Operating on his own terms, Lehigh’s Jordan Kutler looks for a three-peat at EIWAs
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by Gary R. Blockus, Special to TheMat.com
Jordan Kutler of Lehigh competing against Minnesota. Photo by Rich Warnke courtesy of Lehigh Athletics
Jordan Kutler uses the wrestling mats like his own personal operating room.
The two-time EIWA champion at 174 pounds from Lehigh is shooting to win his third straight conference title this weekend when Lehigh hosts the 116th EIWA Championships this weekend.
Kutler, 23, a fifth-year senior ranked No. 3 in the country, owns an undergraduate degree in Behavioral Neuroscience, and is working on a Master’s of Engineering in Technical Entrepreneurship. And he knows his way around a real operating room as well.
As part of his Spring 2019 semester, and during an internship last summer, he spent many days in operating rooms, observing and advising how orthopedic injuries are repaired using better technology and instruments. In fact, he’s already lined up a job in orthopedic medical sales once he finishes his Master’s degree this spring.
Right now, Kutler is operating in high gear for Lehigh. He knows that Iowa’s Michael Kemerer and Penn State’s Mark Hall hold the top two spots in the NCAA Division I rankings, but he’s got the EIWAs on his plate before the expected trip to Minnesota for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
The 23-year-old Kutler, from Sparta, N.J., must earn his way through a bear of a 174-pound weight class at the EIWAs, and he is quite aware there is no looking past the next opponent who toes the line in front of him. You can only pay attention to one operation at time.
“Every time I step out on the mat in a Lehigh singlet, I’ve just got to let it fly and not hold back against anyone,” said Kutler, who has a 17-1 record and is 83-13 for his Lehigh career.
“I’ve been that way my whole life, whether I’m wrestling the No. 1 guy in the country or a guy who is not ranked. I treat those matches the same way. Everyone is good at this level. You have got to respect that. I have to focus on the positions I feel really comfortable in, and then if something goes awry, be good in a scramble.”
Kutler, who sports a lightning bold tattoo on his right thigh, displayed that intensity during his only loss this season, a 7-2 decision to 2018 champion and three-time NCAA finalist Mark Hall of Penn State. During one funky turn, Kutler had Hall inverted for a takedown. Hall’s shoulders appeared to be planted on the mat. Kutler picked up the takedown with no backs, however, but it gave him renewed confidence in is capabilities.
Videos of the move made their way through social media, but Kutler wasn’t fazed by people calling for the pin. He reckoned the referee sees only what he can see.
“When I wrestled Hall the last time, I felt I owned the second and third periods,” Kutler said. “I just need to believe in myself a little more.”
Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro certainly believes in Kutler, whom he first met while doing a clinic at Blair Academy. Santoro remembers shaking the hand of a 106-pound prep freshman and being impressed by Kutler’s big, strong hands.
“One of the first things you noticed about him was how powerful he was,” Santoro said.
Lehigh continued to watch Kutler grow at Blair under the coaching of Jeff Buxton, and as a junior and senior, Kutler and Buxton would head to Lehigh’s Regional Training Center where Kutler would get to roll around and train against college-aged opponents.
Kutler won a national prep title his junior year, but Santoro really saw him reach a new level as a senior on the way to a second national prep title.
“He just looked like he had a lot of potential, and he embraced that challenge,” Santoro said. “We felt his best years were ahead of him.”
Kutler redshirted as a true freshman, and then had a banner year at 157, winning the Southern Scuffle. Unfortunately, he suffered a concussion 10 days before the EIWAs and was medically shut down from training before the post-season, where he was ranked No. 1 in the EIWA. When it came time for the post-season, he simply couldn’t put in the necessary work effort to make weight.
“He was blowing up [in weight],” Santoro remembered. “The number on the scale wasn’t terrible, but he was more dehydrated at the time than he realized, so the weight didn’t come down.”
Missing that post-season after going 13-1 proved to be a wake-up call, not so much from missing the opportunity, but in how you face the next day. Santoro and the Lehigh staff encouraged Kutler, explaining that the major objective was to move forward, that there is no negative connotation for what happens due to a medical issue.
The next season, with Kutler growing into his frame, the staff discussed with him where he felt he would do best, at 165 or 174. Lehigh had need at 165, but the staff made sure Kutler didn’t feel pressure to do what was best for the team, and urged him to do what was best for him, which turned out to be 174.
A wise choice. Kutler won his first EIWA title in 2018 and finished sixth at NCAAs. He followed that up last season with a second EIWA title and seventh at NCAAs.
And this year, he’s shooting for a third straight EIWA title and the top rung at the NCAA Championships.
Kutler knows nothing is a given. Spencer Carey of Navy, Ben Harvey of Army West Point, Brandon Womack of Cornell and Kevin Parker of Princeton are all top-notch opponents. But he is 7-0 against EIWA opponents this season.
“All of them are tough, and we’ve all wrestled each other four or five times, so they know what I do and I know what they do,” Kutler said.
As for his motivation, it’s very simple.
“I just like to win,” he said. “I love winning. I love competing. Those are the two things that kept me in this sport for so long.”
Regardless of what happens in this post-season, Kutler can look back at Lehigh and measure how he has grown, not just on the mat, but in the classroom and in life.
“My favorite experience at Lehigh, honestly, is relationship building,” he said. “I’m on a team with 40 other guys that go through the daily grind with me, and we make it fun. Obviously it’s fun to train on the mat, but even off the mat, it’s fun to spend time with my teammates and get to know them. Coach Pat has done such a good job in establishing that type of atmosphere here.
