A Geneseo senior had to drop a few of his favorite activities to make room for progress.
Wrestler, track athlete, and scholarship football player, Nick Verbeck said he had to make the tough decision to leave baseball and basketball behind to focus on what made him a great athlete.
Basketball is a family event, Verbeck said he has spent a lot of time talking the sport with his mom and watching, but said he felt it wasn’t doing much for him as an athlete.
“[I] felt the best way to progress was to stop playing and do track,” said Verbeck.
He understood that wrestling would be more beneficial. Verbeck said the sport has helped him to cut some back weight and make him a more efficient athlete.
“That’s what’s rewarding as a coach to see a kid who has come as far as he has in that short of time,” said Verbeck’s coach Jon Murray. “In the last few years, but even in the last few weeks, I mean, he’s really stepped it up just at the right time.”
Verbeck’s coach attributes the athlete’s successes to his seniority, confidence, and understanding how to use the skills he has obtained.
Two years ago, Verbeck said he wasn’t a scholarship athlete, but now he’s got a football scholarship waiting for him at Truman State after high school graduation.
He said the people who have invested in him and the hard work he has put in has helped him get to where he is today. He hopes the mentality and work ethic he has gained from being a multi-sport athlete will carry forward with him to the workforce after college.