When senior Alec Hunter isn’t uploading videos to his Youtube channel, he is pinning opponents on the wrestling mat. Hunter has wrestled for the varsity team at West for all four years of his high school career. This season, the team has to compromise with a shorter season due to COVID regulations in place, leaving playoffs still up in the air. But Hunter still has his eyes on the state championship.

“I want to be Oshkosh West’s first state champ in the sport of wrestling,” said Hunter.

Recently, Hunter committed to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside as he continues his wrestling career. He is also reconnecting with his former teammate at West, Edgar Heredia, who also wrestles and plays soccer at the university. Heredia can’t wait to be back on the mats and rebuild his chemistry with Hunter.

“Wrestling with Alec at West was a fun experience,” he said. “I do believe that it will be the same at Parkside. We will have each other’s back through everything.”

Alec Hunter tries to pin opponent. His success as a Wildcat will set him up for big things at UW-Parkside.

Hunter is confident that he made the right decision choosing to wrestle at Parkside.

“I loved the environment and it seemed like the best place I could grow as a wrestler and a person,” he said.

Wrestling head coach Duane Hartkopf also thinks Hunter made the right decision to wrestle at Parkside and thinks he can accomplish a great deal.

“He certainly has the talent to do very well at the next level,” he said. “I could certainly see him qualifying for the national tournament, and pushing for an All-American finish and being in contention for a national title by the time it is all said and done.”

Hartkopf thinks Hunter can still accomplish a lot this year. Even though the team is limited to a couple of dual meets, the coach is still optimistic about Hunter achieving his goal of a state championship.

“I hope to see Alec accomplish his goal of being the first state champion in school history” he said. “I hope he takes full advantage of every chance he has to compete and hopefully the WIAA allows for a tournament series for him to cap off his high school career.”

Hunter appreciates the influence his coaches have had on his high school career.

“My coaches have a big impact on me,” he said. “They’ve taught me how to be more mature on and off the mat.”

Hartkopf feels that Hunter has a lot of talent and potential in his future based on his past and current success with the sport.

“A big thing is that he has been wrestling his entire life so he has a great deal of mat awareness that goes unnoticed,” he said. “He has also competed on some very big stages and his demeanor is very level as he never makes a match bigger than another.”

Hunter believes wrestling is a lifestyle and that if one wants to be great, they have to be fully committed. This means rigorous practices and even skipping meals to make weight. Hunter has been doing this all his life.

“We also pride ourselves in taking the strides to not only continue improving our wrestling program, but helping change the entire athletic culture at Oshkosh West,” Hartkopf said. “Alec has always been committed to the team and brought his dedication into everything he’s done over his four years.”

By Drew Lasky

Oshkosh West Index Volume 117 Issue 3

December 11th 2020

Senior Spotlight: Hunter’s present commitment promises future success