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NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 21, 2015Isaiah MartinezST. LOUIS, MISSOURI THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Isaiah Martinez of Illinois. First we'll start with an opening statement from Isaiah. ISAIAH MARTINEZ: You know, it was a hard‑fought match. I know the guy's tough. He believes he's the guy and so I knew that going in.  I knew it was going to be a dogfight. I just stayed with what my coaches told me, and it worked out for the best for me. So I'm very happy right now. It's just been an amazing journey that led up to that match on that stage, and it's been awesome. THE MODERATOR: Questions? Q. Isaiah, you mentioned what your coaches told you or suggested. What was the game plan? And when he came out on you, he seemed to catch you off balance a little bit. In fact, looked like he almost scored on you. Talk about that first minute of the match. ISAIAH MARTINEZ: You know, we didn't really game plan as much for this guy, because he didn't really have anything from his feet that I felt he could have threatened me. We stayed on the bottom, top‑mat wrestling where he's most comfortable. But the plan on my feet was just to go make it an athletic bout, make it a tough‑man competition. Push, shove, fake and get him off balance and just use my athleticism, my God‑given talent and the little technique that I do have. Q. Let's talk about that technique. Now, you score a lot of points. You can't just do that with your God‑given talent and muscle. Talk a little bit about what kind of moves were successful on him and again you like scoring points. And you were able to put on a show for the finals. ISAIAH MARTINEZ: I'm slowly getting better at my movements. I'm no Jesse Delgado with my movement yet. But I hope to get there some day. But my fakes and my hand fighting are pretty good, top‑notch, I feel. And I was able to get him off balance and snatch single on that left side, which is my go‑to side. And just keep my head up all the way through the motion because I knew he was a wiry, scrambly type of guy. Big, powerful movements. And that's how I drill. If any of you guys ever see me drill, I'm hitting my moves and I'm lifting the guy up and I'm running maybe five steps with him, and it shows in those kind of matches. Maybe I'm not able to run my feet as much but I try to get them in the air. Q. You're not the first freshman champion but you're the first undefeated freshman champion since Cael Sanderson. That's going to be a lot of comparisons you'll be facing over the start of your career. Are you ready for this journey? ISAIAH MARTINEZ: Am I ready for it? I was made ready for it. I've been working at this 14 years. Wrestling is my life. I don't plan on doing anything else the rest of my life. I plan on being around it forever. As far as comparisons go, you know we'll get there when the time comes. But if I can stay undefeated, I'm going to do it. I'm going to try my best and I'm just going to be ready every bout, every match, every second and hopefully it will work out in the end for me. Q. Talk about your pride of being a Californian. I mean, the biggest state in the country as far as wrestling, but the quality of the kids coming out of there, certainly you can talk to us a little bit about that? ISAIAH MARTINEZ: California is a great high school state. Growing up, going through high school and being at that kind of state tournament, it's like a mini nationals. The race stage, running out, the smoke machines. The announcer. Sandy, she's there, but it's such a great state because it's one class, one division, 800 high schools. So it's a 40‑man bracket. It's a barn burner, if you're not ready for it. It really gets you ready for college. And it's just an awesome state tournament to be at. The competition where I grew up at, in the central section of California, is one of the hotbeds in the country for high school wrestlers. So, you know, been toughened up all throughout high school and even through middle school. Q. You say you want to wrestle forever or be involved with wrestling. Talk about Olympic goals and freestyle, I know you do quite a bit of that in the offseason. ISAIAH MARTINEZ: Hopefully my body is growing good enough. This freestyle season I'll try to make a world team at 70 kilos. But I definitely have future aspirations to represent my country and win the Olympic gold, world medals. And eventually go on to coaching and maybe coach some national champions myself. Q. Can you talk about your progression from coming to the University of Illinois last year and then from the beginning of this year and how you honed and harnessed your technique? ISAIAH MARTINEZ: You know, I was very, very different coming into college. I wasn't quite ready to be the guy. And at the time I didn't know that. So it took me some, you know, very painful lessons, some soul searching. Very good story last summer at Juniors fields. I got teched in two matches to make the world team. My coaches sat me down. They talked to me, Mark, threw some daggers at my heart. He asked me if I wanted to be all that they say I could be. And I just switched a flip in my mind. I started working harder. And I started realizing the kind of talent and ability that I have and just making‑‑ just being a tough guy, I guess, knowing that it's going to be hard accepting how challenging it's going to be to be the best guy in the country, being able to‑‑ it's paid wonders. But, yeah, it was a long progression system. Definitely moments where I was low, and moments like now where I'm real high. Q. I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit about what it's like to be coached by Mark Perry and Jeremy Hunter? ISAIAH MARTINEZ: I have the best coaches in the country hands down. I love my coaches. I have a very special relationship with them. All of them ‑‑ Jeremy Hunter, Mark Perry and Jim Heffernan, they're all great coaches and the thing that they present to me is different coaching styles. Mark really helps me with my mind. Jeremy is my main technician coach. He's telling me what to do out there for the most part and works with me. And Coach Heffernan, he's more of a mentor, like a father figure, tells me what to do and what not to do, and I've been blessed to have such a great relationship with them. And it's been awesome being at the University of Illinois. I've come to love the place and my support system, my friends, my teammates, we're great friends and I've developed such a good relationship with everyone at Champaign. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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