Xavier’s Schultschik loves running, wrestling

CEDAR RAPIDS - Whether it is on the mat or a cross country course, sophomore Keegan Schultschik works to achieve greatness.

Schultschik first began wrestling when he was 5 years old and has continued on and off for 10 years. His dad urged him to go try it because wrestling has been part of the family for generations. His dad wanted him to experience it and start from a young age.

Schultschik started running cross country in eighth grade, after he decided to not pursue football. He decided to join cross country because he wanted something to do and it helped him get into shape for wrestling.

Schultschik took a year off wrestling in the fourth grade, but discovered a year upon his return a he could not keep up with the other club wrestlers.

'The clubs are really intense and after I quit a year and came back it was too intense for me,” Schultschik said.

He took another year off in sixth grade and then joined again in seventh grade, wrestling the Regis-LaSalle team.

During his freshman year, Schultschik wrestled for varsity in a few matches. This year, he hopes to secure a spot on the varsity team.

'Last year he was kind of borderline varsity,” assistant wrestling coach Kyle Mallie said. 'Hopefully this year he claims a varsity spot and holds on to it.”

Schultschik finds running a great way to stay in shape for wrestling.

In cross country, Schultschik is a strong leader for his teammates and looks to become a team captain.

'I think Keegan is definitely going to be a very valuable asset to the team next year,” senior teammate Jonathan Francois said. 'He shows a lot of potential. If he puts in a lot of summer miles, I think that he'd be one of the top runners on the team.”

Schultschik plans to continue both sports.

'Hopefully I can get a college scholarship for wrestling, but I'll probably still do both sports unless I get hurt,” he said.