Evan Wick has made significant strides in the world of wrestling, achieving success both as an athlete and as a coach. From his high school achievements to his qualification for the Olympic Trials, Wick has demonstrated dedication, skill, and a passion for the sport.
Early Achievements and High School Success
Wick won a CIF state high school title for San Marino High School, marking an early milestone in his wrestling career. He attended high school in San Marino, and his roots in the community have remained strong throughout his journey.
Collegiate Career
Wick was an NCAA All-American for both Cal Poly and Wisconsin, showcasing his talent at the collegiate level. His success in college wrestling laid the foundation for his future endeavors.
Transition to Coaching
Currently a second-year assistant coach at Cal Poly, Wick has seamlessly transitioned into a coaching role while still competing professionally. “I knew I wanted to be a coach here as soon as I came here,” Wick said. This dual role has provided him with a unique perspective on the sport.
“[Coaching] has certainly made me a better competitor, it puts a lot of things in perspective,” Evan said. As a coach now, Evan said that he has a newfound perspective when he competes. He is also able to mentor his younger brother Luka, who also wrestles for Cal Poly.
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“Coming [to Cal Poly] and having Evan as my partner and then become my coach, I think it's helped me leaps and bounds,” Luka said. “I’m his brother first, but I am also his coach,” Evan said. “For me as a coach, I get to make sure [Truax] is being challenged in the room,” Evan said. “I will wrestle live with him.
Part of the reason Evan is finding comfort in San Luis Obispo is that he entered the wrestling program at a great time. “I think we haven’t seen so much potential in a program like ours in any school, but especially in a long time at Cal Poly,” Evan said.
Senior Nationals and Olympic Aspirations
For the second time in his wrestling career, Wick has qualified for the Olympic Trials after an excellent performance in Forth Worth, Texas at the 2023 Senior Nationals. He described Senior Nationals as the toughest tournament to compete in with national and state champions at every turn.
After losing in the quarterfinal round to the eventual national champion, Alex Dieringer, Wick won three straight to claim the fifth and final spot in the 86 kilogram (189 lbs.) division. "I just had to keep wrestling and keep fighting and I managed to pull it off.”
At 11-years-old, Wick asked his mom what the pinnacle of the sport was. Her answer: being a national champion and winning an Olympic gold. With a fifth place finish over the weekend, Wick is one step closer to the latter.
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“Every single wrestler across the entire world is battling for that Olympic gold," Wick explained. "That's what's been motivating me my my entire life. Essentially, it's on my mind every day trying to do whatever I can to work harder and increase my odds of getting that gold."
His younger brother Luka, who also wrestles for Cal Poly, followed along like any proud sibling would. “Just watching was amazing. The pride I have for him, I'm like walking around asking 'did you guys see Evan qualify? Did you go see that?”
That experience will be needed when he gets to the Olympic Trials in April where he'll need to get past the 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist, David Taylor, in order to capture the spot at 189 pounds.
“I've been thinking about this for 15 years so I really don't think if David Taylor has been thinking about it for another five years, it really helps that much. I think. It's going to come down to who works the hardest and who's most excited to compete at the end of the day.”
His approach to Taylor is the same one he preaches to Cal Poly, if you want it bad enough, you can win. “If you're if you're excited to compete, it doesn't matter what advantage your guy has if it's strength or speed.
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Evan earned gold for the 79 kg weight class on January 21 in France at the Henri Deglane Challenge. The young coach said he dealt with a fear of losing for most of his career up until this point.
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Beat the Streets LA International Event
Wick competed in the Beat the Streets LA International Event against Ukraine. Wick was competing in his hometown, as he attended high school in San Marino. He was impressive in the second period on the way to an 8-2 win over 2022 World bronze medalist Vasyl Mykhailov. Trailing 2-1 at the break, Wick scored three second-period takedowns to break the match open.
Wick helped Team USA to a 5-4 win over Ukraine in the friendly dual meet, which raised funds for youth in the Los Angeles area. Beat the Streets LA was founded 10 years ago with a mission to empower and transform the lives of youth through wrestling.
Experience as a Veteran
As a high school state champion, four time All-American in his time at Wisconsin and Cal Poly, his time as a coach and his accomplishments as an open division wrestler, Wick’s biggest advantage is that he’s as experienced as they come.
“I think that comes in handy," Evan said. "There's a lot of young guys coming up, but I think I'm just a veteran of the sport, so that really helped me out. I think going into Olympic trials, I have the same advantage as well. ”
With all the experience, Luka believes his brother's mentality has improved since his collegiate wrestling days. “Now that he's an open level athlete, he goes out like, 'I'm going to beat the brakes off you and if I lose, you're going to fear the time you wrestle me again.”