Roman. It became clear, that for the summer, his focus would be on his Greco goals.
"Because the World Championships and the Olympics are the biggest competition that amateur wrestlers can compete in, they are the pinnacle," Lowney said. "Being a World champ, especially in Greco - there's been very few world champs and even fewer Olympic champions. So, if you reach that level to be number one in the world in Greco, that is the pinnacle; that is the top of the game. No one from the U.S. in Greco has ever won two gold medals. There's only a couple of people who have medalled twice in the Olympics in Greco. It's definitely the top priority and top goal of all amateur wrestlers."
Unfortunately, though, Lowney would not be able to meet his goal of winning gold at the 2001 World Championships. He qualified for the U.S. team by winning the World Team Trials, but due to the terrorist attacks of September 11, the World Championships were scheduled to a date during the 2001-02 college season. So, Lowney put his goals in Greco-Roman aside for the time being.
"I have priorities with both USA Wrestling and the University of Minnesota, but I need to keep those priorities separate," Lowney commented. "It's not possible to meet my goals of winning a World title and an NCAA crown by doing both part-time. It's unfortunate that the rescheduled World Championships was in conflict with college season, but, for now, my focus is on winning a national championship with the Gophers."
"By opting not to compete in the World Championships, Garrett made a statement to the coaches and to his teammates that he is fully committed to the University of Minnesota wrestling program," Assistant Coach Joe Russell said. "He's focusing on winning an NCAA crown and will move his pursuit of a World title to a later date."
So, Lowney became a switch hitter again. He directed his focus and drive to his dream of becoming a national champion with the Golden Gophers. Currently, he is ranked fifth in the nation at heavyweight with an 11-2 overall record. The doubters in college wrestling say he is too small to succeed as a heavyweight (he maintains a weight of about 235 for the college season), but Lowney dismisses that contention.
"I've wrestled with the best heavyweights in the country right in the practice room - Billy Pierce, Brock Lesnar, and Shelton Benjamin," Lowney said. "All those guys were All-Americans. All of them are big guys. The size of my opponents doesn't bother me at all. You've got to learn how to wrestle heavyweights. It's something you've got to develop. I don't think there is anyone in the country that's any stronger than me just because they're heavier or bigger. I've worked hard with my strength training. That's one of my advantages; I have a lot of strength but yet I'm small enough and I'm quick enough."
But, Lowney admits, the road to the individual title will not be easy.
"Heavyweight on paper is a very tough weight," he said. "But I'm really working hard. I'm becoming more of a student than I was last year when it comes to my wrestling style and what I need to do. I'm changing a few things and really doing well, so I'm looking forward to the rest of this season."
This season exists as Lowney's opportunity to reach his goal of becoming a national champion at Minnesota, but, come April, he'll become a switch hitter once again. It's a cycle which is destined to repeat itself until his college career comes to a close or until he meets his goals in both the collegiate and Greco-Roman styles of wrestling, whichever comes first. But, until then, expect Garrett Lowney to shoot for the legs in the fall and winter, and work on gut wrenches during the summer.
Written by Men's Athletics Media Relations Wrestling Contact Kevin Kurtt Who is this guy?" they asked. `Where did this kid come from?" they wondered. "Did you see what he just did?" they questioned.
`They' were the fans of international wrestling at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. `This guy' was Garrett Lowney. `This kid' was a native of Freedom, Wis. `What he just did' was defeat four-time and defending world champion Gogui Koguouachvila of Russia in the 213-pound quarterfinals of Greco-Roman wrestling in the Olympics en route to capturing the bronze medal.
The stunning performance instantly shot Lowney into the wrestling spotlight both at home and around the world. Competing in his first major international event at the senior level, this virtual unknown from eastern Wisconsin quickly became well-known as a force to be reckoned with on the mat. Following his surprising finish in Australia, Lowney's name was mentioned as the future of United States Greco-Roman wrestling.
In a few short months, however, Lowney would be making a change on the mat much like a switch hitter in baseball does to a new pitcher. Instead of crossing over home plate to bat lefthanded, Lowney would be making the switch from Greco to collegiate wrestling. Based on his performance at the Olympics, many in the media labeled him as an early-season favorite for the NCAA title at heavyweight. But Lowney was quick to play down that talk.
"Wrestling college and wrestling Greco is totally different and I haven't proven anything in college yet," he said prior to the 2000-01 season. "I'm definitely motivated and excited about the season and about wrestling for the University of Minnesota."
But Lowney was also quick to assure Golden Gopher fans that making the switch to collegiate wrestling would not be that significant of a feat for him. "I've been switching back and forth since I was pretty young, probably in the third grade," he mentioned. "So, it isn't that big of a deal for me."
Although a confusing and frustrating eligibility dispute with the Big Ten kept him out of action until January 2001, Lowney quickly served notice that he was not a one-hit wonder. He opened his college career in the Maroon and Gold with 20-straight wins, a Big Ten individual title and a third-place, All-America finish at the NCAA Championships - certainly a conspicuous start to his career as a Golden Gopher. Clearly, all of Lowney's talk of not proving anything in college yet was thrown out the window. He proved that he could make the switch from Greco-Roman to collegiate wrestling and maintain a high level of performance in both styles.
