Like most younger brothers, Jake Fleckenstein had to prove to himself that he could also compete with his older brother, Nathan, currently an elementary school teacher in Indianapolis. Unfortunately, Jake was too small in middle school to play football so he started to join the wrestling team since his older brother also wrestled. Jake’s family moved to Indiana after his mother passed away around three years of age. Their father Torry wanted his children to participate in athletics growing up and made a commitment to take an active role in their extracurricular activities. Jake struggled as a seventh grade student wrestling at 105-110 pounds, often finding himself in tears as he walked off the wrestling mat after a tough loss. “I would often get destroyed, but my father understood the extra time and effort needed to help me succeed in the sport,” explained the redshirt senior at 141 pounds for Purdue. “I started to get into the sport around eighth grade and my father drove me to tournaments and camps all throughout the Midwest to help me get more experience,“ said Jake. He lived in Indiana but wrestled near the Cincinnati, Ohio area where he was originally born and participated in the Cornhuskers Wrestling Club in Harrison, Ohio to hone his freestyle wrestling skills. “Jake has had to overcome many obstacles in his life like losing his mother at a young age or having to recover from a fireworks accident six weeks before a national tournament where he would represent the state of Indiana. Once his passion for the sport of wrestling started, he worked hard to catch up to his peers who had started competing in elementary school by wrestling over 100 matches in the off season” Torry Fleckenstein said, a professional contractor and owner of Amenity Homes which specializes in finishing basements in the Greater Cincinnati area.
In high school, Jake would develop his skills and talent wrestling from 112 pounds up to 130 pounds in East Central High School in St. Leon, Indiana under the watchful eye of head wrestling coach, Mark (Scott) Schwarz, who also coaches football. “At the time, we had a great group of kids who were brought up together in the youth program and Jake was one of the leaders of the pack,” Schwarz said. Coach Schwarz recognized Jake’s talent and work ethic early on in middle school and would ask Jake to work out with the high school team to help develop the young athlete. The hard work would pay off as a freshman in 2004, where his dedication and immediate impact to the team was shown by his recognition of the “Newcomer Award.” Growing up in a small town, his father Torry would drop him off near a utility building halfway towards school around 6:00AM each day where he would meet Coach Schwarz for a morning workout of lifting weights or running before class started. “For someone like Jake, the higher we set the goal, the harder he would work to accomplish it. Therefore, we continued to set the bar higher and higher and he was determined to get there,” Schwarz said. As Jake developed into a leader, he was voted team captain as a senior and received the “Most Valuable Wrestler” award in 2006 and 2007. Jake’s father, Torry and Coach Schwarz always pushed him but in opposite ways – his father was every energetic and vocal whereas Schwarz who is more soft spoken, set high standards of excellence for his wrestlers and his athletes knew what the final goal was without the need to have Schwarz remind it to them each day.
Jake wrestled much of his senior year of high school ranked first in his weight class and entered the Indiana state tournament with much excitement and anticipation after finishing fifth in the state as a junior. Fleckenstein would fall short of his goal of becoming a Indiana state champion as he lost in the state tournament during a quarterfinal match and wrestled back for fifth place again. “Our hearts just sank when we watched Jake get turned to his back and eventually lose that quarterfinal match in overtime knowing how much time and effort he had put into the sport,” his father Torry Fleckenstein explained. However, as a tribute to Jake’s character and resolve, while most would kids would have packed it in after losing and not realizing their goal of becoming a state champion, Jake wrestled back for fifth place again. “He was undefeated entering the state tournament and would only finish with one loss as a senior,” Coach Schwarz stated. ”Indiana is a unique state for the sport of high school wrestling as there is only one state champion per weight class (instead of grouped by school size) and quarterfinalists can only wrestle back for fifth place instead of third place,” Purdue Wrestling Coach Scott Hinkel said. ”Most kids at the top level of Division 1 wrestling are multiple time state champions or at least top three in there weight class from their respective state, so you often have some athletes that may be overlooked,” Hinkel explained. Disappointed with how he would finish his high school wrestling career, Jake would face more challenges as he learned that many of the NCAA Division I wrestling programs that had recruited him began to lose interest. Even though he had some friends and former teammates that wrestled at Indiana University, the school also did not offer Jake any opportunities to pursue the sport in college.
After wrestling at the high school Senior National tournament where he wrestled a few matches and eventually lost to Kellen Russell (Blair Academy graduate and NCAA Champion at 141 lbs for the University of Michigan), Jake received a phone call from Purdue wrestling coach Scott Hinkel on the drive back home with his father Torry. “Your best wrestling is yet to come” explained Hinkel and invited Jake for an official visit to campus. Coach Hinkel saw potential in Jake and a bit of himself as he had experienced the same challenges as a high school senior where he would also finish fifth in the state after a quaterfinal loss. “I thought Jake was slick on his feet and thought he had lost a match that he probably would have one 9 out of 10 times. We had some former Purdue wrestlers in the area who were coaching that recommended to take a second look at Jake despite his high school finish and saw a hidden gem. As I look back, Jake was actually one of the first official student athletes I had recruited since Jesse Reyes was still the head coach at the time and I wasn’t exactly sure I would even have the opportunity to become the head coach,” Scott Hinkel said. The same day Jake received his scholarship offer to sign with Purdue, Indiana University contacted Jake with an offer to wrestle there after one of their incoming recruits had backed out from a scholarship offer. Jake decided that since Scott Hinkel stuck with Jake from the beginning, despite falling short of some of his goals, that he would pursue his higher education and continue his wrestling career at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. “We were impressed with the presentation of Purdue from Coach Scott Hinkel to our family, who also grew up in the same area in Ohio. The total package of a degree from a top university, opportunity to wrestle in the Big Ten, and successful career opportunities upon graduation was the perfect fit for someone like Jake ” Torry Fleckenstein said.
