By Aimable Rutayisire, Sports Editor
The Jets’ wrestling team is gearing up for one of its most promising seasons yet, said first-year head coach Mitch Arnold.
Over the offseason, the team acquired eight new members, giving it a deeper roster, and Arnold said he is also trying to build a culture based on accountability.
“The excitement around the program is at an all-time high,” said Arnold, a former Newman wrestler who also once was an assistant coach for the team. “It’s going good... We’ve added a lot to the lineup. The standard is the standard. As long as we follow that and trust the process, we’ll be set for the year.”
Last year, the Jets wrestling squad finished the season at 2-8. Jace Fisher, who this season is working as a graduate assistant wrestling coach, qualified for the 2025 Division II National Championships in March in Indianapolis and finished sixth place and earned All-American status.
Arnold said that members of this year’s squad bring both experience and grit and are made up of the toughest group of guys Newman has had in a long time.
The team is led by nationally ranked wrestler Braden Tatum, a junior transfer from Newberry College in South Carolina. Tatum ranks No.19 for his weight class in The Open Mat rankings and No. 3 regionally, according to the MIAA. Senior Caleb Wunsch ranks No.17 in the national rankings and No. 4 regionally. Senior Jevin Foust, ranked No. 4 regionally, also adds to the team’s pedigree.
This year, Arnold said, the Jets are focused on staying present and maintaining their standard. His coaching philosophy emphasizes mindset over results.
“Be in the moment,” Arnold said. “Don’t dwell on success or failure. We focus on process over results.”
Arnold said that he is big on accountability and leadership from within. He said that he hopes to see the squad become wrestler-led.
“We can’t be a coach-led team,” he said. “First, they’ve got to want it, then put in the work.”
The Jets opened their season on Monday at the Friends University Falcon Open, and Foust secured a fourth-place finish for the team.
Newman will participate in the Red & Blue Dual on Sunday, which features an intraquad match, then will match up against Friends University on Wednesday.
PHOTO: Courtesy, Newman Athletics
