The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547338
BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN ro m t h e m o m e n t Wi l l Denny walked into NC State's wrestling room as a budding freshman a year ago, he wanted to train with the top athletes in the room. He didn't have to look far to challenge him- self, partnering with All-American and reigning ACC champion Matty Single- ton soon after his arrival. Denny, the No. 16 overall recruit in FloWrestling's Class of 2025 Big Board, was determined to get up to speed at the college level as soon as possible. He wanted to secure a spot in the Wolf- pack's lineup from wrestle-offs on and make waves on the national stage. "I got to feel the maturity of the high- est level I wanted to compete against," Denny said. "I felt like I had to get my hands on the best guys, and that gave me the best outlook on what I was going to experience, knowing that not every match was going to be easy." Denny checked plenty of items on his wish list as a first-year wrestler. He earned the starting spot at 165 pounds, just as he envisioned, before rolling through some of the nation's best at his weight, earning six ranked wins in the regular season and an NCAA Tourna- ment blood-round appearance. Now, with a year of exceptional wres- tling under his belt, Denny has high ex- pectations for his sophomore season. Building on his debut campaign, which featured eight bonus-point victories and a 13-match winning streak to storm into the postseason, is of the utmost importance for the once-coveted high school prospect. He won two Illinois high school state titles, while also taking gold at the 2025 U20 Pan-American Championships with Team USA. In order to be in a position to reach the ACC mountaintop and NCAA po- dium this season, Denny has been able to draw plenty from his freshman season. It was filled with lessons, a batch that has made him a better wrestler going into the upcoming journey on the mat. He wants to stay cool and collected in pressure situations in the heat of a bout. "Just being patient with everything and keeping my emotions in check throughout a match and season," Denny said. "Sometimes things aren't going your way and you're not able to score. I'm still working on being level- headed the whole time." Denny admitted it's not easy to grow in that area of his game, but by lean- ing on everyone in his orbit, he feels like he's taken a step forward to deploy that mindset in the practice room and is looking to translate it into effective wrestling in matches this year. On the mat, meanwhile, Denny has focused on making his wrestling from the top position as dominant as his work from the bottom or neutral positions, while also picking up his hand-fighting pace to overwhelm the competition. With those improvements to his tool belt, Denny believes he's better equipped to score at will against his op- ponents all season long — a step forward from his freshman campaign. "I feel like the bigger the matches got, I would try and hold onto tight wins," Denny said. "But my ability to score points and open up opportunities to score points is like no other. I need to just trust in that, knowing I can score on whoever and whenever." Denny's confidence is through the roof, for good reason. Not only does he know what to expect from the collegiate level going into the new season, but he's training with two-time NCAA qualifier Jackson Arrington daily. That has led him to feel prepared to face many of the top wrestlers once again this year, possibly compet- ing at an even higher level than he did last season. "I feel a lot more comfortable with my wrestling and who I am, just knowing that going out and having fun is the No. 1 pri- ority," Denny said. "After last season, I thought a lot about what I was missing. A lot of it was just trusting in my ability, trusting in God's plan, and not trying to control everything. Just going out there and making the most of everything, be- cause I only have four more years to do it." Denny's goal is to build upon his fresh- man performances as a second-year wrestler and do more in the postseason. "I'm super excited to step on the mat and figure everything out as it comes," said. Denny, who is ranked No. 10 na- tionally at 165 pounds entering the sea- son by FloWrestling. "I think we have a really exciting team this year that's a little overlooked. Everybody's ready to let it fly. The team culture has been really good, and I'm excited to go compete for them and just have fun while doing it." ■ F ENCORE ENCORE NC State's Will Denny Is Determined To Build On His Breakout Freshman Season 42 ■ THE WOLFPACKER