“In my academic work, and in my Master’s program, I develop those relationships outside of wrestling and expand and grow my network, and that’s really been my favorite thing, other than wrestling.”
That’s just how he operates.
Jordan Kutler uses the wrestling mats like his own personal operating room.
The two-time EIWA champion at 174 pounds from Lehigh is shooting to win his third straight conference title this weekend when Lehigh hosts the 116th EIWA Championships this weekend.
Kutler, 23, a fifth-year senior ranked No. 3 in the country, owns an undergraduate degree in Behavioral Neuroscience, and is working on a Master’s of Engineering in Technical Entrepreneurship. And he knows his way around a real operating room as well.
As part of his Spring 2019 semester, and during an internship last summer, he spent many days in operating rooms, observing and advising how orthopedic injuries are repaired using better technology and instruments. In fact, he’s already lined up a job in orthopedic medical sales once he finishes his Master’s degree this spring.
Right now, Kutler is operating in high gear for Lehigh. He knows that Iowa’s Michael Kemerer and Penn State’s Mark Hall hold the top two spots in the NCAA Division I rankings, but he’s got the EIWAs on his plate before the expected trip to Minnesota for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
The 23-year-old Kutler, from Sparta, N.J., must earn his way through a bear of a 174-pound weight class at the EIWAs, and he is quite aware there is no looking past the next opponent who toes the line in front of him. You can only pay attention to one operation at time.
“Every time I step out on the mat in a Lehigh singlet, I’ve just got to let it fly and not hold back against anyone,” said Kutler, who has a 17-1 record and is 83-13 for his Lehigh career.
“I’ve been that way my whole life, whether I’m wrestling the No. 1 guy in the country or a guy who is not ranked. I treat those matches the same way. Everyone is good at this level. You have got to respect that. I have to focus on the positions I feel really comfortable in, and then if something goes awry, be good in a scramble.”
Kutler, who sports a lightning bold tattoo on his right thigh, displayed that intensity during his only loss this season, a 7-2 decision to 2018 champion and three-time NCAA finalist Mark Hall of Penn State. During one funky turn, Kutler had Hall inverted for a takedown. Hall’s shoulders appeared to be planted on the mat. Kutler picked up the takedown with no backs, however, but it gave him renewed confidence in is capabilities.
Videos of the move made their way through social media, but Kutler wasn’t fazed by people calling for the pin. He reckoned the referee sees only what he can see.
“When I wrestled Hall the last time, I felt I owned the second and third periods,” Kutler said. “I just need to believe in myself a little more.”
Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro certainly believes in Kutler, whom he first met while doing a clinic at Blair Academy. Santoro remembers shaking the hand of a 106-pound prep freshman and being impressed by Kutler’s big, strong hands.
“One of the first things you noticed about him was how powerful he was,” Santoro said.
Lehigh continued to watch Kutler grow at Blair under the coaching of Jeff Buxton, and as a junior and senior, Kutler and Buxton would head to Lehigh’s Regional Training Center where Kutler would get to roll around and train against college-aged opponents.
Kutler won a national prep title his junior year, but Santoro really saw him reach a new level as a senior on the way to a second national prep title.
“He just looked like he had a lot of potential, and he embraced that challenge,” Santoro said. “We felt his best years were ahead of him.”
Kutler redshirted as a true freshman, and then had a banner year at 157, winning the Southern Scuffle. Unfortunately, he suffered a concussion 10 days before the EIWAs and was medically shut down from training before the post-season, where he was ranked No. 1 in the EIWA. When it came time for the post-season, he simply couldn’t put in the necessary work effort to make weight.
“He was blowing up [in weight],” Santoro remembered. “The number on the scale wasn’t terrible, but he was more dehydrated at the time than he realized, so the weight didn’t come down.”
Missing that post-season after going 13-1 proved to be a wake-up call, not so much from missing the opportunity, but in how you face the next day. Santoro and the Lehigh staff encouraged Kutler, explaining that the major objective was to move forward, that there is no negative connotation for what happens due to a medical issue.
The next season, with Kutler growing into his frame, the staff discussed with him where he felt he would do best, at 165 or 174. Lehigh had need at 165, but the staff made sure Kutler didn’t feel pressure to do what was best for the team, and urged him to do what was best for him, which turned out to be 174.
A wise choice. Kutler won his first EIWA title in 2018 and finished sixth at NCAAs. He followed that up last season with a second EIWA title and seventh at NCAAs.
And this year, he’s shooting for a third straight EIWA title and the top rung at the NCAA Championships.
Kutler knows nothing is a given. Spencer Carey of Navy, Ben Harvey of Army West Point, Brandon Womack of Cornell and Kevin Parker of Princeton are all top-notch opponents. But he is 7-0 against EIWA opponents this season.
“All of them are tough, and we’ve all wrestled each other four or five times, so they know what I do and I know what they do,” Kutler said.
As for his motivation, it’s very simple.
“I just like to win,” he said. “I love winning. I love competing. Those are the two things that kept me in this sport for so long.”
Regardless of what happens in this post-season, Kutler can look back at Lehigh and measure how he has grown, not just on the mat, but in the classroom and in life.
“My favorite experience at Lehigh, honestly, is relationship building,” he said. “I’m on a team with 40 other guys that go through the daily grind with me, and we make it fun. Obviously it’s fun to train on the mat, but even off the mat, it’s fun to spend time with my teammates and get to know them. Coach Pat has done such a good job in establishing that type of atmosphere here.
“In my academic work, and in my Master’s program, I develop those relationships outside of wrestling and expand and grow my network, and that’s really been my favorite thing, other than wrestling.”
That’s just how he operates.
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