Utah Valley's Taylor LaMont balances folkstyle and Greco
Share:
by Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling
Freshman Taylor LaMont is making the most of his redshirt year at Utah Valley, bringing his folkstyle to a new level, all while maintaining a strong focus on Greco-Roman.
“It’s been interesting. I’ve never really done this before, and the college coaches here have never done this before, so we’re kind of messing around with it, trying to figure out how to get the best of both worlds,” LaMont said. “On an average week during the season, I’ll probably go with the team and wrestle folkstyle about three days a week, and in between those days, I’ll grab someone else and do a Greco practice. I try to get both every week.”
LaMont, who won a UWW Junior World bronze medal in 2016, plans on chasing Junior World titles and NCAA championships during college.
Utah Valley provides him that opportunity.
“I’ve grown up here my whole life, and the coaches here at Utah Valley have trained me since I was little in all three styles. My brother wrestles here and my dad has put a lot into the program,” LaMont said. “Ever since I was little, one of my goals is to win an NCAA championship. I think I can do that here, and at the same time, I get the Greco I need to go after my Olympic goals. That’s really why I came here.”
The cross training of folkstyle and Greco allows LaMont to bring little things to each style that could give him an advantage.
“In folkstyle, I get the conditioning and it’s always a grind with that ‘go get ‘em’ mentality,” LaMont said. “You’re trying to score a lot, whereas Greco tends to be slow-paced sometimes, so I think always going after guys in folkstyle helps me with Greco and my endurance. The second period is my period and I feel like the longer the match goes, the better off I’ll be. I don’t think Greco affects folkstyle as much, just mainly the binds. A lot of collegiate wrestlers like to wrestle from space, but I like to get control of them. Once I get control, I know I’m going to score, and that’s where it helps me out the most.”
Although he admittedly has a few things to work on for next season, LaMont has put together a solid 17-4 record during his redshirt season, competing exclusively in open tournaments. Of his 17 wins, he turned in five pins, three technical falls and four major decisions.
He holds spots on the season team-high lists for overall wins, pins, tech falls and major decisions.
He went 4-1 against Big 12 opponents and even matched up with some of the nation’s toughest 125-pounders, including Nebraska’s Tim Lambert and Virginia’s Jack Mueller, to name a few.
He battled with Lambert in the quarterfinals of the Harold Nichols Open in November, where LaMont forced the then-10th ranked Husker to a tiebreaker. Lambert walked away with a narrow 4-3 victory.
At the Southern Scuffle, LaMont scored a takedown on Mueller in the first round, but Mueller came out on top, 7-2.
“It’s been a good experience so far,” he said. “After this season and wrestling guys like Tim Lambert and taking him into double overtime and pushing a top-10 guy like Jack Mueller, I feel confident and feel like I’m right there with the top guys in the NCAA going into this next season. I feel prepared.”
LaMont also got some Greco competition in during the NCAA season, traveling to Las Vegas in December for U.S. Senior Nationals to compete against some of the best Senior Greco wrestlers in the United States.
He took fourth at the tournament, pushing rising Greco stars Hayden Tuma and Sam Jones to close bouts. LaMont even recorded a championship quarterfinals win over Jones, but it was Jones who took a 4-2 win in the third-place bout.
It was only LaMont’s second Senior-level competition. His first was the Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier in April, where he finished second.
“As a first year Junior, I felt pretty confident after that tournament. So going into Senior Nationals, I knew I could wrestle with the guys. After placing fourth at nationals, I know I’m right there with guys like Hayden Tuma and Sam Jones. They’re good competitors and I know that after wrestling them that I can compete with these guys while I’m still a Junior,” he said.
With the collegiate season wrapping up, LaMont said he will primarily focus on Greco for the summer, in hopes of making another Junior World Team and standing on top of the World podium.
However, the Olympic-sized dreamer promises he will make it a priority to train folkstyle, as well, so that he is ready to shake up the NCAA in his first season of varsity action.
“This summer, I’m going to focus on Greco because my top goal is to win a World title. That’s what I wake up and go to bed telling myself every day,” LaMont said. “At the same time, last summer I focused 100 percent on Greco and it paid off. I came in this year and I was a little slow on the start for folkstyle, so as I focus on Greco, I’m going to try to get in some folkstyle once or twice a week. I just want to keep that sharp so I’ll be ready to go next year and achieve those goals.”
