Grant Henderson has thrived at Grand View

Grant Henderson owned an impressive resume, but he was not the most decorated prep wrestler.

When he hit it off with Grand View wrestlers during an offseason team camp they hosted, Vikings Coach Nick Mitchell took notice. He recruited Henderson, keeping tabs on his senior season. He recognized the potential in Alburnett's two-time state medalist and three-time qualifier.

Now, Henderson's picture is prominently displayed on the header of the team's website.

'He looked like he had a big upside,' Mitchell said. 'Alburnett had a good program, so he was getting good coaching already. We just felt like he was still going to improve a bunch.'

The redshirt junior and national runner-up has become a key contributor to top-ranked Grand View's NAIA dominance. He will be part of the Vikings' attempt of a sixth straight NWCA National Duals title Thursday and Friday at Fort Wayne, Ind. Grand View opens with Doane (Neb.) at 9 a.m. Thursday.

Henderson's perseverance helped him break through the possible growing pains, transitioning from prep to college wrestling.

'It's been good,' said Henderson, the top-ranked 165-pounder. 'You take your lumps when you're younger. You just have to fight. A lot of guys will crumble as a younger guy getting whooped up on. They don't normally get whooped up on and don't take lumps in high school.

'I feel like that was one of my big assets. If I take a lump, I'll come back the next day.'

Henderson's college career suffered a huge setback shortly after it started. In a match with Coe's NCAA runner-up Dimitri Boyer, Henderson tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, requiring Tommy John surgery to repair it and shortening his redshirt season. The preseason and brief competition made an impact on the coaches.

'Even with that (injury), we had an idea that he was going to be one of the guys that we were going to be able to count on in the future,' said Mitchell, who has also led the Vikings to five straight NAIA national tournament titles. 'How he did things and the way he lived his life … it's a direct correlation to why he's been so successful.

'The part he had down already is he's a competitor. He fights every time. We talk a lot about that as a team, but it's never been anything we've had to teach him.'

Grand View seemed like a good fit and he felt right at home. The small campus was nestled in the heart of Des Moines. It reminded him of the feel of being from a larger city like Cedar Rapids before moving to the smaller Alburnett, where he was third his senior year and sixth as a junior.

The strides he made on the mat mirror the development off it. He had no problems adapting to life on his own and matured mentally and physically.

'We have a great coaching staff and great partners, so that growth is obvious,' Henderson said. 'You just buy into what's going on here. You do everything you can right. The wrestling is going to grow.

'If you don't have everything else in line and become a better person, at the end of the day it's not going to mean anything.'

Henderson was on the shelf, but kept his eyes and ears open. He studied accomplished upperclassmen like Jimmie Schuessler, Chad Lowman, Eric Thompson, Gustavo Martinez and even Ryak Finch. Henderson saw the example they set and now he's providing that to the current underclassmen.

'You had some good guys that you could see what they are doing,' Henderson said. 'That was great. I thoroughly enjoyed having those guys around even though I didn't have much of my redshirt year.'

Things took off for Henderson when he finally began competing on a full-time basis. He was a national qualifier in his first official year and then reached the NAIA finals last season, earning All-American honors.

'He's one of our captains,' Mitchell said. 'He does everything the right way. He's easy for us to point to as one of the leaders since he's been here.'

Henderson was one of four Vikings who competed at last week's Midlands Championships hosted by Northwestern. He went 2-2, beating NCAA Division I wrestlers from Rutgers and Iowa State.

'I took a lot away,' said Henderson, who blanked Cyclones starter Dane Pestano, 5-0. 'I had a couple close matches. Little things I need to tweak that way I can be at my best the rest of the season. I didn't finish the way I wanted to at Midlands. I had high goals and didn't achieve those. You can learn a lot in a win and a loss.'

Henderson said last season's national final loss hurt. He had to evolve, noting Mitchell's advice of doing the same thing and expecting different results is crazy. He bulked up to 165, instead of cutting back down. He improved his nutrition and said he feels better.

He is looking for more than just the national title goal he shared with Mitchell when he first arrived.

'As you continue, the goals are higher,' Henderson said. 'It's just not simply to be the national champ. I want to win O.W. (Outstanding Wrestler) and Midlands. The goal is bigger. You have to expect everything else is going to happen, if you believe in those goals.'

Wartburg and Coe are in the NCAA Division III field. The Knights are top-seeded and will face the winner between Millikin (Ill.) and Wheaton (Ill.) at 11 a.m. Coe faces Wisconsin-Whitewater at the same time.

In D-II competition, Upper Iowa wrestles Wisconsin-Parkside in the first round, starting at 9 a.m.

Iowa Lakes, Ellsworth, Iowa Western and second-seeded Iowa Central will compete in the NJCAA division.

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