If anyone knows hard work, it's Virginia wrestler Will Durkee.
As one of only four seniors on this year's team, Durkee is tailor-made for a leadership role, as it has been through grit and hard work that he has achieved success in collegiate wrestling. After redshirting his junior year to gain an extra year of eligibility, Durkee is proving his overall importance to the team in both his competitive strength and his new leadership role. He has turned in a 12-7 record so far this year, including a sixth-place finish in the 165-pound weight division at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational last weekend.
But Durkee is eager to confess that his success as a wrestler is not a result of his natural talent or athleticism, but because of his extraordinary dedication to hard work.
"For me to win, I know I'm not the most talented kid out there," the Pennsylvania native said. "I know I'm not the most athletic kid, so if I want to beat those top guys, I have to work harder than them at practice."
Durkee's extraordinary work ethic has affected his teammates as well.
"He brings the level of intensity up in the room every day," said sophomore Damian Johnson, an old high school teammate at Shady Side Academy and current Virginia wrestler. "He's always making everyone in the room push the pace, increase the level of intensity and work hard."
Co-captain Paul Bjorlo, a fifth-year senior, agreed.
"He always sets a great example and has great work ethic [since he is] always trying to get guys to work harder, myself included," Bjorlo said. "I think when you got guys like that, it's really contagious and it helps the entire team bring the intensity up."
Part of Durkee's attitude toward hard work comes from his love of the sport. He has been wrestling since middle school. Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, he became interested in wrestling because he found he was not successful in swimming or basketball.
"I had a good middle school coach -- really motivational, who really inspired his wrestlers," Durkee said. "He definitely kind of lit the fire in me for wrestling."
And this fire still burns in Durkee. But what is it that he loves so much about wrestling?
"[I like] the individuality of it and just that you can be a good wrestler without having to have a lot of natural talents," he said.
Durkee's success as a competitor comes from his ability to think well on the mat. No one knows this better than head coach Lenny Bernstein.
"He's been around the sport a long time and is kind of a thinker," Bernstein said. "He's a guy that tactically, if he doesn't have the athletic ability or the wrestling ability, he'll win it from a tactical standpoint. You can't really teach that."
While wrestling is very important to Durkee, he demonstrates the desire to stay successful in wrestling and schoolwork. For now, maintaining both of these is his chief ambition.
"I'm working to accomplish my individual goals," Durkee said. "For me right now, it's just trying to stay healthy, keep practicing hard, keep up with my schoolwork and keep everything balanced."
He has always tried to keep a levelheaded perspective on being a student-athlete, and his success on the mat comes as a result of his hard work.
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