Ex-Knight Uhl overcomes injury to excel on mat at Ashland
After tearing his left ACL and medial meniscus at last year’s Division II Super Regional 3, Ashland University wrestler Walker Uhl made his return to the sport during a home dual on Jan. 21. Uhl is a 2020 West Holmes graduate.
Being one of the top Division II college wrestlers in the nation is a pretty high standard to pursue. Adding a degree in nursing and the time commitment necessary to succeed in the medical field raises the bar even higher.
But it is those two areas that begin to define who Walker Uhl is as a student-athlete and as a person.
They also were factors in Uhl’s comeback after tearing his left ACL and medial meniscus during his first match at last year’s Div. II Super Regional 3. The 2020 West Holmes graduate and current Ashland University Eagle simply forged ahead.
“Rehab was a task, but I knew that I needed to do this in order to wrestle again,” Uhl said. “I started two days after surgery, and this was just in the training room getting my mobility and muscle function back.”
Even for a competitor like Uhl, the process was never easy.
“I think it’s hard not to doubt,” he said. “I mean I wasn’t allowed to wrestle for eight months post-op, and this was only if everything went right. Starting in the weight room was scary, and after feeling that pain I felt last March, it was hard not to have it on my mind.
“A few weeks in, I got my confidence back, and competing for the first time at home (on Jan. 21) was a big plus for me. I was able to get a win over a returning national qualifier, and I know that my knee is just going to have to live in the back of my mind while I focus on the task at hand.”
Uhl’s season came to an end when he finished fourth in the 197-pound weight class at the Div. II Super Regional 3 on March 2. He lost a 4-1 decision to Grand Valley State’s Wyatt Miller in the third-place match. The top three finishers in each weight class advanced to nationals.
But the end result means little. The season was still a triumphant return for Uhl.
AU coach Colt Sponseller knows Uhl better than almost anyone. He talked about how difficult it was to watch his nephew endure the rehab process.
“It sucked to see him have a great regular season last year and to have him have a season-ending surgery in his first match at regionals last year,” Sponseller said. “He was going in as a top 10 nationally ranked guy and was looking to make a big splash. All the rehab and training you have to do to get back where you want to be — he has put a lot of time in.
“I was watching him wrestle when he was knee-high to a grasshopper, so to see him compete now all these years later is a treat. Better yet, I get to see him in the room every day and get to help guide him in life, so I feel blessed. He grew up going all over the country to watch me wrestle, so for me to get to follow him around the country to watch him wrestle is quite the 180.”
Having his uncle directly in his corner was a big help in the comeback this season. But Sponseller was not the only family involved.
“I know that the people around me want to see me succeed almost as badly as I do,” Uhl said. “It’s been a refresher when Mom and Dad are always calling, checking in and asking what I’m doing to stay in shape, along with my grandpa Randy, who really has been there in wrestling my whole life.
“Another person that was a huge help in everything was my girlfriend Emma. She actually stayed with me for the first 10 days of my surgery when I couldn’t move at all and has been supportive since. In reality I think that all of my family has been very supportive and reached out when I was going through surgery or even mentally during recovery.”
The delicate balance between athletics and studies while overcoming adversity is something Uhl has mastered, and the young man is well-prepared for what the future may bring.
“I am going to school for nursing,” he said. “This in itself has been a huge challenge in finding time to wrestle and practice. I actually have to come in around four to five every night when my team practice is over and find a coach to wrestle or have someone on the team stay late for me.
“I don’t have anything set in stone for the future at this time. I am just finding my way through school and doing the best I can.”