For Jake, the toughest transition from high school wrestling to college was the fact that his technique was still not as developed as his peers since he did not grow up around participating in wrestling his whole life as others do. He did not have to look far for top workout partners to train with each day as Chris Fleeger, a two time NCAA finalist and three time All-American would find time in help develop Jake’s skills to then next level. “Chris and I worked each day in a manner which I would describe as tough love. Fleeger taught me how to hand fight, be stingy, and beat me up every day,” Jake said. In the practice room, his teammates tease him and call him “Dr. Fleckenstein” for his sarcastic comments. “Doctor Fleckenstein” has tried to utilize the experience and draw on the strengths of the entire Purdue wrestling coaching staff. For example, head coach Scott Hinkel and former coach Chris Fleeger have been instrumental in helping Jake develop his takedown skills and defense on his feet. Jake is not afraid to work out with even the upper weight coaches like Ben Wissel or Tom Erikson who are explosive and can gain learn from their experience at competing on the national level. Fleckenstein also works closely with Ben Sprunger and Pete Rodgers to discuss strategy on his opponents and ability to ride his opponents from the top position.
After a great summer of work outs and pre-season training, Jake started his freshman year with a grand entrance and won the Eastern Michigan open and as a result of his performance was honored as “Big Ten Wrestler of the Week.” A few weeks later, he would wrestle at the prestigious Midlands tournament where he tore his hamstring and could not come back to wrestle that season. As a sophomore, Fleckenstein won the wrestle off’s to earn a starting spot on the team but developed another leg injury when he tore his groin muscle during a dual meet against Rider in Virginia. Jake was determined to come back strong from the injury and came back within five months instead of the six months that doctors had scheduled for him. As a junior, Jake cut weight and made the transition down to 133 pounds where he would defeat Lou Ruggirello, an All-American at Hofstra, in an early season match at Edinboro in Pennsylvania. Eventually, he moved back up to 141 pounds for the team where it was a more natural weight class despite being smaller for the weight. This year, Jake has worked closely with the team’s new weightlifting coach by putting on weight and strength in the offseason in order to make a name for himself not only at the Big Ten Tournament (on campus at Purdue in West Lafayette this March 3rd and 4th, 2012) but at the national NCAA tournament as well. Fleckenstein enters his final season as a wrestler for Purdue with a clear goal: to become an NCAA All-American. With his determination, drive, and ability to overcome obstacles, Jake is looking to make his dream a reality this spring. “Our goals for Jake this year is the same as all of our members of our senior class (Matt Fields, Jake Fleckenstein, A.J. Kissel, and Roger Vukobratovich): 100% graduation rate, 3.0% Grade Point Average (GPA), and to be prepared to win everytime they step on the wrestling mat. Throughout Jake’s wrestling career at Purdue, he has proven his ability to get big wins over top wrestlers but he needs to be able to put seven tough minutes together during a match and be consistent throughout the entire season,” explained Scott Hinkel.
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In the near future, the 141 pound red shirt senior plans to apply for a medical redshirt and will hear back from the NCAA in the next month on whether or not he will be able to get another year of competition back after two injury riddled seasons were cut short. After graduating from Purdue, Jake will utilize his degree in movement and sports science to pursue a career in physical therapy, a growing industry with the baby boom generation entering into retirement. “My wife is involved in the home health field and daughter is a contractor for the World Health Organization so I think hearing about the medical field growing up may have sparked an interest for Jake,” explained his father Torry. Fleckenstein also plans to continue to stay involved with the sport and has considered moving back near his home town to help with the local high school programs. “While most college students would probably forget about their high school program, Jake has made it a priority to give back and help coach kids at local summer camps,” Scott Schwarz said. He hopes that one day, he can give back to the sport which has given so much to him by having an opportunity to get into coaching on the collegiate level. “I am so proud to be a member of the Purdue wrestling family,” Jake said. “I enjoy spending time with some of the recently graduated wrestlers and upper classmen on the team whom I have spent so much time training and going into battle with. I know these bonds will last not only in college but throughout life.”
On the average school day, you can find Jake can wake up around 5:00AM for a lift or run, shortly followed by classes and rehabilitation for his leg injuries in the afternoon around 2:00PM. After two hours of wrestling practice, you can find Jake studying together with the Purdue wrestling team in small groups until he finally gets home around 7:00-9:00PM before enjoying an hour or two of personal time before bed. Despite his busy schedule as a Purdue wrestler, Jake knows that no other sport will teach him the life skills like discipline, motivation, and strong work ethic that wrestling has taught him. He hopes to take this “blue collar” work ethic and approach to his academics and professional career after graduation. “The self reliance, mental toughness and willingness to help his team are traits that Jake will be able to utilize after his wrestling career is over” Scott Schwarz said, who still follows his pupil’s wrestling career online through PurdueSports.com and other wrestling websites. “As a father, I hope that Jake can walk away from the sport without any disappointments, knowing that he gave it his best shot and that his family is very proud of him,” Torry said.
“Don’t look for gratification for what is expected…do something great,” Jake said. That’s what drives Jake every day and will push him towards his goal of standing on the podium at the NCAA’s this upcoming season as a 141 pound wrestler for Purdue and a successful career as a physical therapist upon graduation.
Media Links:
Player Bio from PurdueSports.com: http://www.purduesports.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/fleckenstein_jake00.html
Press Release as Big Ten Wrestler of the Week: http://www.purduesports.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/110408aaa.html
Video from win over Nathan McCormick of Missouri, 4-2 to help #21 Purdue defeat #16 Missouri in December 2010: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=475551248810
High School Wrestling Photos:
