GRAND SLAM Crown Point’s 4-time state champion ready for next challenge at Ohio State
Crown Point’s Jesse Mendez said he felt like a kid in a candy shop.
But the Ohio State recruit’s idea of candy involves, as he put it, “someone trying to take your head off.”
“That’s my candy, though,” he said. “I love this stuff.”
That “stuff ” involves the sport in which Mendez, the 2021-22 Post-Tribune Wrestler of the Year, continues to accumulate accolades. His final achievement at the high school level came in February, when he won the state title at 138 pounds to become the 10th Indiana wrestler to win four championships.
Mendez’s most recent trip to the candy shop came earlier this month, when he attended a wrestling camp in Columbus, Ohio.
The collection of talent there left Mendez counting the days until he can return to Ohio State full time.
“The wrestling room there is insane,” he said. “I have 15 different partners I can go with. And there are so many high-level wrestlers there that I can pick and choose who I want to go with knowing that, no matter who it is, I’m going to be scrapping.”
It’s that desire for competition that has Ohio State coach Tom Ryan ready to welcome Mendez to campus this summer as part of a loaded incoming class.
“Elite-minded people want to be together,” Ryan said. “We’ve got some really good momentum, and Jesse’s a big part of that. Everyone around the country in this sport knows the type of guy he is and of his commitment to the sport. Other people trend toward people like that.”
Mendez hasn’t stopped working, even after cementing his place in the pantheon of Indiana high school wrestlers in Indianapolis on Feb. 19. He was back training with Crown Point strength and conditioning coach Mark Garrett the next day, and Mendez recalled the conversation they had.
“There’s always that next goal,” he said. “He told me that I wasn’t just training to win a state title, I was training to win a world title. So let’s get back to it.”
On March 16, Mendez was in Detroit to wrestle Casey Swiderski — the top-ranked wrestler in the nation at 145 — as part of an exhibition of high-level matches. Mendez, who is ranked No. 1 in the country at 138, lost to Swiderski 10-4 but remained undaunted.
“I’m not afraid to take a loss,”
Mendez said. “Given the opportunity to go up a weight and wrestle the top guy in that class, I didn’t shy away from it. It only makes you better.”
On March 25, Mendez was named the outstanding wrestler at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, an annual event that pits Pennsylvania wrestlers against a nationwide team. Mendez grew up watching that event and checked off another career goal with a 21-7 victory.
“It’s one of those legendary events that you watch as a kid and want to wrestle in it,” he said. “To finally get there and put on a dominant performance was really cool to see.”
Later this month,
Mendez will head to Las Vegas for the U.S. Open. After that, he’ll wait for the day that he can go back to Ohio State — one that can’t arrive soon enough.
“I’m definitely ready for college,” he said. “I’m a little bit tired of high school, honestly. I’m ready to move on to that next chapter in my life and get into that Buckeye room and get training.”
But he plans to embrace these last few months in his hometown.
“Knowing that I’m leaving so soon, right now I’m going to cherish my time with my family and my friends,” he said. “Because I’m not going to be around here much longer.”