Despite being a state champion at Williamsport High School in Maryland, redshirt senior Jimi Massey was not a highly touted wrestling recruit.
"I wasn't a stud recruit," Massey said. "I came in to help give a workout partner and maybe be a starter by the end of my career."
But Massey, driven by an unmatchable determination, has blossomed into one of the top wrestlers in the ACC, winning the conference championship last season in the 184-pound weight class.
"He is one of the harder workers on the team," coach Lenny Bernstein said. "One of the things that Jimi brings to the table is experience as a guy who did not have a lot of success right away but earned it."
Last season, Massey started to see that success, as he went 18-10 last season and led the team with 10 dual meet victories. Despite winning the ACC and advancing to nationals, he felt that he could still improve greatly.
He spent the summer working out with the University of Minnesota wrestling team, the defending national champion. He wrestled two of the top 11 ranked wrestlers, as well as the world runner-up, in his weight class all summer long.
"Last season at Nationals, I felt like I could have been All-American," Massey said. "I dedicated myself to wrestling in terms of my technique."
Massey also has taken an enlarged role off the mat, being named captain by Bernstein. With the team struggling with a 1-5 record, Massey said he feels somewhat responsible.
"I ask myself, 'Are you doing the right thing to lead these guys?'" Massey said. "But we're always ready for the end-of-the-season tournaments."
Massey, as defending ACC champion, has commanded a lot of respect from his teammates.
"He's a pretty vocal leader," sophomore Time Foley said. "The fact that he won ACC's [demonstrates] his ability and he's a very competitive guy."
Massey graduated last spring with a double major in economics and history and currently is working towards his masters in social foundations of education. He hopes to finish at the end of this semester and pursue a career in finance or investment banking. For now, though, he is focused on wrestling.
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