MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Jacob Simpson began wrestling at the age of 11.
“My brother and I first started wrestling at age 11 (sixth grade) in the state of Florida,” he said.
A Morgantown native, Simpson is a 2019 graduate of University High.
He iscurrently a sophomore at West Liberty University.
As a freshman, Simpson made it all the way to the championship semifinals of the Little State Invite and finished in fifth place. He finished third at the John Summa Memorial. He helped West Liberty to a second place finish at the Mountain East Conference Championships by winning his match against Fairmont State.
“I feel like my freshman season went pretty well,” Simpson said. “I definitely expected a lot out of myself just by the way I trained. I was putting in a lot of extra time in, too, also just trusting my coaches and teammates and the rest took care of itself. I was at 141 pounds for most of the season and I finished off the season at 149 pounds. My record was 26-12 last year. Beating a few ranked kids in the country and beating numerous national qualifiers. All in all, it was a good year, but like I said, you can always do better.”
Simpson is excited about his sophomore season.
“I am very much looking forward to my sophomore season,” he said. “I have many goals that I am working toward as an individual and as a team, and I can’t wait to keep chipping away at it this school year. I finished off my summer training cycle strong.”
As a Hawk, Simpson placed in the state tournament four times. He was the 2019 state runner-up and was named an OVAC tournament champion.
“Becoming an OVAC champion my senior year was very special to me,” he said. “After losing in the OVAC finals my junior year, I told myself I never wanted to feel that way again. I had something to prove. I felt like I was putting up some big points against very good kids, but that was expected out of myself. I wanted to leave no doubt on that tournament my senior year. My closest match was in the finals being the only two takedowns, let alone offensive points I would give up the whole tournament. It also showed that I could pull through adversity (winning in overtime). It was a good tournament. Plus, it always feels like home when I’m standing on the top of a podium.”
Simpson was named regional champion twice, as well as being named the state freestyle champion twice.
“Being a two-time freestyle state champ in high school was cool,” he said. “Freestyle wrestling is the Olympic style of wrestling. After college that’s where most guys transition to.”
Simpson holds the UHS school record with 144 wins.
“Holding the career UHS career wins record was something I set out to do as a freshman,” he said. “It definitely is something I am proud of, but it was something that I expected out of myself.
“My high school career was all a part of the plans and goals I had set out to do as a freshman. As a freshman in high school, I told my coaches I wanted to be a 4x state placer and have the school record for wins. At the end of the day, though, I could have always done better, but the effort I put in toward achieving those goals were done at a high level. Everything I did in high school would be to prepare me for the next level.”
Simpson is proud of all his accomplishments as a freshman in college.
“One particular memory that stuck out to me this year was when I went up in weight from 141 to 149, and we wrestled our final home dual against Seton Hill University,” he said. “I was the first match and I would be wrestling the No. 9-ranked kid in the country, returning national qualifier. I was ready to go out there and put it on the line for myself and my team. I was down early 7-2 and came back and won the match late 11-9. It just added to me trusting in my coaches and was credited to the work I’ve put in. It was something I expected out of myself. Also, definitely good to have my team and the crowd all jacked up after I won.”
Simpson said wrestling at West Liberty is different from UHS.
“At West Liberty, there is a huge amount of talent and depth in the room,” he said. “You are surrounded by men who devote their lives to the sport and there are no easy goes. Every day, your partners are going to make you earn it, whether that means taking a beating or giving one. Compared to UHS, where a lot of kids are new to the sport or have a few years of experience.”
Jacob is not the only Simpson on the West Liberty wrestling team. He is the twin brother of fellow sophomore Matt Simpson.
“Being a twin is awesome,” Jacob said. “I have a best friend and a brother all in one. He also is the reason I was able to achieve what I’ve done up to this point in my life. I don’t know where I’d be without him.”
Jacob said he enjoys having his twin brother on the same college team.
“It’s very nice having him on the same college team with me,” he said. “We make each other better, and I’ll always have a partner that I know will scrap with me when I go to the wrestling room to work on what I need to work on. He was also my roommate so that was convenient in itself.”
Jacob said they both train together.
“My brother and I always work out and train with each other,” he said. “I’d say at least three times a week, whether that be for lifting or wrestling. We both push each other. We both want the same thing and have the same goals. I’d be lying if I said we have never been in any fist fights in practice, though.
“I wouldn’t say there is any sibling rivalry. I just say we like to compete and make each other the best we can be.”
Simpson said the transition from high school to college was not easy.
“The transition from high school to college was definitely hard, but the summer leading into my freshman year of college, I worked extremely hard on my conditioning and I did a whole lot of wrestling to prepare me for the preseason,” he said. “It’s a lot easier to focus on getting better when you’re in good shape.”
There are several reasons Simpson decided to attend West Liberty.
“What made me attend West Liberty University was the fact that there were guys on the team willing to put in the work to attain one goal,” he said. “Also the fact that I would be getting an individual attention in the classroom was another big deciding factor. Also, if you ever seen WLU’s campus, it’s kind of hard not to fall in love. People on the hilltop are so passionate about their school as I am.
“What I like most about the hilltop is my coaches and my teammates. They really push me to not reach my goals in wrestling, but to be a better person. It’s the best family I could ever ask for.”
Simpson said West Liberty is smaller than Morgantown.
“West liberty compared to Morgantown, it’s a lot smaller,” he said. “Also, West Liberty has a family feel to it, which I love. But everything I need is right there on my campus. So I got no complaints. I love it up on the hilltop.”
He is majoring in criminal justice.
“My plans after graduation are to become a graduate assistant and get my masters,” he said. “But I also want to try to work to become a college coach one day and give back to sport that has done so much for me.”
“That’s what I love to do,” he said. “I also like to hang out with my coaches and teammates outside of wrestling.”
He is the son of Deirdre Simpson. He has three other siblings, Heather, Levi and Daniel.
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