Developing the ability to successfully switch wrestling styles didn't start overnight. It took years of practice and training year-round to hone his skills as an elite Greco-Roman and collegiate wrestler. It all began when Lowney was a kindergartener. And it didn't take long for his parents and coaches to realize he had the necessary talent to excel.
"I was five years old when I started wrestling. My dad got me started just playing around in a little kids club," Lowney recalled. "A few years later, they realized I had some potential and they started pushing it a little bit more. Probably about third or fourth grade, my dad got me into freestyle because, by that time, there wasn't anyone in my club or in my area that was anywhere near where I was. So, we went to the national tournaments and I got a lot of match time and went up against a lot of very tough kids in that age group."
It all took off from there. By the end of high school, Lowney's list of credentials was impressive to say the least. A three-time Junior National freestyle champ and a two-time Greco-Roman champ, Lowney was ranked as the top heavyweight high school wrestler in the nation, according to Amateur Wrestling News. He captured three Wisconsin state titles and three high school All-America honors, and compiled a 155-5 career prep record with 97 pins.
But the dream to wrestle in the Olympics blossomed much earlier for Lowney.
"My mom says that I told her when I first started wrestling, at five or six years old, that I wanted to be in the Olympics," he said. "I don't really remember that, but she swears by it. I do remember watching wrestling as a very young kid and dreaming about being there."
That dream came true for Lowney in 2000, but he is far from meeting all of his goals. Following the 2001 NCAA Championships, he was able to scratch off `win NCAA team title,' `qualify for Olympics' and `medal in the Olympics' from his to-do list. But `win an individual NCAA crown' and `win World Championship and Olympic gold' are still on the docket for the Golden Gopher sophomore.
In 2001, Lowney would again make the switch in wrestling styles, this time from collegiate to Greco-Roman. It became clear, that for the summer, his focus would be on his Greco goals.
"Because the World Championships and the Olympics are the biggest competition that amateur wrestlers can compete in, they are the pinnacle," Lowney said. "Being a World champ, especially in Greco - there's been very few world champs and even fewer Olympic champions. So, if you reach that level to be number one in the world in Greco, that is the pinnacle; that is the top of the game. No one from the U.S. in Greco has ever won two gold medals. There's only a couple of people who have medalled twice in the Olympics in Greco. It's definitely the top priority and top goal of all amateur wrestlers."
Unfortunately, though, Lowney would not be able to meet his goal of winning gold at the 2001 World Championships. He qualified for the U.S. team by winning the World Team Trials, but due to the terrorist attacks of September 11, the World Championships were scheduled to a date during the 2001-02 college season. So, Lowney put his goals in Greco-Roman aside for the time being.
"I have priorities with both USA Wrestling and the University of Minnesota, but I need to keep those priorities separate," Lowney commented. "It's not possible to meet my goals of winning a World title and an NCAA crown by doing both part-time. It's unfortunate that the rescheduled World Championships was in conflict with college season, but, for now, my focus is on winning a national championship with the Gophers."
"By opting not to compete in the World Championships, Garrett made a statement to the coaches and to his teammates that he is fully committed to the University of Minnesota wrestling program," Assistant Coach Joe Russell said. "He's focusing on winning an NCAA crown and will move his pursuit of a World title to a later date."
So, Lowney became a switch hitter again. He directed his focus and drive to his dream of becoming a national champion with the Golden Gophers. Currently, he is ranked fifth in the nation at heavyweight with an 11-2 overall record. The doubters in college wrestling say he is too small to succeed as a heavyweight (he maintains a weight of about 235 for the college season), but Lowney dismisses that contention.
"I've wrestled with the best heavyweights in the country right in the practice room - Billy Pierce, Brock Lesnar, and Shelton Benjamin," Lowney said. "All those guys were All-Americans. All of them are big guys. The size of my opponents doesn't bother me at all. You've got to learn how to wrestle heavyweights. It's something you've got to develop. I don't think there is anyone in the country that's any stronger than me just because they're heavier or bigger. I've worked hard with my strength training. That's one of my advantages; I have a lot of strength but yet I'm small enough and I'm quick enough."
But, Lowney admits, the road to the individual title will not be easy.
"Heavyweight on paper is a very tough weight," he said. "But I'm really working hard. I'm becoming more of a student than I was last year when it comes to my wrestling style and what I need to do. I'm changing a few things and really doing well, so I'm looking forward to the rest of this season."
This season exists as Lowney's opportunity to reach his goal of becoming a national champion at Minnesota, but, come April, he'll become a switch hitter once again. It's a cycle which is destined to repeat itself until his college career comes to a close or until he meets his goals in both the collegiate and Greco-Roman styles of wrestling, whichever comes first. But, until then, expect Garrett Lowney to shoot for the legs in the fall and winter, and work on gut wrenches during the summer.
Written by Men's Athletics Media Relations Wrestling Contact Kevin Kurtt
