LETTERS OF LEHIGH
Sophomore focused on NCAA after 2003 runner-up
What do you call a person who is a high achiever, is dedicated to the goals of his team, sets a good example and is well respected by his colleagues" At Lehigh the answer is Troy Letters. The generic answer is team leader.
Letters, a 165-pound sophomore from Pittsburgh, Pa., had a career record of 59-3 and had lost to only one opponent — former Illinois national champion Matt Lackey in last year’s NCAA final — in a collegiate match before losing 8-5 to Oklahoma State’s Tyrone Lewis, Feb. 15, in Stillwater.
What has been Letters’ secret to his success"
Letters has a great sense of where he is combined with strength and flexibility, said Lehigh coach Greg Strobel.
Perhaps a Kendall Cross clone" Letters thinks he doesn’t have the flexibility of the 1996 Olympic champion, who had the nickname of Gumby. Letters achieves flexibility by "ignoring the pain."The humble and low-key Letters doesn’t reflect back on his two matches with Lackey. He said, "Lackey is a very good wrestler who has great balance and hips, is aware of where he is and avoids mistakes."
"A team’s best wrestler is often the team leader regardless of his leadership ability or direction," Strobel said. "We are fortunate that our best wrestler is an excellent leader. He sets a good example by his hard work on the mat and his commitment toward a good education and career off the mat. Also when a wrestler loses direction, Letters will help him find his way back."
"Leadership is established by example," said Lehigh assistant coach and reigning World silver medalist Kerry McCoy. "The guys who work hard and do the right things are looked at as leaders. Other guys are leaders because they are fun to be around and guys like to hang out with them. By these standards, Troy is definitely a leader. He is one of the hardest workers and he is fun to be around so the guys look up to him as a leader."
Letters takes his role of team leader seriously. His primary approach to leadership is to lead by example. He takes a more active role after a team loss or an injury to prevent the team from feeling down and losing momentum.
Like most of the nation’s top collegiate wrestlers, Letters intends to pursue freestyle wrestling to become an Olympian, but his priority now is the Lehigh team.
"My first commitment is to accomplish the goals that my coaches and I are aiming for here at Lehigh both as an individual and as a team," he said. "In order for me to continue to improve and develop as a collegiate wrestler the plan is for me to train and compete in freestyle competition after our folkstyle season this year."
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