Hayden Myers ’27 has emerged as a key member of the Cardinals’ wrestling team this winter. He was recently named New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Rookie of the Week for his dominant 3–0 performance at Ithaca Quad Duals on Feb. 3, 2024. This is his second time winning the award this season, and the honor puts both him and the team in a strong position as they look to round out the season well. The Argus recently sat down with Hayden to discuss his wrestling journey, receiving this honor once again, and his goals for the rest of the season.

The Argus: How did you first start wrestling?

Hayden Myers: A couple of my friends when I was in elementary school were talking about it, and my dad was a wrestler, so I figured why not give it a shot? And I saw some cool movies about it. So I thought it’d be fun.

A: Did you play any other sports growing up? Why did wrestling stick?

HM: I played football and lacrosse, but they just weren’t as appealing to me. Also, with those sports, you kind of had to be bigger, and in wrestling, there’s weight classes, so you can be any size and still be successful in the sport.

A: What made you want to continue wrestling in college?

HM: Just the love of the sport. It’s taught me so much about being a hardworking person, both in school and on the mat. The coaches were nice, the team was nice when I was considering Wesleyan and went on visits here. I just knew that if I were to continue wrestling, it would be here.

A: Are there any wrestlers you look up to or inspire you?

HM: It changes year to year, but Daton Fix [Oklahoma State University] is a big one for me because he’s never actually won the NCAA title, but everybody knows and gives him the respect of being that top guy. He has placed All-American multiple times, so he is that guy, and you feel that when he’s on the mat. He’s never given up. He’s always coming for that title, and I hope he gets it. But seeing a lot of the wrestlers on my team, the older guys, just watching them and their maturity definitely inspires me to keep going, and looking forward to the regional tournament and next season, when I can hopefully mentor some freshmen [and] still be mentored by the upperclassmen.

A: So far, in year one, what has been your favorite part about wrestling at Wesleyan?

HM: Definitely the team aspect. We just came off with a big win against Centenary [University], and you could see the energy of the team as a whole. We function as a unit, and we win as a team, we lose as a team. Even though you can individually win, and the team loses, you still feel that loss. That’s definitely the best part of being here.

A: What’s the student-athlete experience like at Wesleyan? Has it been difficult to manage?

HM: There’s definitely ups and downs. When you’re preseason, it’s definitely a lot more manageable because your weekends are pretty much free, and you’re not traveling. With wrestling, you’re going to be cutting a little bit of weight, so then your energy might be a little lower during the season. But preseason and postseason, it’s just getting a workout and staying in shape. During the season, you definitely will feel the grind, but I enjoy the grind. I think I do better in classes during the season, because I’m so motivated, especially with all the hard workers on the team. You feel lazy if you’re not keeping up with them.

A: Do you have any highlights from the season up to this point?

HM: Definitely our last dual [match] against Centenary [University], I think that’s the highlight. We had guys jumping up and down for like 30 minutes, and guys were more tired during the celebration than their matches. And even though I wasn’t wrestling because of outside reasons, I still enjoyed the win as a team. But all the duals have been fun. Even the ones that we’ve lost. When we travel, we get a sub or some form of dinner after, so we definitely feel like a unit, no matter where we are.

A: Wrestling is a sport for individuals—you are by yourself out there on the mat—but what is the team chemistry like for you, and how has that helped you throughout the season, win or loss?

HM: Like I said, we win as a team, lose as a team, but we also hold each other accountable with how we perform. So, even if you win as an individual, but your teammates and your coaches know that you could have wrestled better, they’ll let you know. They’re always holding you accountable with the amount of effort and time that you’re putting in and then how you’re performing on the mat. In practice, we know how you wrestled because that’s when you’re most calm, no nerves, there’s no winning or losing in practice. That’s how you would want to wrestle on the mat. The amount of hard workers on the team, it makes you want to work harder, even when you’re having a rough day. You just leave it all outside of the room, and then only focus on wrestling for two hours.

A: Do you feel like you’re learning a lot from the upperclassmen right now and their leadership on the team?

HM: Definitely. The transition from high school to college is always big, in every aspect, but when you have so many upperclassmen, and they just want the best for you, it’s so much better. They are more mentors than anything else, but I still do look up to them, and when they get on the mat, obviously, I’m cheering for them. It’s something deeper when they mentored you, and then you see them perform and succeed.

A: Last week, you were named NEWA Rookie of the Week for your astounding performance at the Ithaca Quad meet. Besides going 3–0 in your matches, what stood out to you about that specific day?

HM: At the meet, we faced Williams, [SUNY] Oneonta, and Ithaca [College]. Obviously, even though it’s my first year here, I know about the Wesleyan-Williams rivalry. Being able to defeat them pretty handily was nice. Especially [for] the coaches, since they’ve been here for way longer, that rivalry holds true to them. So it was nice seeing the coaches so happy and the seniors so happy about the win.

A: What was your reaction to receiving this honor from the NEWA?

HM: I was definitely super excited about winning it. This is my second time winning it. The first time, I think, was in November, the first week of the season, and I wasn’t so sure what the award was. I looked it up a little bit, and I was very impressed that I was honored with that.

A: Do you have any pregame superstitions or things you do before your matches?

HM: Sometimes I wear this pair of socks. I guess you can call them lucky socks. But usually, I’ll just play a certain five songs before a match to get me in a certain mindset, but no superstitions.

A: Besides its obvious physicality, what is something that most people don’t realize about wrestling that makes it difficult? 

HM: There’s a huge mental aspect when you’re cutting weight because your energy is just lower, and sometimes there’s a lot less motivation. Also, with the physical side, I feel like with some sports, there’s certain muscle groups that are so much more well-developed, like soccer players with their legs, where I feel like wrestlers, you’re more well-rounded. You’ll wrestle a match and your whole body will be sore. Especially on the collegiate level, every sport has its physical aspects. But like I said, the mental aspect is super challenging.

A: What are you looking forward to for the rest of the season?

HM: We have one dual coming up this Saturday, and that’s our senior night, so I would love for the team to win, especially against a NESCAC team. Wins are so much more valuable against those teams than outside teams. Then we have our futures tournament, which our backups will wrestle in for a big tournament next Sunday. The starters will go to support and watch the wrestlers, coach them, just helping them be as successful as they can. I enjoy watching wrestling, especially with my friends. It’s so much better watching friends than the Penn State guys. I know all of them, but not personally, so I like watching them, but it’s so much better to watch friends wrestle. The weekend after that, we have our regionals tournament, and I hope to do big things there. It’s my first time going, so I don’t really know what I’m walking into. But I know a few of the guys because you just face them going around all these duals and tournaments, so I’m not going to be completely blind. Then, if I place top three there, two weeks later, I’ll end up going to the NCAAs. It’s All-American, but definitely taking it one step at a time. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Max Forstein can be reached at mforstein@wesleyan.edu.