Senior Jeremy Dunbar has been selected as the 2013-2014 DFAL Senior Wrestler of the Year.
According to head wrestling coach Bob McLaughlin, the award isn’t given to the best wrestler, but instead recognizes athletes for what they do on and off the mat, and what the sport has done for them.
The vote by the league’s coaches was unanimous. According to McLaughlin, the coaches have all watched Jeremy for 4 years and are amazed at who he has become.
Dunbar has a mental disorder that impacts his ability to focus. “In this sport, you are on your own and Jeremy has overcome that,” said McLaughlin. “As far as winning the award, he totally earned it,” McLaughlin added.
“I feel very honored to win this award. I had no idea I’d get this far during my wrestling time at Campo and I’m really happy with it,” said Dunbar.
Dunbar’s teammates were also excited about the win. “When my coach told me at the beginning of a tournament that Jeremy was going to win the award, I was really excited. Out of everybody in the league, Jeremy deserved the award the most because his life has been affected by wrestling,” said senior Jacq Guelfi.
Dunbar has been on the team for 4 years, and he has improved dramatically throughout his career.
“I think [the award] was given to me because I’ve kept going with wrestling even when I wasn’t winning or doing well. I kept going and trying to get better,” said Dunbar.
“Everybody on our team has always been really supportive of him and they treat him like a regular teammate. They don’t treat him differently at all,” said Guelfi.
“It has been great having Jeremy on the team. He works as hard as anyone else. He helped us win the dual meet. In Jeremy’s first 2 years I do not believe he won a match, but he shows up to every practice and works his butt off,” said McLaughlin.
This year Dunbar won 7 matches, took 2nd in league, and made it into the North Coast Section tournament.
“It is nice that not only our coach, but other coaches in the league recognized Jeremy. They’ve seen him wrestle as a sophomore and now they saw him wrestle as a senior. It’s a great thing that he had a chance to shine, out of everyone who could have one the award, he was probably the most happy and most excited, He was probably thinking ‘Wow, I can not believe I just won this award,'” said Guelfi.
According to Dunbar, he was determined to continue with wrestling because he “has always been a strong kid.”
“There really wasn’t anything I had talent in. If it didn’t work, I’d try something else,” said Dunbar. According to McLaughlin, Dunbar lost 50 pounds last year because he wanted to wrestle on varsity.
“Wrestling really forced me to believe in myself, not only on the mat, but off. It changed my life because I learned some skills from my teammates and how to be part of a team,” he said.
McLaughlin is proud that he could help Dunbar find pride and self-worth.
Guelfi considers Dunbar a good teammate and thinks highly of him. “Jeremy has improved so much and his life has been truly affected. If you ask him about wrestling, he gets so excited. He works really hard all the time, he puts in the effort, he is at practice everyday,” she said. “He doesn’t slack off, he is always trying his hardest, and he is an inspiration, he’s someone you’d want to look up to.”
Due to Dunbar’s achievements, McLaughlin has asked him to return as a wrestling coach next year.
