A place on the awards stand at the NCAA tournament next spring would be a tremendous end to the wrestling chapter of Shawn Greevy’s life.
For any collegiate wrestler, securing All-America status is the ultimate goal regardless of aches, bruises, muscle pulls and comebacks, and Greevy is no different.
“I have until the second or third week in March. Then I’ll move on with the next part of my life,” the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 149-pounder said.
One of three seniors listed among probable starters for UTC’s home opener at 7 tonight against Purdue at Maclellan Gym, Greevy is looking to end his career on a high note. He has conquered the fears of injury and failure and come to terms with the sport that brought him from Mechanicsburg, Pa., to Chattanooga five years ago as part of coach Heath Eslinger’s first class of signees.
“All-American is out there, but this year is just about having fun,” he said. “Whether or not I’m an All-American, there are other things that I remember — the bus rides on long road trips, the times hanging out between workouts.”
Greevy never has had surgery, but knee injuries have shelved him more than once, and he took a redshirt season last year in hopes of finally getting healthy.
Tearing of his medial collateral ligaments has been commonplace, but the MCL, given time, often heals itself.
“I had a partially torn MCL in December of my high school year, but I had no clue that was going to be a precursor to the knee plague since I’ve been here,” he said.
When asked to describe the wrestling part of his college life, Greevy grimaced before a smile burst forth.
“Trials,” he said. “Not like a law trial but trials to see how I respond. Those are the cards I have been dealt. It was hard starting out, but it has gotten easier over the years, mostly from Coach Eslinger not refusing to let me take the easy way out. I don’t know if my knees have ever completely healed, but I’m dealing with it and I’m just going to have some fun.”
And he’ll walk away with a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.
“One thing Heath helped me to see is that there is life outside of wrestling, but while you’re in it why not go out there and scrap and have fun,” said Greevy, who has maintained dean’s list grades while sweating through courses toward an environmental science degree.
“He has been a great kid to be around, and he’ll be a gauge for our program,” Eslinger confided. “The key for Shawn is encouraging him to have fun when he’s out on the mat. We knew what we had when he came in. He’s as good at wrestling as anybody in the country, and he’s put the nerves and anxiety aside. When he trusts his wrestling skills, he’s hard to beat.”
Greevy is one who embraced Eslinger’s philosophy of being an all-around student-athlete.
“Shawn is a kid that doesn’t need wrestling to live his life,” the coach said. “He’s well-rounded, and as a person he brings a lot to the table. Sure, he’s had some injuries, but he didn’t let them end his career, and it’s gratifying to see him reaping benefits.”
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.