2/1/07

The Long Road Back

A freak leg injury suffered during a golf tournament cost Mavericks junior Jason Rhoten a shot at a national title. A year of rehab and hard work later, Rhoten is back and better than ever.

by Tyler Buckentine
Issue date: 2/1/07
Section: Mens Sports

Throughout his entire wrestling career, Jason Rhoten never suffered more than an ankle sprain in wrestling-related injuries. So when MSU's 149-pounder played in a fundraiser golf tournament in his hometown of Kasson, Minn. on June 4, 2005, getting injured never crossed his mind.

Maybe it should have.

While Rhoten was riding passenger in a golf cart on an asphalt trail from hole eight to nine, the cart picked up speed while going down the hill as the driver lost control of the cart.

When the driver hit the breaks, his side locked up. As the cart skidded out of control, it rolled and sent Rhoten airborne into a tree, breaking his femur, otherwise known as the thigh bone.

"My first thoughts were, 'I'm not going to be able to wrestle. I knew right away that my leg was broken because it looked all deformed,'" Said Rhoten, who is ranked second in the Division II Coaches Poll. "I called my parents right away before the ambulance got there. I didn't want them to get a call from the hospital and make them worry."

"I was talking to [Jason's] mom. She said right away he was thinking 'wrestling, wrestling, wrestling' and 'what this is going to do to my wrestling?'" said MSU coach Jim Makovsky.

Rhoten had a titanium rod put in his leg following the injury and the two-time All-American was expected back on the mat by Christmas. But as the season came closer, Rhoten's leg wasn't completely healed and neither he nor Makovsky were going to take a chance on it. In return, Rhoten was given a medical redshirt and another year of college eligibility.

"It was a medical decision more or less. I couldn't get it cleared by the doctors because the muscle in the leg wasn't strong enough to protect my knee," Rhoten said. "It was the training staff, coaches' and my decision, really.

"I focused initially on being able to wrestle [last season] but as reality set in and I couldn't wrestle, I focused on just rehab and working the upper body."

It didn't take long for Rhoten to realize that watching his teammates from the sidelines in street clothes wasn't for him. The previous season as a sophomore in 2005, Rhoten took second at the National Championsips and placed fourth the year before that as a freshman.

"It hurt to watch because the team was so close to winning a national title and not being able to contribute to the team in terms of being on the mat," Rhoten said. "I tried to contribute in other ways, helping here and there, doing what I can."

Teammates and coaches also knew he wanted to be on the mat and not on the bench.

"I had just transferred here so I hadn't wrestled with him before, but I could just tell, just by talking to the other guys that he was a big part of the team," said Mavericks 165-pounder Andy Pickar, a junior transfer from North Dakota State. "I know it hurt him a lot, sitting there having to watch practice everyday and not being able to help the team."

"He knew we were in the middle of title run and he wanted to be out there. The team is really important to him," Makovsky said. "He wanted to be out there for himself, but I know he wanted to be out there for the team, too."

The Mavericks probably could've used Rhoten as they placed fifth at the DII National Finals last March, finishing 53.5 points behind conference rival and National Champion Nebraska-Omaha.

Making the Comeback

Coming off a whole year without wrestling a match, Rhoten wasn't afraid to admit that he didn't look his best in the early portion of the 2006-07 season, starting out 10-7.

"It was difficult, physically, because I had been out for so long," Rhoten said. "I looked a little rusty and a little slow, but it was also mentally difficult because I was going from being just a fan back to the mentality of going out there and wrestling every match.

"Personally, it wasn't what I really wanted because I always expect more out of myself, but from other people's perspectives it was a really great thing for me to even be back out on the mat, considering what happened to me."

"Jason was so charged up and motivated that I think his mind was racing a little faster than his body," Makovsky said. "It might not sound like it makes sense, but you have to try harder less so you don't get ahead of yourself."

Rhoten has been on fire since his early season slump, winning fifteen straight heading into tonight's dual with Upper Iowa.

"I've taken a lot of pressure off myself to just go out there and do my best. It's not so much about placing the highest right now, because I want to have my best performance at nationals," Rhoten said.

"I think he's gotten back into the flow of things where he doesn't have to think as much. He can just let it happen," Makovsky said.

Even though he was out a year, Rhoten retained his captain status, which was given to him his sophomore year. He would've been a captain last year, had he not gotten injured.

"It's an honor to be selected as captain. You put a lot more emphasis on the team. You think about the team more than yourself as an individual," Rhoten said.

"He's kind of a quiet kid but he's one of our biggest leaders," Pickar said. "By his presence in the wrestling room and being around the guys makes a difference with his dedication and work ethic.

"This year he's finally back from his injury, wrestling tough with a lot of heart."

Unlike 2006, Rhoten will be able to help the Mavericks in their quest for a national championship. Don't expect Rhoten to be planning any golf outings between now and then, however.

"There's a lesson to be learned here: you don't take things for granted. You're grateful for every day you have. When you're grateful, practice isn't a drag," Makovsky said. "You're grateful that you have the ability and the mentality that you've been blessed with and you don't take that for granted.

"I think Jason appreciates every single day; not only of his life, but participating in college wrestling. It's a great privilege."

Tyler Buckentine is the Reporter Assistant Sports Editor