“It’s been interesting. I’ve never really done this before, and the college coaches here have never done this before, so we’re kind of messing around with it, trying to figure out how to get the best of both worlds,” LaMont said. “On an average week during the season, I’ll probably go with the team and wrestle folkstyle about three days a week, and in between those days, I’ll grab someone else and do a Greco practice. I try to get both every week.”
LaMont, who won a UWW Junior World bronze medal in 2016, plans on chasing Junior World titles and NCAA championships during college.
Utah Valley provides him that opportunity.
“I’ve grown up here my whole life, and the coaches here at Utah Valley have trained me since I was little in all three styles. My brother wrestles here and my dad has put a lot into the program,” LaMont said. “Ever since I was little, one of my goals is to win an NCAA championship. I think I can do that here, and at the same time, I get the Greco I need to go after my Olympic goals. That’s really why I came here.”
The cross training of folkstyle and Greco allows LaMont to bring little things to each style that could give him an advantage.
“In folkstyle, I get the conditioning and it’s always a grind with that ‘go get ‘em’ mentality,” LaMont said. “You’re trying to score a lot, whereas Greco tends to be slow-paced sometimes, so I think always going after guys in folkstyle helps me with Greco and my endurance. The second period is my period and I feel like the longer the match goes, the better off I’ll be. I don’t think Greco affects folkstyle as much, just mainly the binds. A lot of collegiate wrestlers like to wrestle from space, but I like to get control of them. Once I get control, I know I’m going to score, and that’s where it helps me out the most.”
Although he admittedly has a few things to work on for next season, LaMont has put together a solid 17-4 record during his redshirt season, competing exclusively in open tournaments. Of his 17 wins, he turned in five pins, three technical falls and four major decisions.
He holds spots on the season team-high lists for overall wins, pins, tech falls and major decisions.
He went 4-1 against Big 12 opponents and even matched up with some of the nation’s toughest 125-pounders, including Nebraska’s Tim Lambert and Virginia’s Jack Mueller, to name a few.
He battled with Lambert in the quarterfinals of the Harold Nichols Open in November, where LaMont forced the then-10th ranked Husker to a tiebreaker. Lambert walked away with a narrow 4-3 victory.
At the Southern Scuffle, LaMont scored a takedown on Mueller in the first round, but Mueller came out on top, 7-2.
“It’s been a good experience so far,” he said. “After this season and wrestling guys like Tim Lambert and taking him into double overtime and pushing a top-10 guy like Jack Mueller, I feel confident and feel like I’m right there with the top guys in the NCAA going into this next season. I feel prepared.”
LaMont also got some Greco competition in during the NCAA season, traveling to Las Vegas in December for U.S. Senior Nationals to compete against some of the best Senior Greco wrestlers in the United States.
He took fourth at the tournament, pushing rising Greco stars Hayden Tuma and Sam Jones to close bouts. LaMont even recorded a championship quarterfinals win over Jones, but it was Jones who took a 4-2 win in the third-place bout.
It was only LaMont’s second Senior-level competition. His first was the Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier in April, where he finished second.
“As a first year Junior, I felt pretty confident after that tournament. So going into Senior Nationals, I knew I could wrestle with the guys. After placing fourth at nationals, I know I’m right there with guys like Hayden Tuma and Sam Jones. They’re good competitors and I know that after wrestling them that I can compete with these guys while I’m still a Junior,” he said.
With the collegiate season wrapping up, LaMont said he will primarily focus on Greco for the summer, in hopes of making another Junior World Team and standing on top of the World podium.
However, the Olympic-sized dreamer promises he will make it a priority to train folkstyle, as well, so that he is ready to shake up the NCAA in his first season of varsity action.
“This summer, I’m going to focus on Greco because my top goal is to win a World title. That’s what I wake up and go to bed telling myself every day,” LaMont said. “At the same time, last summer I focused 100 percent on Greco and it paid off. I came in this year and I was a little slow on the start for folkstyle, so as I focus on Greco, I’m going to try to get in some folkstyle once or twice a week. I just want to keep that sharp so I’ll be ready to go next year and achieve those goals.”
Read More#
USA claims nine gold medals to win U20 Pan American Championships title in men’s freestyle
Application deadline is June 1 for Team Leader/Coach position for ANOC World Beach Games in Bali, Indonesia
Fix, Gray star as finals set in women’s and men’s freestyle at World Team Trials Challenge Tournament
World Team Trials Challenge Women’s Freestyle Preview: World champions Gray, Winchester headline loaded field
