A journey that started in middle school and was capped off with a second place finish at the state tournament will continue to the collegiate level for Powell High School senior Mitchel Wainscott, as he signed his letter on of intent on Wednesday, April 9, to wrestle at NAIA Dickinson State University in North Dakota.

“I actually started in seventh grade. I didn’t really want to wrestle ever, but my mom’s brothers wrestled so she was going to force me to wrestle. So I just remembered the first practice I was like, ‘I’m gonna hate this.’ I hated it for a little bit, but slowly I started to build my love for the sport.”

Towards the end of middle school Wainscott said he started to find his love for the sport more, as victories increased his motivation to improve heading to the high school level.

“I would say towards the end of my eighth grade year is when I started to win more matches, I just kind of knew I loved the sport,” Wainscott said. “It is just something that I dedicated all my time to in the summer.”

His dedication over the years paid off, continually improving from his freshman year up until his senior year where he ended up placing second at both regionals and state at 175 pounds for the state championship Panther wrestling team.

“It just felt very rewarding,” Wainscott said. “I put in endless hours. In the season, out of the season, I’ve just put so much time in. It just felt rewarding to finally get over that hump because my junior year I was pretty good. I just kind of fell apart at state … This was a great season and I’m glad that we won the team title. It’s just something we’ve been working for, and we were glad to do it for our coaches.”

That success came throughout the years thanks to a strong coaching staff both at the middle school and high school levels, something Wainscott attributes his success to whether it was improving his technique or helping him make weight each week.

“There’s numerous ways they’ve helped me. They helped me work out, lose weight, and get me a little fitter. I came in kind of fat as an eighth grader, and (coach Nick) Fulton, (coach Cody) Kalberer and (coach Juston) Carter hosted open mats all summer long,” Wainscott said. “In season we’re always working. And then (coach Nate) Urbach, he was my first middle school coach, he just built the basics. They’ve all been super helpful. They made relationships outside wrestling too. I know I can trust them and I know they’re there for me.”

Being part of the Panther team Wainscott served as one of the vocal leaders of the program, something he hopes to find at Dickinson while helping the team succeed.

“I hope I’m gonna have a role model up there just to learn from. I just hope I can be the best teammate that I can,” he said. “And not only work for my success, but work for team success. Just trying to make everyone on the team better.”

One of the driving factors to attend Dickinson was the close bond Wainscott saw between the wrestlers, seeing that there is a higher motivation for the team than individual success.

“That’s one of the main reasons I chose Dickinson,” Wainscott said. “It’s just a brotherhood up there. I can tell that they all wrestle for more than just themselves. Up there, they’re wrestling for the team and that was super important.”

Heading to the collegiate level Wainscott is hoping to wrestle at a lighter weight, aiming for a 157-pound weight class or 165 pounds, and is hoping to use his experience at a heavier weight this season to perform better at a lighter weight.

“I was pretty much overpowered in every match this year,” Wainscott said. “The lower you go, the faster you’ll get. So I think wrestling up this season will help a lot at college.”

Continuing his education at Dickinson, Wainscott is looking to either become a nurse practitioner or a teacher.