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Big Strides for Duke's Latest Rising Star
1/13/2020 9:28:00 AM | Wrestling
This story originally ran in the 11.5 Issue of GoDuke, the Magazine -- Dec. 2019
Fifteen months into his collegiate wrestling career, redshirt freshman Mason Eaglin is starting to come into his own, while also bringing comparisons to one of the all-time great Blue Devil wrestlers, Conner Hartmann.
Eaglin and Hartmann share a hometown in Port Orchard, Wash., 13 miles west of West Seattle, and an alma mater in South Kitsap High School. Hartmann arrived at Duke in August of 2011 right on the heels of Eaglin's 11th birthday and with current head coach Glen Lanham serving in the assistant coach role.
Fast forward a few years and Hartmann was on his way to becoming Duke's most decorated wrestler in program history as a four-time NCAA qualifier and three-time NCAA All-American, while Eaglin was starting to compile an impressive scholastic resumé at South Kitsap. Eaglin was a four-time 4A state placer and two-time state finalist, winning the top prize at 170 pounds his senior season and going 35-1 overall.
While wrestling is not for the feint of heart at any level, the competition in the wrestling room at the Division I collegiate level ramps up a notch. Eaglin, possessing an exemplary work ethic, started the grind as soon as he stepped on campus as his expectations of life in the room being challenging both physically and emotionally were quickly confirmed in an early-season weekend practice.
"We did a really hard live practice on a Saturday where it was a lot of matches and I wrestled Mitch Finesilver and then Matt Finesilver," Eaglin said in describing a welcome to college moment last year. "It did not go well. After that we did conditioning and I just remember I was on my back when the match ended and then the coaches said to get on the wall (for more conditioning) and I took maybe an extra second to get up and then I heard yelling, 'Get on the wall!' That was a pretty big eye-opener, but it was about what I expected."
Unfazed by the workouts, Eaglin made his collegiate debut wrestling unattached at 165 pounds in the freshman and sophomore division of the Hokie Open. A true freshman, he picked up his first win in his second match, pinning his opponent in the first period. He added three more wins, including another fall, eventually going 4-2 on his opening weekend. Eaglin also competed at the prestigious Southern Scuffle, earning valuable matches against top wrestlers.
The fresh-faced and quiet Eaglin put his nose to the grindstone for the rest of his rookie season as a redshirt, working hard to get better on the mat and all the while achieving in the classroom. As wrestling season wound down in March, Eaglin stayed status quo. He hit the weight room and the wrestling room for the remained of the academic year and beginning of summer in preparation for the next season — his first in a Duke singlet.
"I've made big strides in the wrestling room," said Eaglin. "I've gotten a lot stronger too, thanks to Coach (Alex) Merrill. But in the wrestling room my technique has changed a lot and gotten crisper and a lot better."
Following the example set by Duke's most successful wrestlers, including Hartmann, Eaglin wrestled all spring and into the summer before taking a short break to travel to Europe before starting his sophomore year in the classroom. His work in the offseason and summer paid dividends in Lanham's eyes immediately this fall.
"He's focused on getting to his shots," said Lanham. "He still has a lot to work on. I think his ceiling is pretty high. It's identical to Conner. Conner was not fluid his freshman year. Coming off his redshirt year, he just clicked and I think that's the same growth Mason will have."
Hartmann opened his redshirt freshman season with a bang, going 8-1 in his first two tournaments. Eaglin captured his first collegiate title to open the 2019-20 season, winning the 174-pound division at the Battle at The Citadel. He dominated his opponents, registering two technical falls and a major decision before beating Stanford's Foster Karmon by a 5-1 decision in the title bout.
The next weekend wasn't quite as smooth at the Mountaineer Invitational for Eaglin. Admittedly not mentally focused, he was put on his back by Cody Surrat of Air Force in the first minute of his opening match. Eaglin rebounded with a pair of decisions, but once again was pinned in the consolation semifinal to finish fifth overall.
"He got pinned twice at that tournament and came off the mat and said, 'I just don't know what's going on. I have to get my head right,'" Lanham said of Eaglin's struggles at Appalachian State.
Whatever fog Eaglin was trying to see through clearly broke before the team headed north to the Keystone Classic hosted by Penn.
One week away from the top of the podium apparently didn't sit well with the 19-year old redshirt freshman. Not considered a top seed in the bracket that included the 2019 Southern Conference wrestler of the year and NCAA qualifier Neal Richards and 2019 NCAA qualifier Dean Sherry, Eaglin pinned his first opponent and marched through an 8-3 decision to earn a spot against top-seed and 10th-ranked Sherry in the semifinals.
Locked in, Eaglin cruised past Sherry in a 9-4 decision before besting Richards by an 11-0 major decision en route to being named the tournament's most outstanding wrestler.
