At his third school in as many years, Terrapins wrestling heavyweight Dawson Peck finally got his first chance to compete in a team meet Nov. 1 at the season-opening Terrapin Duals. Peck impressed, going 2-1, defeating his competition from Davidson and Buffalo by a combined score of 12-0.
But his time in the starting lineup would be short. The redshirt sophomore was benched for freshman Youssif Hemida after coach Kerry McCoy didn’t think Peck was preparing the right way each week.
So Peck has worked to change his mentality. And though he hasn’t cracked the starting lineup since the season opener, he dominated at last week’s Nittany Lion Open, going 3-0.
At the competition in his home state, Peck said he could sense the difference, feeling the enthusiasm for competition that had disappeared for him for a stretch.
“Just getting back into the groove of things,” Peck said. “Starting to compete well again, starting to feel good again. Starting to feel that excitement and that urgency on the mat.”
Peck was forced to sit out last season due to NCAA transfer rules after transferring from Virginia Tech and University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. Last year, he went 14-3 on the open circuit with the Terps but wasn’t allowed to compete in team meets.
He capitalized on the chance at the Terrapin Duals, but he struggled after that day. So McCoy turned to Hemida before the Terps’ match with No. 2 Iowa on Nov. 20.
“He was around, but he wasn’t all in, so to speak,” McCoy said. “We all know he has the talent and the ability to be successful. He knows he can be successful, he just has to do it.”
While Peck possesses brute strength unmatched by most on the team, his focus wavers sometimes. In what assistant coach Rob Eiter calls “a thinking man’s sport” in which he said success is “99.9 percent mental,” Peck often loses his focus after falling behind.
“The thing with him is that whenever you have a tight match and lose, you still have to keep your focus moving forward,” Eiter said. “If he does have a loss in there, sometimes it tends to snowball.”
In practice the past few weeks, Peck has strived to change his mental attitude.
After Hemida replaced him in the starting lineup against Drexel, Hofstra and No. 12 Illinois, Peck responded Sunday at the Nittany Lion Open. Peck stormed through his early bouts, pinning his first two opponents, before defeating his third opponent, 3-2.
Peck forfeited in the finals to stay fresh for the rest of the season. McCoy said the goal of most open tournaments is to give his wrestlers reps on the mat, but winning the tournament means little in the grand scheme of the team.
Even Peck’s younger teammates took note of his heightened performance despite not seeing it live.
“Dawson did well,” 165-pound Brendan Burnham said. “Hopefully he can get back in the room and keep doing the things he’s doing. Glad to see him back in action.”
Despite the demotion to the Open circuit, Peck isn’t fazed. The redshirt sophomore supports his freshman counterpart, even if it means fewer opportunities against top competition such as Iowa or No. 3 Nebraska.
And though he isn’t sure on a week-to-week basis on whether him or Hemida will start, Peck doesn’t change his routine.
“The training is the same, no matter what,” Peck said. “Coach has a set plan for everybody. No matter what we are training like, we’re going to be wrestling, whether you’re a fifth-string guy or a starter or the best guy on the team.”
Part of that routine is now watching game film with Eiter. The former Olympic wrestler and head coach at Penn has a sign-up sheet on the doors to the Terps wrestling room for individual wrestlers to break down tape with him.
“It helps; it’s another tool in the kit,” Peck said. “Coach Eiter is really good at breaking down video and breaking down techniques. It’s another tool we have available that really helps push us.”
Watching film is but one example of the extra effort McCoy hopes to get from all of his wrestlers, not just Peck. Still, McCoy is happy that Peck was able to show off under the pressure of the Nittany Lion Open, even if the competition wasn’t as high as he’d have liked. The eighth-year coach maintains his belief in Peck’s talent, and if he can combine that with extra effort at all times, he can possibly return to the lineup and replace Hemida.
Peck may have lost his spot to a younger player, but he still believes he can be an elite wrestler. As he battles for is slot in the lineup, he’s made a few changes, and he saw the dividends at the Nittany Lion Open.
“I’m just getting back into the groove of things,” Peck said. “That vibe, that mentality, it’s contagious and it’s spreading. It’s starting to take an effect on everyone.”
