Varsity Q&A: Bel Air wrestling's Chris Nice eclipses 100 career wins

Jan. 26—By Sam Cohn — scohn@baltsun.com

January 26, 2024 at 5:30 a.m.

Chris Nice knew the landmark win was coming because his parents diligently keep track. Ever since his sophomore year, his mom kept a running tally in her phone's notes app as Bel Air's top wrestler stacked win after win.

His freshman year was wiped out by the pandemic. His sophomore year included 26 wins. And as a junior, a lengthy undefeated run got him up to 47 against only four losses. "I was like, 'Hey, if I do this again I can easily hit 100,'" Nice said.

Nice was once the bottom of the totem pole at Bel Air. He has no hesitations to say he wasn't very talented as a freshman. A growing maturity and understanding that you can't win them all, "sometimes you gotta accept that," has helped relieve pressure and shape his success.

But the 2023 Aegis Wrestler of the Year still wants to win them all. And in his high school career, has gotten pretty darn close, culminating in Monday's post-match recognition of the accomplishment.

Nice recently spoke with The Aegis to reflect on his wrestling career and what it meant for him to reach the century wins mark before the end of his senior season. (Editor's note: some questions and answers have been lightly edited for clarity):

Can you walk me through your 100th win from Monday night and how that match went for you?

At first, I really wanted to try a spladle but it didn't really work so I didn't try to force it. So I just got behind and I finished the match [against North Harford] really fast.

Of the 100, the which three were your favorite or most memorable?

Definitely winning regionals my sophomore year. That was a big thing for me. I'd say the others were at the state tournament last year. I got injured in the first round but I bounced all the way back to placing [sixth in the state at 132 pounds]. I never placed at states as a kid. I wasn't very good at wrestling as a kid. Placing at states and doing well — I wanted to win — but it's always been an important thing for me to accomplish things I couldn't now that I can.

I just have some great coaches. My coaches really push me. All the coaches at Bel Air, I can tell they want the best for me. And all the coaches at Mavericks, like all the C. Milton Wright coaches who run that program, they're all just great guys who want the best for me.

How have you changed as a wrestler since your freshman year?

I've really matured a lot. I used to go 1,000 miles per hour all the time. Now, I'm a lot more controlled. Everything I do really has a purpose. I used to do all these funky moves and always go for the big pin. Over time I just realized, you got to do the little things before you go for all that, especially against kids as good as me.

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I feel like I've become a leader for the program. I try to set a good example working hard in practice. I kind of go around the room and see if anyone needs help. If the coaches aren't doing it, I'll help them out.

Who are some wrestlers you admire or model yourself after and why?

I really like Seth Gross [from Wisconsin] and [Olympic gold medalist] David Taylor, I watch them a lot. I'm not like the average build of a wrestler. I'm 6-foot tall and 150 pounds. There aren't a lot of dudes who are built like me. They have my build and they just wrestle different. I like that.

What's life like outside of wrestling for Chris Nice?

It's a lot of wrestling. I do a lot of offseason stuff. I help coach the juniors team a couple days a week. I like fishing and hanging out with my friends too. I caught a pretty big rainbow trout before that I always think about. My dad used to take me to a fishing camp in Pennsylvania. We went there every summer.

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