MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — There are times when chatting with West Virginia senior wrestler Brandon Ngati is a lot like listening to a motivational speaker or life coach. Of course, it’s also probably true that the majority of those positive influencers aren’t Division I heavyweight NCAA tournament qualifiers, either.
But Ngati’s journey from basketball tryouts at South Hagerstown High (Md.) to a Big 12 championship contender is so full of lessons and inspirational messages, it’s hard to not get pumped up just hearing about them.
Beginning with that fateful tryout as a freshman at Hagerstown.
“I got cut,” Ngati admitted with a grin. “But I still wanted to be involved in a sport, so I decided to give wrestling a try, and I guess it was a good thing I didn’t just decide to sit at home.”
Apparently it was, because despite facing plenty of scholastic wrestlers with years and years of training, Ngati quickly rose to the pinnacle, winning Maryland’s state championship his senior year and earning a scholarship to WVU. However, wrestling as a true freshman, Ngati quickly found out just how much he had to learn to compete against the nation’s best, which was plenty, because Ngati had just five wins in two years.
“It was rough, no doubt,” he said of his struggles. “There was some real soul searching that went on — ‘Am I good enough?’ ‘Should I blow it all up?’ — but I am just not built that way. I wasn’t going to quit. I couldn’t.
“Besides, there were plenty of signs of improvement along the way. Little small process goals kept getting met and I knew that every one of them was a necessary step toward the big product goals like wins, Big 12 championships, All-American status, national champion. So I just continued to believe in myself — and in the process — do the work on the track, on the mat, in the weight room, fully commit to the grind.”
Of course, part of that process is leaning on teammates and coaches, and for WVU 197-pounder Noah Adams, working with Ngati has helped them both become better wrestlers.
“It’s been awesome watching him grow,” Adams said. “Starting as a freshman in high school is pretty late for wrestlers, especially the quality we face in the Big 12, so Brandon’s had to work really hard to catch up. And at 285 pounds, he’s pretty small as far as heavyweights go, but his speed, agility, and explosiveness make up for some of that weight deficit. And so a littler guy like me can help with that for him, and he helps me with power and strength. We push each other to become the best we can be, and I’m so proud to see what he’s become for us.”
And what happened in Ngati’s junior year last season — qualifying for the NCAA National Championships — was, according to WVU head coach Tim Flynn, “a fantastic example of what persistence can do. Brandon always works so hard and is so coachable and consistent, so to see him finally get it, and learn what he has to do to win, he’s just a great model for the kids in our program. It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish, and Brandon has really become a great finisher. Can’t wait to see what he can do for us this year.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, Ngati has taken last year’s heady success in stride heading into his senior year.
“There wasn’t anything dramatic that happened last season, not really,” he said of his breakout year. “All the things that I was working to improve finally showed up in matches, as I expected them to, eventually. I mean, I’ve concentrated hard on putting the process in place, so now it’s really time for the product to come. But that doesn’t mean I’ve ‘arrived’ or anything like that. There still so much to learn, so much left to accomplish. I want to be standing on the top level of that podium as Big 12 champion.
“Look,” he concluded, “It’s important to stay humble in your success, and to take each failure as a lesson. So I like where I’m at right now, and I’m excited to see what happens this year. It’s been a great ride so far at WVU, and I’m ready to finish strong.”
