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FEBRUARY 2018 23 here at UVA are my brothers. It's hard not to picture myself in this lifestyle because of how much wrestling has given me. It has let me see the world and shaped me into the man I am today." Very few kids would embrace the grind that became the norm for Hayes as he worked tirelessly toward his dream. Weekends were devoted to trips with his father to tournaments throughout the coun- try where he could compete with the top wrestling talent in the high school ranks. His teammates were his tightest friends and spring break bashes were replaced with Sat- urday night spaghetti dinners. The diminutive wrestler began to gain the attention of college coaches during his junior campaign and met Garland at a show- case tournament. "Louie is just flat out great at wrestling," Garland said. "He can do things on the mat most kids can't do. Believe it or not, even highly ranked guys in high school are very deficient technically in most areas. "Louie was the opposite. He was way ahead of his peers in terms of his wrestling technique." That initial meeting turned into a trip to Charlottesville, where Hayes fell in love with the campus, Garland's coaching style and the academic challenges that came with the sto- ried university founded by Thomas Jefferson. "I really liked his coaching philosophy, really liked the campus, fell in love with everything UVA had to offer," Hayes said. "The process began to pick up and it be- came clear that's where I wanted to be. "Just hearing the passion from coach, his message and vision for the program — it was an easy choice." After his senior year, Hayes left Illinois and made the trip to Charlottesville to em- bark on a pursuit to fulfill his childhood dream. While many of his friends spent that final summer at beaches and hanging out with friends, the new first-year UVA student wanted to accelerate his path and embrace the collegiate experience as both a wrestler and student. While the UVA workload alone is known for creating hardship on first-year students, Hayes didn't miss a beat. He established a routine and thrived both in the classroom and in practice. "It's a grind — we take it really serious," Hayes said. "We wake up, get a lift or cardio training in the morning and then come back at 3:45 to practice to work on technique and go through drills. "On top of that, you're managing your weight the whole time. I walk around at 133 and wrestle at 125, so I'm constantly think- ing about that. "You're surrounded by people with the same goals day by day. It's an easy atmo- sphere to get behind when you have so many people around you doing the same thing, with the same goals." Both Garland and Hayes agreed the first year should be focused on learning and training. They believed a patient approach would pay off in a major way. With a redshirt designation, Hayes com- peted in unattached matches that didn't count for the team, but provided invaluable experience. He finished with an 18-8 record and continued to master his skill set. "I needed to get bigger and was under- sized," Hayes said. "The coaching staff and I agreed the best plan would be to grow as a wrestler by training with some of the top All-Americans on the staff like [second- year 133-pounder] Jack Mueller and [UVA graduate] Will Mason while making sure I'm comfortable with school." As January came to an end and the 2018 NCAA Championships inched closer, the relentless dedication in high school, the patience during his initial campaign and constant desire to grow has paid major divi- dends for Hayes. The redshirt first-year owned an impres- sive 25-5 record and has a chance to be one of the top wrestlers in UVA history. Two of his losses were to last season's NCAA finalists at 125 — Lehigh's Darian Cruz and Minnesota's Ethan Lizak. Another loss was to Rutgers' Nick Suriano, who defeated Cruz and Lizak in 2016-17 but missed the NCAA Championships with an injury. Hayes has played a major role in elevat- ing the UVA wrestling program as a whole — and he's just getting started. "It's huge for the program the way he's wrestling," Garland said. Neither Hayes or Garland will look too far into the future, but as of now the goal set last March is looking more and more attainable. "We have to set our goals that high, and if it is God's will for us to fall short well, then maybe, just maybe, we are an All-American," Garland said. "If you set your goals at being an All-American, then chances are we will end up losing in the round of 12 and not placing. "You have to believe, and we believe in him." "Louie is just flat out great at wrestling. He can do things on the mat most kids can't do. Believe it or not, even highly ranked guys in high school are very deficient techni- cally in most areas. Louie was the opposite. He was way ahead of his peers in terms of his wrestling technique." UVA HEAD COACH STEVE GARLAND ON HAYES Hayes, who went 18-8 while wrestling unat- tached during his redshirt year, won a state championship in Illinois, a Junior Freestyle National Championship and a Junior Greco- Roman National Championship before arriving on Grounds. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA