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St. Cloud State University
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Neumueller seeking title
By Ryan K. Dale
Published:
Thursday, January 30, 2003
Media Credit: Jason Risberg
Matt Neumueller�s name could soon be added to this wall that lists all of the All-American wrestlers from SCSU. It can be found in the wrestling practice room in the Halenbeck Fieldhouse.
Even with all of the headlocks and takedowns, Husky senior tri-captain Matt Neumueller has managed to keep his head on straight. Neumueller is a perfect example of what a student athlete should be. No one takes his mechanical engineering tests for him, no one writes his papers or stays on campus for up to 12 hours a day for him.
He is an excellent wrestler and an even more gifted scholar. He hasn't been left off of the Dean's list since he first came to St. Cloud in the fall of 1999 from Medford, Wis. Neumueller is an academic/athletic honoree and somehow maintains a 3.66 GPA while balancing a full slate of daily activities.
Head coach Steve Grimit is very impressed with Neumueller as a student athlete. "He's a fabulous role model as a student athlete," Grimit said. "He's as hard a worker as we have on and off the mat. You just can't say enough about Matt."
Besides being a gifted scholar, Neumueller is also a potential All-American wrestler ranked No. 1 nationally at 165 pounds. The love and dedication for wrestling started at a young age for him.
"I started wrestling when I was in the first grade back in Medford at a wrestling club," Neumueller said.
Medford is a small town, population 19,225, four-and-a-half hours east of St. Cloud on I-94. That's where he began his desire to succeed in athletics and academics. He lettered in wrestling all four years at Medford Area High School.
Neumueller was also All-State each of his four years at Medford. He compiled an impressive 138-18 record, including a 38-0 record and a state championship as a senior.
"I liked the team atmosphere of my high school team," Neumueller said. "It's a lot like the team here, everyone is close and we all get along."
Like college, studying always came first in high school. He maintained a 4.0 GPA through high school and into his freshman year at SCSU. While in high school, he managed to be a top-notch scholar as well as a star athlete. He was a National Honor Society member and was committed to his future.
Plenty of schools recruited him out of high school for his wrestling talents, but he had his mind made up before he even came to St. Cloud. He knew that SCSU had the major he wanted to pursue and the opportunities for him to prosper.
Neumueller joked when asked why he decided on SCSU. "It was Garvey (Commons)," he said. All kidding aside, "I liked the campus and they had the best state college mechanical engineering program in this area and Garvey was actually the best cafeteria I ate at in my visits."
He fit right into the Husky lineup as a freshman at 157 pounds. Division II wrestling opponents were a little tougher than the Wisconsin high school wrestlers he had faced the previous four years.
He completed the year with a 17-22 record, but had an impressive sixth place finish at the annual SCSU Invitational. That was just a warm-up for a breakout season to come.
His sophomore season included a 34-14 record and a first place title at the Midwest Classic and third place at the SCSU Invitational. Ranked in the top seven in the nation, Neumueller was on-track to become an All-American as a sophomore. That lofty achievement fell short by one point.
He lost to a returning All-American by one point after he was taken down twice in the third period with the lead, the last one with 10 seconds left in the match. "I should have won," he said. "I ran out of energy and I was 10 seconds from being an All-American."
The 10 seconds and one point is as close as he would get to be an All-American at 157 pounds. In his junior year he bulked up to 165 pounds and said it was like being a freshman again. He had to face wrestlers for the first time, and they were bigger and stronger than 157 pound opponents.
Neumueller did well at making the adjustment to the heavier weight class. He wrestled his way to a 24-14 record, but with a broken wrist. He hurt his wrist in practice on the Tuesday before the SCSU Invitational last year and sat out practice the rest of the week.
He wrestled that weekend, taking third place and thought nothing about the wrist injury. He continued to work hard, just missing out on being an All-American once again. "He's always just one point or one match away," Grimit said. "This year he has the ability to be national champion."
After his junior season, Neumueller went to a doctor to have his wrist examined. The doctor discovered that he had been wrestling with the broken wrist for over three months. Neumueller rehabbed the injury and vowed to get back to the national tournament and put himself in a position to go out on top.
Going into his senior season, Neumueller had some goals in mind. "I wanted to be an All-American," he said. "I think it would look bad if I got there as a sophomore and didn't get back as a senior. I have the capability to be national champion."
This season he has proven to be an irreplaceable leader on his team. He has won awards and tournaments while staying committed and focused. "He's a great leader, leads by example, always works hard in practice and then goes home and studies," Grimit said.
He has a 16-4 record this year and hasn't lost since Dec. 7. Neumueller took home the championship at the SCSU tournament and also the tournament MVP. He went 3-0 in the tournament defeating other ranked opponents. "It was a nice honor," he said. "I didn't expect it. Dustin [Darveaux] won his weight, wrestled a solid tournament and broke the school record. I thought he would get it."
Earlier this season Neumueller was named NCC wrestler of the week, to go along with his NCC academic honoree award and No. 1 national ranking. After an impressive 3-0 record at the National Duals at Ohio State University (Jan. 18), he was named the nation's best 165 pound wrestler (D-II).
"I couldn't believe it. I thought they were joking," he said.
After the injury last season and the disappointments that followed, Neumueller looks to be back on track this season. He will have one final chance at being an All-American and winning a national championship. So what happens after the season is over?
"I think I'm going to hang up the shoes for good," Neumueller said.
That doesn't seem very likely. About two minutes later when talking about being on campus next year to finish his degree he said, "I'll be around, I'll still come to the practices and get a work out."
Neumueller is a rare type of athlete that doesn't mind practices. He says it will be nice to some extent to not have to practice, but he liked the intensity and the hard work that went into them.
One person he will miss is Grimit. "He's a great coach and always there for you," he said. "We have the same mentality, he likes to win and so do I."
Winning has not been a problem for Neumueller this season, due to his work ethic and dedication. When the season concludes he will be an Academic All-American, and if he keeps on the same track, he'll reach his goal to be a wrestling All-American.
