Solon’s Jordan Schmidt is hoping the third time’s the charm as he steps foot into Wells Fargo Arena for his third-straight appearance at the Iowa boys state wrestling tournament this week.
It was around this time two years ago when Schmidt—a then 126-pound freshman—punched his ticket to his first state wrestling tournament.
Fast-forward to 2024, he has his mind set on an even bigger goal.
“My mindset now is just to win a state title,” Schmidt said. “My goal my freshman year was just to really make it like I didn’t really have the thought of winning a title. My sophomore year, I started picking it up. I’m like ‘All right I want to place’, and I did that and it’s like ‘Why not win it this year?’”
Now a 138-pound junior, Schmidt has made strides on the wrestling mat, and it’s shown. He went from falling short in two matches at his first state tournament to placing seventh in his second appearance last season.
That improvement isn’t a stroke of luck; it’s the result of Schmidt shifting his focus solely on wrestling— a sport that he grew up surrounded by.