Limmex leads next crop of Red Arrow stars
By Jeff Chaney
Michigan Grappler Staff Reporter
Much has been said and written about the group of seniors on the Lowell wrestling team.
With reigning state champion in Gabe Morse, Andrew Morse and Gabe Dean, it's easy to see the Red Arrows have plenty of experienced leadership for this year. But the future also looks bright for Lowell with a class of freshmen wrestlers that stacks up with some of the best ninth-graders in the country - wrestlers like Jordan Hall, Angus Arthur, Josh Colegrove and Nate Limmex.
Limmex proved he was for real during the first weekend of the high school season when he won the 125-pound title at the Dorothy McClenathan Memorial Tournament at East Kentwood High School.
Along the way to his championship Limmex beat Davison state champion Justin Oliver 8-5 and Holly's 2x All-Stater Mason Cleaver 4-1 in the finals. Cleaver beat Comstock Park state champion Nick Ross in their semifinal match.
A humble Limmex was at a loss of words when asked at what he just accomplished at East Kentwood, but was quick to praise the people around him: his teammates, his coaches and his father Terry Limmex at the wrestler he is becoming.
“I definitely wouldn't be be where I am without my dad,” Limmex said. “He's helped me a ton the past three of four years to get me where I'm at.
“And Lowell is such a great program,” he added. “The coaches are nice and helpful, and I always have good partner in the practice room to work with.”
Terry Limmex has a strong background in wrestling, but never pushed his son to get into the sport that he loved growing up. Terry wrestled at the University of Wisconsin, and for three years, was Wisconsin and USA wrestling legend Lee Kemp's workout partner.
But Terry Limmex saw that his son had another love as a young athlete.
“Nate started wrestling in the fourth grade, before that he did year-round competitive gymnastics for four years,” Terry Limmex said. “In his fourth year in gymnastics he trained in Korea. He trained over there very hard, but when he came back most of his teammates dropped the sport and weren't very excited about it. Then he turned to wrestling.”
In four short years Nate Limmex turned himself into a wrestler that won many youth matches and is now winning intense high school matches against former state champions.
“The gymnastics background has been a big part (to his wrestling success),” Terry Limmex said. “Nate is a stickler for details, and gymnastics did that. His coaches in gymnastics demanded perfection -- a 10.0. So he is stickler for details, and a very focused kid.”
Nate Limmex said gymnastics also helped in other facets.
“It helped a lot with my strength and flexibility,” Nate Limmex said. “I got a late start in wrestling, and had a lot of work to do, but I have worked hard to get where I'm at.”
Nate Limmex says his work isn't done. He has big plans for his team and own aspirations in the sport the next four years.
“Hopefully this year I start on the team,” Nate Limmex said. “I want to take at least fourth at state this year.”
The Red Arrows do not rebuild, they just reload.
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