University of Minnesota Athletics
Freshman Focus: Brenn Olson
10/31/2017 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
2017-18 Single Match Tickets // 2017-18 Wrestling Schedule
As the Gopher Wrestling season nears, gophersports.com will bring in 2017 freshmen and get to know them as they begin their wrestling careers at the University of Minnesota.
This week we meet with Brenn Olson, a freshman from Grand Meadow, Minn.
GopherSports.com: Tell us a little bit about your journey to the University of Minnesota.
Brenn Olson: "Well obviously I have been wrestling for a while, being that my Dad was a Division I wrestler as well. He has a big wrestling tournament he puts on every year; it is the state tournament for K-8th grade. I've been wrestling in the room since I could barely walk. My brother, who is two years older than me, have been in the room too. Whenever they went to practice, I would always tag along with them and roll around on the mats. I have always had a love/hate relationship with the sport. I love sport, but sometimes I hate all the work that goes into it like cutting weight. I got a call from Eggum, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to wrestling in college, but after the state tournament I talked with Eggum and I started to think I could actually do this.
GS: What you have seen so far since you've been here?
BO: "I had an idea of what practices were going to be when we got started. I've gotten a good chance at getting to know some of the guys on this team. Working out this summer, I got a chance to meet many of the other freshmen. I knew Bailee because we are roommates and I wrestled with him in Section I, but I didn't know a lot of the other guys, but coming to practice and getting to know them and seeing how much effort is put in by those guys, it made me realize it is go time now. In the summer it was all about technique, but now it is about getting down in weight and ready to compete."
GS: Why did you decide to come to Minnesota?
BO: "I've always been a big fan of the Gophers; I am a huge fan of sports in general. I'm just a big Gopher fan, and once Eggum started to talk to me, I knew this place would be home for me.
GS: What is your style of wrestling?
BO: "My Dad always told me when I was younger to attack the head and the body will die. So I like to come out and be physical and set up my shots and then I guess I have some fun too. I can hit a big move every once in a while."
GS: What are your short-term expectations?
BO: "My first focus is to have a really good redshirt season. My Dad obviously knew how things go when you first get to a program like this. He said the key to being a good collegiate wrestler is to have a big redshirt freshman season. Trying to come out here and do the best I can and prove to people that I can do it.
GS: Long-term goals?
BO: "Well everyone wants to be a national champion and be an All-American. My aim to become better than my Dad. He was a three-time All-American and two-time finalist so to win a national championship would be something I could have over him. We are always competitive and stuff like that, so I'm excited for that challenge.
GS: Would you say wrestling has a big impact on your home life?
BO: "Well wrestling has played a huge part in my family, and it is a part of our business. Ever since I was a little kid, I have loved wrestling and my family talks about wrestling any chance we get. My brother gets into every part of wrestling; he knows all the statistics. We are all a big wrestling family, my mom, my sister are all huge supporters. It is like a community around me, a small community, but everyone is involved.
GS: What do you like to do in your free time?
BO: "In the summer I like to go hunting and fishing with my family. We have a cabin on the lake. I am a huge outdoor person. Being around my friends and being around people who enjoy the same things as me is always fun.
GS: What are some of your favorite memories of wrestling?
BO: "The first time making it to semifinals was a big match for me. It was my senior year and I remember it was a tough kid who I had wrestled before and he had beaten me. I had that chip on my shoulder and came out hard. In the second period, I put him on his back for a five-point move, I held him there, and I thought I had pinned him but time expired. I had a good lead on him, and he was coming hard at me and I remember I lateraled him out of bounds and just held him there for the nail in the coffin. Another one was my senior year, we weren't a very good team overall, but our last dual meet of the year it came down to our heavyweight and he ended up pinning a guy who he wasn't supposed to beat, so that was a pretty fun dual, we had the gym rocking and everyone was into it."
GS: What is your mindset going into a big match?
BO: "My mindset is I never want to think the other guy is better than me. I want to go out there and believe I can win that match, because if you go out there and think you are going to lose, you are probably going to lose. I want to wrestle my style, and not let them dictate the match, let my style dictate the match."
GS: When did you realize, I think I can be a good wrestler?
BO: "When I first started to get recruited, I thought I was good enough to wrestle at some Division II or Division III schools, but once I got that call from Eggum, I was like, "whoa, I guess I can do this." So it was when other people started to believe in me is when I realized I could be here."
GS: How do you stay focused during a match and the mental side to the sport?
BO: "Throughout high school I always had my Dad in my corner, and that gave me a sense of comfort. Whenever I looked at him, I knew I could trust what he was saying. I think that will apply when I am here as well with my coaches in my corner. These people are Division I coaches, they know what they are doing and they all have been here. It is comforting knowing that they are great coaches and they will have the right ideas about what I should be doing and where I should be going.
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