#TeamUSATuesday: Greco-Roman National Team member Ryan Mango
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by JD Rader, USA Wrestling
Ryan Mango is currently the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 63 kg/138.9 lbs. for Team USA’s Greco-Roman National Team.
Mango, the younger brother of two-time Olympian Spenser Mango, excelled at wrestling from a young age. The St. Louis, Mo., native was a four-time Fargo champion, winning two-times in freestyle and two-times in Greco-Roman. He was also a three-time state champion while competing for Whitfield High School.
After graduating high school, Mango attended Stanford University where he was a two-time NCAA All-American.
Since graduating from Stanford and moving on to full-time Greco-Roman wrestling, Mango has become a two-time U.S. Open champion and most recently made his first Senior World Team this summer at Final X: Lincoln.
Mango took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions.
What is your favorite movie?
I’ll go with Training Day because I’m just a Denzel (Washington) fan in general, and it’s a good movie.
Who is your favorite musical artist?
Kendrick Lamar because all his raps are lyrical and they’re about the truth. He tells a story in most of his songs.
What is your favorite sport to watch other than wrestling?
Football. My favorite team is the now LA Rams.
Did you play any other sports growing up?
I played football and soccer. Soccer was the last sport I played with wrestling before focusing specifically on wrestling.
Who is your favorite wrestler, either past or present, to watch?
Besik Kudukhov. A close second would be Roman Vlasov.
What is your favorite place that you’ve travelled to?
I’ll go with Budapest, Hungary. There’s a lot to do. We’ve been there so much, I’ve learned how to get around.
What do you normally do to pass time when you travel?
The whole WCAP team plays a lot of dominoes and spades.
What was your major in college?
Human biology. I always knew I wanted to go into the medical field. My mom’s a RA and a registered nurse, so that sparked my interest when I was younger.
Why did you choose to go into the Army after college?
It was the best fit for me. I went to Minnesota for a little bit. There’s nothing wrong with that program, it just wasn’t the fit for me. After that, my brother was over here, so I decided to join.
Do you have any plans once your wrestling career is over?
I want to get a MBA in healthcare administration and work in corporate healthcare. So, be an administrator at a hospital or a clinic, and then open up my own clinic.
How did you first get involved in wrestling?
My brother and I played football, and obviously we got too small for football. One day a coach picked my brother up and told him he should go out for JV wrestling. At that point I wasn’t really sure what wrestling was, so I went and watched. I just wanted to be like my brother, so I went and started wrestling the next year.
How would you say wrestling has impacted your life?
It’s created a lot of opportunity for my brother and me to go to school, get an education, travel the world, and represent the United States. Now, after joining the Army, representing the United States as both a soldier and an athlete. So, it’s had a great impact on my life and it’s been a blessing.
What kind of advice would you give a younger wrestler?
My advice for a younger wrestler would be to focus on you skills and not so much cutting weight, and don’t worry about winning every tournament. Just go out there and try and get better at wrestling, and do it for the right reasons. By that I mean the reason you joined wrestling. Obviously you had fun doing it. Keep doing that and don’t lose sight of it when you get older.
Do you have any pre-match rituals you try and do before every match?
Not too much, just relax and have fun. A lot of times I get too serious out there, and that kind of impacts my wrestling in a negative way. I try to relax and have fun with the guys, just like it’s another day in the room.
What is your biggest motivation?
I’d say a couple things. First of all, my family. My brother has committed a lot to the sport, and I feel like he deserved a medal in his career, so that’s biggest motivators. Another one is representing the U.S. Army and the U.S. That is a big responsibility, so it’s something that I take very seriously and look forward to doing every time I step out on the mat.
The Mango-file
Birthday: Aug. 17, 1991
Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.
High school: Whitfield High School
College: Stanford University
Residence: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Club: U.S. Army WCAP
Twitter: @AirMango
Instagram: @AirMango
• Senior World Team member (2019)
• Two-time U.S. Open champion (2019, 2018)
• Pan American champion (2018)
• Two-time World Team Trials runner-up (2018, 2013)
• Third at U.S. Olympic Trials (2016)
• Two-time NCAA All-American (2012, 2011)
• Three time Missouri high school state champion (2009, 2008, 2007)
• Four-time Fargo champion (2008, 2008, 2006, 2006)
Mango, the younger brother of two-time Olympian Spenser Mango, excelled at wrestling from a young age. The St. Louis, Mo., native was a four-time Fargo champion, winning two-times in freestyle and two-times in Greco-Roman. He was also a three-time state champion while competing for Whitfield High School.
