Q&A Athlete Spotlight: Ed Scott
An interview by Brogan Louden
For Ed Scott, finding success and competing at a high level is something he’s been doing since a young age. Before heading south to start his collegiate career at North Carolina State, Scott was a two-time PIAA State Champion, 2020 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner and multi-year Fargo place winner. In addition to those accolades, Ed achieved the most wins in program history at DuBois Area High School with a career mark of 151-6.
After being recruited as one of the top prospects in the nation, Scott began his career for the Wolfpack, wrestling at 149-pounds as a true freshman. That season he would take fourth at the ACC Championships and would be named a 2021 NWCA Scholar All-American. Scott would continue his success into the summer where he would claim bronze at the Junior World Team Trials and gold at the Junior Pan Am Championships in freestyle at 70 kg.
The following season, up a weight class, at 157 pounds, Scott would have a breakthrough year going 24-3. In only his second year of collegiate competition, Scott would win the ACC Championships, taking down former national champion, Austin O’Connor. The Wolfpack wrestler would enter his first NCAA Championships as the fourth seed, going 2-2. That season, Scott would pick a number of ranked wins, helping to build his confidence. Once again, he would be named a 2022 NWCA Scholar All-American.
This most recent season as a sophomore, Ed was able to compile a record of 24-9. After a third-place finish at the ACC Championships, Scott would claim the eight seed for the NCAA Championships. There, he would get on the podium for the first time in his career with a fifth-place finish.
With two seasons left, Scott will look to continue climbing the podium in his remaining years. Here’s what Ed had to say about becoming a Chain Wrestling athlete and his career thus far.
Q: What made you want to team up with Chain Wrestling and become one of their signature athletes?
A: I thought the concept of having a partnership with Chain Wrestling would be a great asset and allow me to make more connections with the people of the wrestling community.
Q: How did you get your start in wrestling and at what point did you decide to fully dedicate yourself to the sport?
A: I started wrestling at five years old when my dad put me into the sport. I decided to commit to wrestling in seventh grade when I had to decide to pursue wrestling or soccer as my full-time sport.
Q: How did growing up wrestling in a highly competitive state, like Pennsylvania, prepare you for the Division 1 level?
A: Growing up in Pennsylvania helped me prepare for division one wrestling in many ways, like the high levels of competition and the extremely good coaching situations that are provided there. I think wrestling in the state tournament was great preparation because the level of talent in Pennsylvania runs deep in the weight classes.
Q: Being a highly sought-after recruit, what schools did you consider and what went into your decision to continue your career at North Carolina State?
A: I considered a lot of different options including Iowa, Lehigh, Ohio State, Purdue and a few more. However, I think the culture of NC State’s program is unmatched at the collegiate level. This was huge for me because I wanted to surround myself with like-minded people.
Q: How would you best describe your style of wrestling and what would you most attribute your constant attack rate and desire to continue pushing the pace and scoring points towards?
A: I’d describe my style as a sort of controlled chaos when I am wrestling at my best. I think I would have to attribute my constant attack rate and desire to push the pace to my dad instilling that in me from a young age.
Q: What were some of the biggest transitions you made between your true freshman and redshirt freshman seasons that propelled you towards a successful regular season, as well as your first NCAA tournament appearance?
A: I don’t think any big transitions were made; it was more about changing small things that made a big difference. These main lifestyle changes included improvements to things like diet, cleanliness, and organization.
Q: In your collegiate career, what matches are the most memorable to you? Are there any potential rematches that you are looking forward to in the postseason?
A: I think my most memorable matches were those against Kaleb Young, Quincy Monday and my ACC finals match. I was looking forward to a rematch with Peyton Robb.
Q: What did it mean for you to be able to play a role in helping your team to a top ten finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships? What key fundamentals do you think will be necessary to climb in the team standings this March?
A: It was really meaningful to help out the team at the NCAA tournament, unfortunately, I have no control over others’ performance. I think it’s just about peaking at the right time, which isn’t an easy task.
Q: What is the atmosphere and culture like in the NC State wrestling room? Additionally, what do you believe has allowed your team to pose as one the largest threats in Division 1 wrestling?
A: NC State’s wrestling culture is great, we run the most dedicated and committed program in the country, in my opinion. Everyone at NC State came here to be a part of this culture and they are all on board with how the coaching staff runs the program. I think the biggest thing that makes us such a threat is that everyone is bought in to our culture and is willing to put in the work, not just the starters, the whole team is doing the right things.
Q: Who have been some of the biggest influences throughout your wrestling career and what have these individuals taught you most about yourself and the sport as a whole?
A: Some of my biggest influences on my wrestling career have been Jody and John Strittmatter, David Taylor, Quentin Wright, Ken Chertow and my dad. I think all of these people have had a significant impact on me as a person and a wrestler. They taught how to improve in every aspect of life and not just wrestling. Also, all of the coaching staff here at NC State and even more so as time has gone on, they are one of the greatest impacts on my career.
Q: When your wrestling career is over, what do you hope to be able to look back on and say that you accomplished?
A: I have set high goals for myself, and I am not backing down from them. I want to be able to say I am and NCAA Champion, World Champion and an Olympic Gold medalist. Anything short of these goals would be considered a failure in my eyes. I know very well that I can achieve these goals if I commit and dedicate myself to the process and hard work that correlate with them.
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About the author: Brogan Louden
Brogan Louden, a 2022 graduate of Shippensburg University, is from the great state of Pennsylvania. Growing up his entire life surrounded by some of the best wrestling in the nation, he quickly discovered his strong passion and love for the
sport. Now, he is looking to pursue a career in wrestling media to help bring more
awareness and excitement to the sport.