College wrestling matches are supposed to last seven minutes.
When you’re as good as Jake Herbert, they rarely do, and his opponents seem painfully aware of this fact.
Winner of his last 56 collegiate bouts, Herbert seems to have already won his matches before he steps on to the mat. He paces up and down, furiously scowling, as if he’s mad at his opponent. The few hundred fans at Welsh-Ryan Arena cheer, and the announcer identifies Herbert as the top-ranked 184-pound wrestler in the country. The thing that isn’t mentioned is that he’s never lost at home as a Northwestern wrestler.
Before long, it’s over.
Only seven of Herbert’s 24 matches this year have lasted their entire length. His first match of the year only lasted 14 seconds before he pinned his opponent. And after winning the 2007 national championship, he’s hungry for another one.
“I’d like to win the Big Tens and NCAAs and pin every opponent in my way and win the maximum amount of points for my team,” Herbert said. “There’s really not much more I can do.”
For Herbert, that’s not a dream – it’s achievable. While most wrestlers simply focus on winning, Herbert focuses on how he wins. For Herbert, he’s disappointed when opponents use a variety of stall tactics in an attempt to keep the match close and not get pinned – something that happens frequently.
“If I was a perfect wrestler, I’d go out and pin every person in like 15 seconds,” Herbert said. “Just because you haven’t lost doesn’t mean that you’re perfect. Everybody makes mistakes, even guys that are undefeated.”
Herbert doesn’t just want to win, he wants to be the best. With only a few weeks left in his collegiate career, he’s very close to doing that. With a 139-4 record, the best winning percentage in school history, Herbert is likely the best ever to put on an NU singlet.
“I’m not going to say he’s the best right now; I’m going to let him finish up,” coach Tim Cysewski said. “But I’m going to say he’s on the verge of being the best.”
Although Cysewski has seen 19 years worth of wrestlers, the person who might know Herbert’s talent best is John Schoen. Schoen is a redshirt freshman who competes against Herbert in practice everyday.
“I have the best partner in the nation,” Schoen said. “He’s got his own style, and it’s really cool to be able to learn the things he uses.”
Despite being one weight class above Herbert, the supposed weight advantage doesn’t help Schoen (197 pounds) much.
“It works for me and against me,” Schoen said. “I can try to out-muscle him, but he’s just so swift and smart that he’ll outdo me.”
Herbert’s dominance comes from a freakish work ethic. And since there’s no one else who can compete with him on the mat, he has to compete with himself off of it.
“The bare minimum is that you’re required to show up in the afternoon at four and be done with practice at six,” Herbert said. “Are you going to be able to win a national title by practicing between four and six? No.”
Herbert frequently finishes his first workout session in the morning, often by himself.
“Did my competition get up and do anything this morning? Probably,” Herbert said. “Did I outwork him this morning? In my mind, I did.”
After graduation, Herbert’s focus will turn away from Evanston and toward London, site of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Herbert took the 2007-08 academic year off to focus on making it to Beijing and, despite twice beating the eventual American contender in the months before the competition, was unable to make the cut.
“I’m not sure what it was, if it was health issues, mental issues,” Herbert said. “Something didn’t happen, and it wasn’t my time. But it showed me that I think I have what it takes to win an Olympic gold.”
Herbert plans on spending the next few years training with partners from established wrestling powerhouses such as Russia, Belarus and Iran.
“I need to be working with the guys who aren’t the best in the country but the best in the world,” Herbert said.
But whatever happens, one thing is clear: Herbert isn’t going to stop working hard.
“If I won the lottery today and won a couple hundred million dollars, would I be doing anything different with my life?” he said. “Yeah, I’d be driving a nicer car, not living in some house off campus, but, other than that, I’d still be doing my wrestling and still be going after what I love the most.”