After graduating high school, Mango attended Stanford University where he was a two-time NCAA All-American.
Since graduating from Stanford and moving on to full-time Greco-Roman wrestling, Mango has become a two-time U.S. Open champion and most recently made his first Senior World Team this summer at Final X: Lincoln.
Mango took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions.
What is your favorite movie?
I’ll go with Training Day because I’m just a Denzel (Washington) fan in general, and it’s a good movie.
Who is your favorite musical artist?
Kendrick Lamar because all his raps are lyrical and they’re about the truth. He tells a story in most of his songs.
What is your favorite sport to watch other than wrestling?
Football. My favorite team is the now LA Rams.
Did you play any other sports growing up?
I played football and soccer. Soccer was the last sport I played with wrestling before focusing specifically on wrestling.
Who is your favorite wrestler, either past or present, to watch?
Besik Kudukhov. A close second would be Roman Vlasov.
What is your favorite place that you’ve travelled to?
I’ll go with Budapest, Hungary. There’s a lot to do. We’ve been there so much, I’ve learned how to get around.
What do you normally do to pass time when you travel?
The whole WCAP team plays a lot of dominoes and spades.
What was your major in college?
Human biology. I always knew I wanted to go into the medical field. My mom’s a RA and a registered nurse, so that sparked my interest when I was younger.
Why did you choose to go into the Army after college?
It was the best fit for me. I went to Minnesota for a little bit. There’s nothing wrong with that program, it just wasn’t the fit for me. After that, my brother was over here, so I decided to join.
Do you have any plans once your wrestling career is over?
I want to get a MBA in healthcare administration and work in corporate healthcare. So, be an administrator at a hospital or a clinic, and then open up my own clinic.
How did you first get involved in wrestling?
My brother and I played football, and obviously we got too small for football. One day a coach picked my brother up and told him he should go out for JV wrestling. At that point I wasn’t really sure what wrestling was, so I went and watched. I just wanted to be like my brother, so I went and started wrestling the next year.
How would you say wrestling has impacted your life?
It’s created a lot of opportunity for my brother and me to go to school, get an education, travel the world, and represent the United States. Now, after joining the Army, representing the United States as both a soldier and an athlete. So, it’s had a great impact on my life and it’s been a blessing.
What kind of advice would you give a younger wrestler?
My advice for a younger wrestler would be to focus on you skills and not so much cutting weight, and don’t worry about winning every tournament. Just go out there and try and get better at wrestling, and do it for the right reasons. By that I mean the reason you joined wrestling. Obviously you had fun doing it. Keep doing that and don’t lose sight of it when you get older.
Do you have any pre-match rituals you try and do before every match?
Not too much, just relax and have fun. A lot of times I get too serious out there, and that kind of impacts my wrestling in a negative way. I try to relax and have fun with the guys, just like it’s another day in the room.
What is your biggest motivation?
I’d say a couple things. First of all, my family. My brother has committed a lot to the sport, and I feel like he deserved a medal in his career, so that’s biggest motivators. Another one is representing the U.S. Army and the U.S. That is a big responsibility, so it’s something that I take very seriously and look forward to doing every time I step out on the mat.
The Mango-file
Birthday: Aug. 17, 1991
Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.
High school: Whitfield High School
College: Stanford University
Residence: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Club: U.S. Army WCAP
Twitter: @AirMango
Instagram: @AirMango
• Senior World Team member (2019)
• Two-time U.S. Open champion (2019, 2018)
• Pan American champion (2018)
• Two-time World Team Trials runner-up (2018, 2013)
• Third at U.S. Olympic Trials (2016)
• Two-time NCAA All-American (2012, 2011)
• Three time Missouri high school state champion (2009, 2008, 2007)
• Four-time Fargo champion (2008, 2008, 2006, 2006)
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