On Wednesday, May 26, 2021, Bensalem senior Connor Eck was recognized for committing to continue his wrestling career at Lock Haven University.
Connor Eck – Lock Haven University (Wrestling)
Major: Elementary Education/English
Final list of colleges: Lock Haven, Rider, George Mason, Virginia Tech
Reasons for choosing Lock Haven: “It’s not too far away from home. I loved the atmosphere there – the area is beautiful. I loved the coaches, the people there. It just felt like home.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in wrestling at the collegiate level? “I realized I wanted to wrestle in eighth grade. I didn’t make my baseball team, and I was very upset about that. In wrestling, you make your own destiny – you can’t cheat the hard work. I put in countless hours in the weight room, on the mats. I ran plenty of miles. I really made big strides my sophomore year. My hard work started to pay off junior year when I made the state tournament for the first time. I was one win shy of placing, and that hurt me. I never wanted to feel that pain again, so I doubled down. I was lifting two-three times a day, two practices, eating great. I didn’t go out a lot, and that’s something you have to do if you really want to be good at
whatever sport or honestly anything. You have to work really hard, you have to sacrifice a lot of things. You have to make sacrifices, you have to do stuff people aren’t willing to do. I don’t regret doing that. I’d do it again 100 percent As much stuff as I did, I realize I could have done more. I’m proud of how I finished my high school career and I’m just excited for college, building new relationships with the people at Lock Haven and seeing what Division 1 wrestling has to offer.”
Coach Donavin Williams says: “He’s a great kid, and what sets Connor apart is his ability to push himself. He has an unmatched desire to be better. When Connor came to me as a freshman, he was shy and he was timid, but he paid a ton of attention to detail, he asked a ton of questions. What you notice about Connor is that his determination alone allows him to push himself to places that you wouldn’t think he could. Over the past four years, I’ve watched him grow not just as a wrestler but as a person. His teammates look up to him. They don’t look up to him because he’s the best wrestler on the team or he’s the guy that went the furthest. They look up to him because he’s like their older brother, he’s their greatest teammate. Connor left for Lock Haven last Friday, but until he left – in his garage, he has a wrestling mat, and he was inviting his freshman and sophomore teammates to come to his house to wrestle with him. That’s just the kind of kid he is. He loves to wrestle and he loves to help other people. Connor was in our youth program, and I got to watch him wrestle in our youth program. He wasn’t as strong, he wasn’t as fast, but really it was his confidence. Connor managed to gain a ton of confidence, but he did it mentally. Now he’s at the point – if Connor says, ‘This is what I want to do,’ and he sets his mind to it, it’s going to get done. He’s going to compete for a national championship over the next four years. We’ll see Connor on TV. He’s one of those special kids.”
About Connor:
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite TV show: The Originals
Favorite music: Country
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