Kosman adjusting to life in the powerful Big Ten
Ex-Fitch great working his way into Maryland lineup as redshirt freshman at 125
Jarod Kosman described what it's like to compete for Maryland against elite level competition.
The atmosphere alone can be intimidating, even for a two-time Class L, State Open, New England and national champion at 113 pounds in high school at Fitch.
"It's crazy and hectic and loud," Kosman said by phone on Thursday. "And people are screaming. You have a sense of pressure but it's good pressure because you want to do good for your team and you want to impress the fans that came out and you just want to impress yourself. And sometimes it's on TV, so you want to worry about people watching you. You want to prove yourself overall across all these platforms.
"It can be a challenge trying to gain your composure and stay focused."
Kosman has always embraced challenges in his life. And he's had plenty of them from dealing with a rare affliction to juggling the demanding schedule of a Division I student-athlete.
A redshirt freshman, he's thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. He called it "a match made in heaven."
"Great, so far," Kosman said. "I love it. I'm doing well with classes and staying really busy with practice and then we have lifts in the morning. Classes are challenging, so they keep me busy. I like that because if I start to have a lot of free time, I get lazy and just fall off track, so I like staying busy."
Kosman, a four-time Eastern Connecticut Conference champion, is competing in the 125-pound weight class at Maryland.
Last season, he only participated in tournaments and as an unattached wrestler, allowing him to take a redshirt year. He won his collegiate debut at the Princeton Open and ended up with two wins that day. He posted 10 victories overall last season.
"It was awesome," Kosman said of his successful debut. "I got my first win under my belt. It was just a good time. ... I was a little nervous because I was transitioning from high school wrestling to college wrestling. But I had trust in myself and my skills and I was able to get the job done. It was like a weight was taken off my shoulders."
In the season opener this season, Kosman had an eye-opening experience in a match against national
ly-ranked Virginia. His opponent: No. 2 ranked Jack Mueller.
Admittedly a bit nervous, Kosman battled before losing in a fall at the two minute, 33 second mark.
“Even though I lost, it was still good to compete against a really top tier guy to see where I was,” Kosman said.
Kosman is 8-8 this season. He's trying to work his way to becoming a starter for Maryland in Big Ten Conference matches. The league schedule is brutal, with Penn State, Ohio State, Iowa and Minnesota accounting for the last 13 national championships.
“It's the best conference in the country,” Kosman said. “It's just so challenging but rewarding at the same time because you're wrestling all these good kids who were the best in their states in high school, and now they're some of the best in the country. It's a great test to see where you are in your skill development and your wrestling development.”
Challenges are nothing new to Kosman.
As a child, he was diagnosed with Urea Cycle Disorder, which impacts how the body processes waste made from breaking down protein. He's learned to manage his diet.
His health issue led him down his career path.
He's studying kinesiology with the goal of either attending medical school or studying to become a Physician Assistant.
“I really want to work in Pediatrics, like the ER department.” Kosman said. “I had a health scare when I was younger. When I was about nine, I went to the ER and I was really, really sick. I almost lost my life. They saved my life in the ER at Yale in New Haven at the children's hospital. Ever since then, I wanted to help sick children in the ER, because if it wasn't for them,
“It's the best conference in the country. It's just so challenging but rewarding at the same time because you're wrestling all these good kids who were the best in their states in high school, and now they're some of the best in the country.” MARYLAND'S JAROD KOSMAN ON WRESTLING IN THE BIG TEN
I'd probably won't be here.”
Fitch also played a big role in him reaching this point in his life.
His high school academic and athletic experience helped prepare him for college.
“Fitch did a great job,” Kosman said. “We always had hard practices and we did a lot of conditioning to get me ready for college . ... They really helped me develop my skills because everyone in college is top tier. It's just been a really easy to transition because Fitch did a great job preparing me.
“And it was also a challenging school academically, so it really prepared me for Maryland, which is one of the best public schools in the country.”
His journey is far from over. Some of his future wrestling goals include placing at the Big Ten Championship, qualifying for nationals and eventually placing there.
He's come a long way from wrestling against ECC competition to taking on elite talent while attending at Maryland.
“All the time I think back, just wow,” Kosman said. “I worked so hard to get here and it finally paid off.”