2023 NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP

March 22, 2024

Lucas Davison

T-Mobile Center

Semifinals Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Lucas Davison from the 285-pound Championship match. Lucas is from the University of Michigan. If you can give us some comments about your match.

LUCAS DAVISON: Yeah, the semifinal was fun. That kid came hard. Right out of the blocks he was on my legs. That's not how you want to start a match but making wrestling happen things are going to go my way. More wrestling happens in that seven minutes. I'm feeling good about it. So I felt like there was pretty good action from start to finish, and I was able to execute pretty well. Feel good about it. Feeling confident.

Q. That's a U-23 World Champion, third last year. Have you ever wrestled better than what you did against Wyatt Hendrickson?

LUCAS DAVISON: I've had some good matches, definitely, in the wrestling room with some pretty tough guys. Had some really great days. So it's not really surprising to me. Maybe it is to you guys watching from the outside, but I think my coaches and my family and friends all knew what I had deep down and just being able to bring that out and showcase that on the mat feels pretty good.

Q. You made the transition to Michigan this year. What's been the biggest change since you got there?

LUCAS DAVISON: Yeah, I think it's a different system. I was accustomed to a special one at Northwestern. I had a lot of great coaches and training partners and stuff. So when you go into a new system you don't really have that onboarding. My horizon is one year, nine months, really. So over that time, I just kind of had to remind myself why did I seek that change? Ultimately I kind of decided I needed to go in the transfer portal and find something new just to see what was out there.

I wasn't getting my goals done. Did some pretty cool stuff on the mat and you know, couple time All-American, but I wanted to be a national champion. So I had to reflect and think about what it was going to take to get me there. So going into the Michigan system, their days were like, oh, man I didn't like that practice structure, but I made the choice because I needed to make a change.

So I just had to remind myself some days that things are different, it might not feel good, but this is a proven system, and I've got to trust my coaches, trust in my training partners and all that stuff.

So, yeah, it was a leap of faith. It was tough, some days, to embrace "different" but ultimately I think that's what helped me make those marginal gains.

Q. How does it help you to have all those World Olympic Champions and medalists in the room day-to-day?

LUCAS DAVISON: It's huge, man. Training partners and -- sometimes it feels crappy, because I go into practice and get any butt kicked across the mat, and I don't get any takedowns, and I get my face shoved in the mat, but I think those things kind of help.

Getting your butt kicked is kind of what helps you rise to the tide and having so many training partners and so many accomplished people they rub off on you. If you are walking around the practice room and you see some guys doing extra, or coaching up after practice, it's nice to see that and be encouraged to work harder and do a little bit extra.

Q. Seems like heavyweights the past ten years at Michigan have been super successful, Kuhn and Parris, you kind of go on. Is there something you're doing outside the room that helps you strengthen?

LUCAS DAVISON: It's the coaches, it's the training, the strength training and stuff. But ultimately I think what it comes from is just like a culture of hard work. And doing more. And doing the extra rep, coming in extra on your off days or whatever it is.

I just think, you know, top to bottom having that culture helps you do more, and that's the culture you will see at Michigan. Everyone wants to be the best, and all the resources are there for you.

Q. He talked about the heavyweights at Michigan but overall the heavyweights in the country there has been a resurgence of a more athletic heavyweight, and you're one those guys, you, Gable, Kerkvliet. What's it mean to you that you're part of a new era of guys going out, scrambling, doing more things that you see from guys at 125 and 133?

LUCAS DAVISON: It's fun, man! I mean, I might be a part of it. I don't know if I'm really like the renaissance of the heavyweight. I think that's guys like Kyle Snyder, one of my mentors is Mike McMullan, and he's somebody who is excellent, man, somebody who is fun to watch. He coached me for a short period. It's just exciting. You want to live up to that and contribute to wrestling and not just be some big, sweaty body that's leaning on another guy for seven minutes, and the stands are empty, everybody is gone. I mean, nobody wants that. So to make it exciting wrestling and keep butts in seats from start to finish. That's the goal, and having fun, making it fun for the fans.

Q. You spoke about your family. I know your dad and brother have been part of your journey. What has it meant to you to have your brother in the room with you a lot, part of your journey, but to have your dad as a coach in high school and obviously he's going to be sending you text messages, I know he's here. What are the things he's told you? Obviously he's experienced some of these things as well.

LUCAS DAVISON: Yeah, my dad was a great wrestler, and I think even better than that he was a great coach. Aside from me and my brothers, I have an oldest brother, Jack, who didn't wrestle in college but he made three strong men and, you know, he kind of showed us the grind and everything that wrestling teaches you, and it's made some pretty resilient, tough men. So having him and my other brothers in my corner and in the stands yelling for me, you know, it's huge.

It says a lot about our family and, you know, we're lucky to be so close, because not a lot of families have that luxury. So just having the whole-hearted support and love from them is huge and, yeah, I'm excited to celebrate when all this is said and done with those guys, because really I wouldn't be here without them.

I'm grateful for my dad coaching me, even when I don't always want it. I've got a lot of texts from my dad, and I'm like, Dad, I just got grilled about this from my coaches! But it always comes from a loving spot, and I think my dad should be a college coach somewhere. If anybody is looking for an opening, I'm sure he would do some consulting for cheap.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much.