Griffith’s Landon Westenfeld knew he was getting closer.
But that just made the defeats more difficult for Westenfeld to stomach.
“I was losing a lot of close matches and a lot of matches in overtime — and losing the matches that I should have won or expected to win,” he said.
But Westenfeld found a solution. He gave up football after his junior season and committed to wrestling year-round. Now he’s a state-ranked 132-pounder hoping to end his high school career with his first appearance at the state meet.
Westenfeld (11-0), who is ranked No. 11 at 132 by IndianaMat, started this season with a first-place finish at Lake Central’s Harvest Classic on Dec. 7, one year after placing fourth at that meet.
Griffith coach Chris Sojka said Westenfeld’s early success this season has been driven by his much-improved wrestling IQ.
“He has such better match awareness,” Sojka said. “From match to match, in every situation, no matter who he’s facing, he’s the most prepared wrestler.”
That wasn’t always the case earlier in Westenfeld’s career. He went 26-11 as a sophomore at 132 and 28-9 as a junior at 138, and he qualified for semistate both seasons. But those achievements didn’t satisfy his appetite for success.
“I was beating the kids that were above average, but I wasn’t beating the elite kids,” Westenfeld said. “I wasn’t beating any state-ranked guys. My biggest accomplishments from those years were being in the finals at sectionals or at conference.”
That’s when the two-sport athlete decided to cut that number in half. Westenfeld hoped he could find another gear on the wrestling mat, which is exactly what happened.
“It’s been a huge difference, especially with conditioning,” he said. “I lost a lot of close matches, ones with one-point swings or overtime matches. On the mat, it doesn’t even feel like six minutes anymore.”
Westenfeld made a routine of training at Elite Athletic Club in Lake Station, where one of his practice partners was LaPorte senior Josh England, a state qualifier last season who is ranked No. 10 at 138.
Teammates like Griffith junior Zach Kenney notice how differently Westenfeld approaches practices.
“Going to that club and having him find out where he could go in his future really helped him a lot,” Kenney said. “He didn’t always take wrestling as serious. He’d find time for jokes or wouldn’t drill as hard as he could. Now he’s going 100% all the time, and it’s making all of us better overall.”
Sojka said Westenfeld has put everything together, combining all his attributes to become a wrestler who’s proving to be worthy of a state ranking.
“Physically, he’s always been that guy,” Sojka said. “Through his constant work during the season and in the offseason, he found those mental skills. Now it’s like, what us coaches see when we’re sitting in the chair watching one of his matches, he’s also seeing it while he’s in the match.”
Westenfeld’s coaches also see him winning no matter who is the opponent. During a Nov. 25 dual meet at Lowell, Westenfeld scored a 10-8 decision against junior Dalton Robson, who is ranked No. 16 at 132. At the Harvest Classic, Westenfeld won 12-10 against 17th-ranked Portage junior Ayden Campbell in the championship round.
“It’s my last year to do something great and get on that podium,” Westenfeld said. “I want to do the best I can. I don’t want to have any regrets. I want to leave it all on the mat.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.
