Building Tomorrow's Leaders: St. Andrews Wrestling Program Prioritizes Success on the Mat and in the Classroom
Head Coach Marquis Camp pushes for academic success while taking on rigorous schedule
Wrestling Head Coach Marquis Camp makes it a point every year to emphasize the significance of success beyond the mat to his athletes.
Beyond qualifying athletes for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes National Wrestling Tournament, the second year Knights’ head coach of both the men’s and women’s program has no hesitation in stating the next goal of equal significance.
“(I want to see) Academic All-Americans,” Camp said. “That’s on both (the men’s and women’s) side. I really feel, between the two programs, we could get five to six kids to become Academic All-Americans. That carries more weight to me than anything. If you are doing all the right things everywhere else, everything will fall into place like it’s supposed to.”
A crucial component needed to reach that goal is embedding accountability in the team culture. In the middle of 6:00 a.m. lifting sessions and long road trips to cold climates like Jamestown, North Dakota, Camp finds methods to promote consistency and discipline in the middle of the mundane.
“(Students) all want accountability, as much as they may fight it,” Camp said. “Accountability is a huge thing. They hold each other accountable, too. That’s really good to see…if you can remember to keep your locker clean, if you can remember to go to class, you’re showing up everywhere on time, you’re holding yourself to a higher standard, and you’re out in the community doing stuff, the winning comes after that.”
Both teams will have their talent put to the test this season as they compete in one of the toughest NAIA conferences in the country. For the men, there is currently four nationally ranked top-10 teams in the Appalachian Athletic Conference, and five top-10 women’s teams in the Mid-South Conference.
The men have shown considerable potential thus far for what they will bring to their matches, with three players posting competitive personal records in the team's first three matchups - senior Israel Schultz is currently 4-2, freshman David Coptsias is 5-4, and sophomore Jonah McBurney is 7-4.
Camp believes it is just the beginning, with the potential to qualify five to six men for the national tournament in March. He knows it won’t come without a considerable amount of hard work and dedication.
As for his part in the program’s success, he knows he needs to be a steady and dependable leader to create an environment where student will want to spend the entirety of their collegiate careers. He believes the St. Andrews culture offers athletes an atmosphere that will ultimately lead to success not only on the mat, but later in life.
“It’s family,” Camp said. “Everybody gets treated the same. I tell every young person, we want to give you a chance to write your own story. This is a chance for you to be the author of your own story for the rest of your life. It’s a big decision, but it’s a place where you can elevate and grow.”
The next match for the men will be at Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina on Nov. 29.