Off the Mat with Jake Faust

GoDuke.com recently caught up with redshirt junior Jake Faust before he heads to New York City for the 2016 NCAA Championships. Faust earned an automatic bid to the NCAA postseason event by taking fifth in a loaded 165-pound bracket at the ACC Championships.

A native of Bellville, Ohio, Faust will be making his first appearance at NCAAs and is 18-8 overall heading into Madison Square Garden. He went 5-1 against ranked opponents all year and was 4-1 against his ACC foes. Read more about Faust and what has led him to being successful and healthy this year and what he wants to eat as soon as the season is over.

GoDuke: What are your keys to success?

Jake Faust: For me it's definitely just getting to my offense. I think every interview I've had I always tell people I need to get to my offense because when I do I score and that's kind of the point in wrestling.

GoDuke: You've battled injuries over the course of your career. What has been different?

JF: I think I had better communication with the coaches. I sat out the Wolfpack Open because I was feeling a little beat up and I think the same thing goes for practices too. If I was hurting a little bit, I'd talk to the coaches and we'd work things out where I wasn't losing conditioning, but I was staying off the mat a little bit to stay healthy.

GoDuke: What was it about you wrestling ranked opponents this season? Why so much success?

JF: It's a good and a bad thing. I wrestle, down or up, to people's potential so I think when I'm in a big match I wrestle up to that level and when I'm also in a match where my opponent isn't as strong I kind of wrestle down. I think at the end of the season I got away from wrestling down to my opponent and only wrestled up.

GoDuke: What is the first word or two words that come to mind when someone says Coach Lanham?

JF: Dedication, hard work, commitment

GoDuke: What is your most memorable individual match this year?

JF: I think the UNC match [against John Michael Staudenmayer] just because I knew it was such a big match for the dual. Obviously, I was excited to get that win for myself, but also I knew that could really turn the tide for the dual.

GoDuke: What is the first food you want to eat after NCAAs?

JF: Definitely stromboli. I've been craving that all season.

GoDuke: How much have you looked at future opponents in the bracket?

JF: I think you have to take it one match at a time so it doesn't really make sense to look three people ahead or anything like that. We haven't really watched a lot because you go out and force your will on that person and force your style on them, because if I sit back and wait it doesn't usually turn out great for me. I think that's something that we've focused on this last week – forcing my will and wrestling my style against my opponents.

GoDuke: Feeling after you knew you qualified for the NCAA Championships?

JF: I was definitely excited. It was a relief to get it out of the way, being my first time qualifying. When I sat down and made my goals at the beginning of the year it wasn't to be an NCAA qualifier it was to be an All-American so I'm still trying to obtain that. When I look back I'm sure I'll be proud of myself for making it, but ultimately I want to be an All-American this year.

GoDuke: Are you familiar with New York City and Madison Square Garden?

JF: I've been there one time, when we went as a team [to the Grapple at the Garden]. I don't know much about the city and I'm not really familiar with big cities, but it will be fun. I think when it's all said and done it might be fun to explore and that kind of thing, but ultimately we're going there to wrestle. The venue is cool, but once you're inside it doesn't matter where you are, you're inside.

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Off the Mat with Jake Faust

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Jake Faust

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Off the Mat with Jake Faust

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