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4x state champ Waldo returning to Michigan to wrestle for Chipps

8/2 - It is often said that there is no place like home and that

seems to be the case for former 4x State Champion Kyle

Waldo of Rockford who has notified Michigan Grappler that he

will be transferring back to the Great Lakes State to wrestle

for Central Michigan University.

"Going into the NCAA Tournament I had this thought in the

back of my head concerning whether I wanted to be here (at

Nebraska) or not. Throughout the rest of the school year I

consulted my close friends and Coach Jason Mester about

my idea of maybe transferring. They helped me reach a

decision and feel good about my decision which is important.

Ben Bennett was hounding me for about four months and I

never took him serious until early summer when I told him I

wanted to do it and that I wanted to come back home and be

closer to my family because things just weren't working out

the way I thought they would in Nebraska," said Waldo.

Waldo, who redshirted during his freshman season last year

at the University of Nebraska, will now have four years of

eligiblity remaining as he joins a Chippewa squad that finished 12th in the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Waldo, who will compete at 125lbs for CMU, couldn't come to Mt Pleasant at a better time as last year's 125lb Matt Steintrager graduates after qualifying for the NCAA tournament.

In addition to winning 4 Division 1 State Titles at Rockford High School, Waldo was a also a Senior National All-American, finishing 3rd at 119lbs, and a Junior Freestyle All-American, finishing 7th in 2008. He was one of the top lightweight recruits in the country two years ago when he signed with Nebraska.

In addition the normal reasons one might transfer home such as being closer to friends and family, there were also other factors that impacted Waldo's decision to leave the Huskers. Universty of Nebraska assistant coaches Jason Mester and Mike Greenfield, the coaches who recruited Waldo, both left the University following last season. He will now re-join former Rockford teammate Ben Bennett at CMU. Bennett was an All-American last year as a freshman at 174lbs.

Read below for our exclusive interview with Waldo following the annoncement of his transfer.

MI Grappler: What factors impacted your decision to leave Nebraska and attend Central Michigan?

Kyle Waldo: Going into the NCAA Tournament I had this thought in the back of my head concerning whether I wanted to be here or not. Throughout the rest of the school year I consulted my close friends and Coach Jason Mester about my idea of maybe transferring. They helped me reach a decision and feel good about my decision which is important. Ben Bennett was hounding me for about four months and I never took him serious until early summer when I told him I wanted to do it and that I wanted to come back home and be closer to my family because things just weren't working out the way I thought they would in Nebraska.

MIG: What was it like going to school so far from home and what will be the best part of wrestling back in Michigan?

KW: Being so far away from home wasn't too bad actually. I really enjoyed going to school and I made a lot of friends I was really close with. The team was also very tight knit which made things easier and all the freshman were very close as well and we lived relatively in the same dorm. Wrestling so far away from home was frustrating honestly. I was told halfway through the year once or twice to be ready to weigh in, get down to weight you're probably wrestling sunday against Wyoming or another school and I would miss an open tournament come in that morning and be told I wasn't wrestling that sunday. Little things like that made it a really long year. On the other hand wrestling in Michigan is going to be awesome. Central Michigan has a really great fan base and my family can come watch me wrestle and compete for the Chips. I can go home and not have to fly or drive 12 hours which is also nice.

MIG: With a year of college wrestling under your belt, what are your expecations at Central Michigan this year and in the future?

KW: I've grown exponentially over the past year with the help of the coaching staff at Nebraska and I fully expect to start this upcoming year and for the rest of my career. I'm not going to expect to be an all american because no one at this level trains to be an all american, I want to win a national title and if I all american in the process that's great, but I expect to be wrestling on that blue and black NCAA mat come next march.

MIG: You will be re-joining former Rockford HS teammate Ben Bennett at CMU, what impact, if any did this have on your decision to transfer?

KW: As I answered earlier, Ben played a big part actually in opening my eyes to central and the possibilities there. I never took him serious at first and finally realized he was serious about me transferring. Once I told him I was actually interested and was going to look into it he kind of backed off, but he definitely introduced me to the possibility.

MIG: What do you think of the overall CMU team outlook heading into this year?

KW: I think we are going to be tough and contenders for a top 5 finish at the end of the season. I'm excited to jump right into the line up and wrestle our tough schedule, which Ben tells me could be one of the toughest schedules in the country.

MIG: Anything else you want me to mention or note in the article?

KW: FIRE UP CHIPS!

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