THROUGH JON'S EYES
Lehigh's Trenge will focus on No. 1
Significant numbers have played a big part in Jon Trenge’s wrestling career at Lehigh; many of which have prevented the Mountain Hawk senior from fulfilling his NCAA championship dream.
Among those numbers are:
159 — as in the number of victims — Trenge being the last — who lost to Cael Sanderson in the career of the only four-time unbeaten national champion. Trenge lost, 12-4, in the 2002 NCAA finals to Sanderson, but became just the second collegiate wrestler to go the distance that season with the former Iowa State legend;
Negative-16/negative 12.5 — the vision of Trenge’s right and left eyes, respectively, after the native of Orefield, Pa., native suffered a detached retina at the end of his redshirt freshman season, which prevented him from competing in the 2001 NCAA Championships after compiling a 35-3 record;
3 — the number of seconds remaining in his 2003 NCAA final when Minnesota’s Damion Hahn scored a final takedown, after escaping eight seconds earlier, to defeat Trenge, 5-4.
Now after sitting out last season for a shot at making the 2004 United States Olympic team — Trenge reached the semifinals of the mini-tournament at 211.5 pounds in Indianapolis, where he was eliminated by Tommy Rowlands, 4-0 — there is only one more number that matters to the 197-pound Trenge:1 — as in the number of years remaining in his wrestling career, the number of years he has left in Bethlehem, Pa., and the only placement he’ll be happy with this March in St. Louis.
"It’s putting a goal to rest, a goal that has been a goal for five years that I haven’t attained yet," Trenge said. "I’ve been shooting for one thing for the past five years and it’s starting to get to me. It’s either make or break."
Once the 2005 NCAA tournament is completed, Trenge will no longer compete on a wrestling mat. His eyes won’t let him, even if he continues to wear the goggles that have been his trademark the last three years. Forget about the many cuts and scars he’s suffered around his eyes when the goggles bang into his face. One more bad shot to his head could
| Jon Trenge's last NCAA match was against Minnesota's Damion Hahn in the 2003 finals. The Gopher scored a takedown with three seconds left to beat two-time runner-up Trenge. |
"I’m pretty darn close already," grinned Trenge.
While taking such a chance is not something to joke about, Trenge has developed a sense of humor about the many things that have slowed down a career that began after he won two Pennsylvania state championships and both a freestyle and Greco-Roman title at the 1999 Junior Nationals.
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