Gwinn’s Connor Dalton signs to wrestle at Alma College
GWINN, Mich. (WJMN) – Gwinn Wrestling team captain Connor Dalton made plans for his future official on Wednesday, signing on to join the Alma College Wrestling program.
“Overall, I’m pretty happy. Able to continue my passion, I just love wrestling,” Dalton said. “I just love competing in the sport and just having fun. I just love showing that we can win and getting my buddies together because I know they’re also just really proud of me and my accomplishments.”
Dalton will bring plenty of experience from his time at Gwinn to his new team, and says as he improved in high school, the thought of continuing with the sport became more of a real possibility.
“I’d say last year, really, that was like, obviously the year that I went from either equal record or just a losing record to actually kind of winning and competing in those next level matches,” Dalton said. “And then I kind of made it a goal, but I think it was also over the summer, seeing the coaches, meeting them just made me want to compete at that next level. Going out there and wrestling with just higher level people, I always think of wrestling like chess, where it’s always a game of you’re trying to think about how to get that upper level against the other opponent and I just can’t wait to get many of those opportunities to get that upper level of wrestling.”
Dalton departs high school with multiple accolades, including as an All American, 2-time placer in U.P. championships, state qualifier, 4-time qualifier in Regionals and Districts, and the National Wrestling Coaches Association Marine Corps Leadership Award. Dalton felt Alma was the right fit to continue developing his skills.
“I first met them during the state finals last year, when I was with my teammates. We were leaving and I met the coach and I talked to him a little bit. And then after that, I went to a camp over the summer where I was able to be able to talk with the coach again, just catch up with them and talk about my career and what I wanted to do,” said Dalton. “I just love (Coach Jared Groeneveld’s) attitude and wanting to, I think of it the same as Gwinn, where we’re wanting to change the mentality or the attitude about it and just wanting to make it flourish. A program that might have been small before or just might have been down and now we’re trying to bring it back up.”
For fans of the Alma Scots, Dalton says they’re getting someone who will give it his all to succeed at the next level.
“Dedication, just wanting to come to practice every day, work in the offseason,” Dalton said. “I just want to put as much effort as I can into what I do. I’m thankful for all the coaches and all the opportunities they’ve given me and just helping me flourish into the person I am. And I cannot be more thankful to all the coaches have been able to help me with that. I love Gwinn, I love just the small town of it. Always from it, I would always claim I’m from it. I just love that aspect of it.”
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