"I just told myself it doesn't matter if you get taken down and it doesn't matter if you start losing the match," Eaglin said. "I've learned that from guys on this team. Josh (Finesilver) last year had a few times where he would get down like eight points and then break a guy and win. That was really inspiring. I just keep that in my head. I just keep wrestling."
For Lanham he didn't see much difference in Eaglin's demeanor, but saw a more focused individual on the mat.
"I think he stayed more focused in his wrestling (at the Keystone Classic)," said the coach. "He stayed in good positions. He worked on what he was coached to do. He didn't try to do anything extra or extraordinary. He learned from the last week's tournament that one split second of not being focused can have bad consequences."
Eaglin envisions more wins in his future and in a reflection to his calm and cool demeanor knows if he does suffer a setback, it will be a lesson he can turn into victories down the road.
Lanham also sees a huge upside and bright future for his 174-pounder. A spot at the NCAA Championships is within reach this season, mirroring Hartmann's path in Lanham's mind. Like Hartmann, Lanham believes Eaglin's steely focus and ability to be in the moment will serve him well as he takes aim at climbing onto the ultimate stage.
"He's so even-keeled and nothing affects him too much, I think that's going to be an aid for him. Conner was steady and Mason is the same cut. He's just steady and nothing fazes him too much. He doesn't get super high and he doesn't get super low and when you go to nationals that's a wrestler who has a lot of success."
Eaglin's work ethic and drive is exemplary and makes him a teammate you'd like to emulate, but Lanham sees an untapped leadership resource as he helps Eaglin to find his voice as a leader.
A self-professed leader by example on a young squad, Lanham thinks, similar to Hartmann, Eaglin will find his time when his voice needs to be heard. It may not be this season, but Lanham is certain the transformation will happen.
"I think he's more of an example right now," Lanham said. "Conner was not a good leader his redshirt freshman year. He grew into being vocal and I think Mason will be the same way. I think as he grows in confidence he's going to grow into being more of a vocal type of leader."
Meanwhile, the transformation on the mat is unfolding right now and one certainty for Eaglin is there will be more wins to come.
"I see myself not losing," Eaglin said when asked about his vision heading into 2020. "I'm just going to throw it all out there and if I do lose it's only going to make me better. I'm really excited to see how my training helps me."
Eaglin and the Blue Devils have a short break for the holiday season before returning to compete in the South Beach Wrestling Duals in Florida at the end of December. He makes his home and ACC debut Jan. 25 against Pittsburgh.
Fifteen months into his collegiate wrestling career, redshirt freshman Mason Eaglin is starting to come into his own, while also bringing comparisons to one of the all-time great Blue Devil wrestlers, Conner Hartmann.
Eaglin and Hartmann share a hometown in Port Orchard, Wash., 13 miles west of West Seattle, and an alma mater in South Kitsap High School. Hartmann arrived at Duke in August of 2011 right on the heels of Eaglin's 11th birthday and with current head coach Glen Lanham serving in the assistant coach role.
Fast forward a few years and Hartmann was on his way to becoming Duke's most decorated wrestler in program history as a four-time NCAA qualifier and three-time NCAA All-American, while Eaglin was starting to compile an impressive scholastic resumé at South Kitsap. Eaglin was a four-time 4A state placer and two-time state finalist, winning the top prize at 170 pounds his senior season and going 35-1 overall.
While wrestling is not for the feint of heart at any level, the competition in the wrestling room at the Division I collegiate level ramps up a notch. Eaglin, possessing an exemplary work ethic, started the grind as soon as he stepped on campus as his expectations of life in the room being challenging both physically and emotionally were quickly confirmed in an early-season weekend practice.
"We did a really hard live practice on a Saturday where it was a lot of matches and I wrestled Mitch Finesilver and then Matt Finesilver," Eaglin said in describing a welcome to college moment last year. "It did not go well. After that we did conditioning and I just remember I was on my back when the match ended and then the coaches said to get on the wall (for more conditioning) and I took maybe an extra second to get up and then I heard yelling, 'Get on the wall!' That was a pretty big eye-opener, but it was about what I expected."
Unfazed by the workouts, Eaglin made his collegiate debut wrestling unattached at 165 pounds in the freshman and sophomore division of the Hokie Open. A true freshman, he picked up his first win in his second match, pinning his opponent in the first period. He added three more wins, including another fall, eventually going 4-2 on his opening weekend. Eaglin also competed at the prestigious Southern Scuffle, earning valuable matches against top wrestlers.
The fresh-faced and quiet Eaglin put his nose to the grindstone for the rest of his rookie season as a redshirt, working hard to get better on the mat and all the while achieving in the classroom. As wrestling season wound down in March, Eaglin stayed status quo. He hit the weight room and the wrestling room for the remained of the academic year and beginning of summer in preparation for the next season — his first in a Duke singlet.
