The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1456098
44 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY RYAN TICE hat a difference a year can make. Just look at NC State wrestler Ed Scott. The proof is in al- most every area of his life — from his dorm room and his diet to his record on the mat. Scott was thrown into the lineup last year as a true freshman. The nation's No. 19 overall recruit per FloWrestling never planned to start right away, but the Wolfpack had an open spot at 149 pounds. After the NCAA ruled the 2020-21 season was a free year of eli- gibility, it made too much sense to not wrestle Scott immediately, even though he was recruited to compete at 157. However, it was not easy. When look- ing back Scott now admits he did not manage his weight correctly, which af- fected his wrestling. "Last year was definitely not a year that I think went well for me," he ex- plained. "I think I could have done it a lot smarter and performed a little bit better. "I learned from it. Now I'm healthy at 157. I'm hardly cutting anything, just be- cause I'm being smarter about my diet." In addition, Scott competed in one of the ACC's toughest weight classes. UNC's Austin O'Connor went unde- feated on his way to a national title, plus the league boasted two more that finished one match shy of All-America honors at the NCAA Championships. That meant the six-team conference had three of the 12 best 149-pound grapplers in the country. Those three accounted for four of Scott's losses in a 6-6 campaign. He also lost by two points to Appalachian State's John Millner, who finished eighth at the NCAA Championships. Despite the challenging schedule, Scott did not even get the chance to prove where he stood among the coun- try's best. His fourth-place finish at the ACC Championships left him one spot shy of an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, and he was not se- lected as an at-large entrant. He has been driven to leave no doubt about his case for a spot on the sport's biggest stage ever since, and has even improved thanks to the rough debut. "I think it was really good experi- ence, and it definitely helped me grow as a person and a wrestler," he admitted. "It's something I value a lot — I grew so much and it provided me with the opportunity to get better, which I am thankful for. "I feel like if I was wrestling to my full potential last year, then I should have been more competitive." Scott spent the offseason adding DOING EVERYTHING RIGHT Ed Scott Is One Of College Wrestling's Breakout Stars After Making Small Changes Following His Rookie Year W