Arizona State wrestler Kyle DeBerry relieved, excited to see wrestling program reinstated
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by Craig Sesker
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Kyle DeBerry went 2-2 and fell short of placing Friday at the FILA Junior World Team Trials.
But DeBerry still felt like a guy who had just won a championship.
A tough day of wrestling was quickly transformed into a day of elation for the Arizona State freshman when DeBerry received the news Friday afternoon that the ASU wrestling program was being reinstated.
DeBerry, who redshirted this past season as a 165-pounder for ASU, has experienced a roller-coaster past couple of weeks after it was announced on May 13 that Arizona State was dropping wrestling along with men's swimming and men's tennis.
"This is so huge for us to have our program reinstated," DeBerry said. "We're so excited and happy. It's great to hear the news. We can't wait for next season. This is a big step for the sport of wrestling that our program is being saved. I hope this sends a message to other schools that it can be done."
DeBerry's coach, ASU head coach Thom Ortiz, was a busy man Friday afternoon with his cell phone stuck to his right ear. He was busy talking with wrestlers, recruits and the news media, among others, after the news broke on Friday.
Ortiz, along with DeBerry, was at U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for the FILA Junior and World University Trials.
Just a couple of days after it was announced the program was being dropped, DeBerry said he learned there was a chance it could be brought back.
"We heard there was a chance, but we were all still pretty scared about what might happen," DeBerry said. "Coach Ortiz told us there was a shot we could get this back and we were not going down without putting up a fight. We were going to fight to keep this program alive and it paid off for us."
DeBerry, a four-time Arizona state high school champion from Tucson, Ariz., said he was undergoing a wide range of emotions after hearing the good news Friday.
"It's just a big relief for me right now," DeBerry said. "I don't have to worry about where I'm going to have to wrestle next year. And I'm really excited as well because we have a really good group of young guys who are ready to go. We're going to do real well next year."
DeBerry said the news 10 days ago that ASU was dropping wrestling came as "a big shock."
"The guys on the team, we had no idea this was coming," he said. "We woke up to phone calls and e-mails at 8:30 in the morning that said, 'I'm sorry and we regret to tell you that your program is being dropped.' My reaction was I was totally surprised and it just came out of nowhere. We just didn't understand it.
But DeBerry still felt like a guy who had just won a championship.
A tough day of wrestling was quickly transformed into a day of elation for the Arizona State freshman when DeBerry received the news Friday afternoon that the ASU wrestling program was being reinstated.
DeBerry, who redshirted this past season as a 165-pounder for ASU, has experienced a roller-coaster past couple of weeks after it was announced on May 13 that Arizona State was dropping wrestling along with men's swimming and men's tennis.
"This is so huge for us to have our program reinstated," DeBerry said. "We're so excited and happy. It's great to hear the news. We can't wait for next season. This is a big step for the sport of wrestling that our program is being saved. I hope this sends a message to other schools that it can be done."
DeBerry's coach, ASU head coach Thom Ortiz, was a busy man Friday afternoon with his cell phone stuck to his right ear. He was busy talking with wrestlers, recruits and the news media, among others, after the news broke on Friday.
Ortiz, along with DeBerry, was at U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs for the FILA Junior and World University Trials.
Just a couple of days after it was announced the program was being dropped, DeBerry said he learned there was a chance it could be brought back.
"We heard there was a chance, but we were all still pretty scared about what might happen," DeBerry said. "Coach Ortiz told us there was a shot we could get this back and we were not going down without putting up a fight. We were going to fight to keep this program alive and it paid off for us."
DeBerry, a four-time Arizona state high school champion from Tucson, Ariz., said he was undergoing a wide range of emotions after hearing the good news Friday.
"It's just a big relief for me right now," DeBerry said. "I don't have to worry about where I'm going to have to wrestle next year. And I'm really excited as well because we have a really good group of young guys who are ready to go. We're going to do real well next year."
DeBerry said the news 10 days ago that ASU was dropping wrestling came as "a big shock."
"The guys on the team, we had no idea this was coming," he said. "We woke up to phone calls and e-mails at 8:30 in the morning that said, 'I'm sorry and we regret to tell you that your program is being dropped.' My reaction was I was totally surprised and it just came out of nowhere. We just didn't understand it.
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