"I've made big strides in the wrestling room," said Eaglin. "I've gotten a lot stronger too, thanks to Coach (Alex) Merrill. But in the wrestling room my technique has changed a lot and gotten crisper and a lot better."
Following the example set by Duke's most successful wrestlers, including Hartmann, Eaglin wrestled all spring and into the summer before taking a short break to travel to Europe before starting his sophomore year in the classroom. His work in the offseason and summer paid dividends in Lanham's eyes immediately this fall.
"He's focused on getting to his shots," said Lanham. "He still has a lot to work on. I think his ceiling is pretty high. It's identical to Conner. Conner was not fluid his freshman year. Coming off his redshirt year, he just clicked and I think that's the same growth Mason will have."
Hartmann opened his redshirt freshman season with a bang, going 8-1 in his first two tournaments. Eaglin captured his first collegiate title to open the 2019-20 season, winning the 174-pound division at the Battle at The Citadel. He dominated his opponents, registering two technical falls and a major decision before beating Stanford's Foster Karmon by a 5-1 decision in the title bout.
The next weekend wasn't quite as smooth at the Mountaineer Invitational for Eaglin. Admittedly not mentally focused, he was put on his back by Cody Surrat of Air Force in the first minute of his opening match. Eaglin rebounded with a pair of decisions, but once again was pinned in the consolation semifinal to finish fifth overall.
"He got pinned twice at that tournament and came off the mat and said, 'I just don't know what's going on. I have to get my head right,'" Lanham said of Eaglin's struggles at Appalachian State.
Whatever fog Eaglin was trying to see through clearly broke before the team headed north to the Keystone Classic hosted by Penn.
One week away from the top of the podium apparently didn't sit well with the 19-year old redshirt freshman. Not considered a top seed in the bracket that included the 2019 Southern Conference wrestler of the year and NCAA qualifier Neal Richards and 2019 NCAA qualifier Dean Sherry, Eaglin pinned his first opponent and marched through an 8-3 decision to earn a spot against top-seed and 10th-ranked Sherry in the semifinals.
Locked in, Eaglin cruised past Sherry in a 9-4 decision before besting Richards by an 11-0 major decision en route to being named the tournament's most outstanding wrestler.
"I just told myself it doesn't matter if you get taken down and it doesn't matter if you start losing the match," Eaglin said. "I've learned that from guys on this team. Josh (Finesilver) last year had a few times where he would get down like eight points and then break a guy and win. That was really inspiring. I just keep that in my head. I just keep wrestling."
For Lanham he didn't see much difference in Eaglin's demeanor, but saw a more focused individual on the mat.
"I think he stayed more focused in his wrestling (at the Keystone Classic)," said the coach. "He stayed in good positions. He worked on what he was coached to do. He didn't try to do anything extra or extraordinary. He learned from the last week's tournament that one split second of not being focused can have bad consequences."
Eaglin envisions more wins in his future and in a reflection to his calm and cool demeanor knows if he does suffer a setback, it will be a lesson he can turn into victories down the road.
Lanham also sees a huge upside and bright future for his 174-pounder. A spot at the NCAA Championships is within reach this season, mirroring Hartmann's path in Lanham's mind. Like Hartmann, Lanham believes Eaglin's steely focus and ability to be in the moment will serve him well as he takes aim at climbing onto the ultimate stage.
"He's so even-keeled and nothing affects him too much, I think that's going to be an aid for him. Conner was steady and Mason is the same cut. He's just steady and nothing fazes him too much. He doesn't get super high and he doesn't get super low and when you go to nationals that's a wrestler who has a lot of success."
Eaglin's work ethic and drive is exemplary and makes him a teammate you'd like to emulate, but Lanham sees an untapped leadership resource as he helps Eaglin to find his voice as a leader.
A self-professed leader by example on a young squad, Lanham thinks, similar to Hartmann, Eaglin will find his time when his voice needs to be heard. It may not be this season, but Lanham is certain the transformation will happen.
"I think he's more of an example right now," Lanham said. "Conner was not a good leader his redshirt freshman year. He grew into being vocal and I think Mason will be the same way. I think as he grows in confidence he's going to grow into being more of a vocal type of leader."
Meanwhile, the transformation on the mat is unfolding right now and one certainty for Eaglin is there will be more wins to come.
"I see myself not losing," Eaglin said when asked about his vision heading into 2020. "I'm just going to throw it all out there and if I do lose it's only going to make me better. I'm really excited to see how my training helps me."
Eaglin and the Blue Devils have a short break for the holiday season before returning to compete in the South Beach Wrestling Duals in Florida at the end of December. He makes his home and ACC debut Jan. 25 against Pittsburgh.
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