Herbert Isn't Done Yet

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Photo Credit: Todd Schumacher, KMOV-TV Sports

By Seth Schwartz
Special to Illinois Matmen

Comfortable in any position, on and off the mat, Jake Herbert sat down to field questions after his second NCAA title.

A reporter asked, ‘If you could be a character in a movie, who would you be?’

Actually, Herbert has starred quite well as himself in part one of his tenure at Northwestern.

The Wexford, Pa. native concluded an exceptional college campaign with a 138-4 record, 102 victories in 103 matches, 66 consecutive wins, a third, second and two firsts, the last a 6-3 decision over Ohio State’s Mike Pucillo (184) at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

“They say college is the best four-to-six years of your life and I think I’m proof of that,” quipped Herbert, who brought a laugh from everyone in the room. He took an Olympic redshirt year in 2007-2008. “College wrestling is an awesome lifestyle. I have to thank [Northwestern coach] Tim Cysewski because I wouldn’t have done any of this without him. I wouldn’t have wanted to wrestle for anybody else and it’s a special kind of guy that can handle me for six years.”

Despite a 971 winning clip, fifth best in the country since 1975, Herbert, like all freshmen, did have his lunch handed to him a few times.

“Jake wasn’t used to getting beat up in practice,” said Cysewski. “He got frustrated that first year because he wasn’t as dominant as he wanted to be. He learned from his mistakes. Before you get really good, you do get beat.”

Rarely.

Herbert’s progression was enhanced by Bill Scheer [the first two years] and when Mike Tamillow came in his sophomore season.

“Jake took Tamillow under his wing and made a monster out of him,” Cysewski stated.

While Herbert possesses incredible strength, he’s also an analytical student, meticulous in critiquing his own play.

“Our styles blended in some aspects,” said Tamillow, who is living at the United States Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, Co. “You have to be a smart wrestler to be good. Jake thinks things through. If I did something sloppy he would tell me what to do. Sometimes he would get stuck and ask me what he needed to do in a particular situation.”

Brains and brawn are a staple for the Northwestern graduate. At the weigh-in, Herbert will try and get under his opponents skin. Before a match he keeps the mood light, but a couple minutes before taking the mat he transforms and turns the intensity level up full blast.

“Jake is extremely coachable,” said assistant coach Drew Pariano. “He watches a lot of video tape. He’s always looking for ways to improve. He’s so strong and uses his whole body. Jake got two minutes of riding time against a guy [Purcillo] who never gets ridden. He uses his hips so well. Jake’s made a lot of improvement defensively. He always has a plan laid out. He’ll say I need you to remind me of these one or two things. Everything else is on auto pilot.”

Coming out of high school, Herbert was sold on Northwestern because of their distinguished academic reputation and the chance to compete in the best conference in the country.

“I really liked the coaching staff,” said Herbert. Penn coach Rob Eiter, who was an assistant at Clarion and Northwestern [at that time], knew Herbert’s father, Jim, and was instrumental in the recruiting process. “Timmy is really laid back and was a great guy to wrestle for. Redshirting that first year gave me a chance to mature and get stronger lifting. Northwestern gave me a world-class education; I met a lot of really smart and amazing people here.”

Moving on to the next chapter of his career, most figure Herbert will continue to flourish in freestyle.

The Wildcats’ bus pulled onto the Evanston campus from St. Louis at 3:30 pm Sunday, an hour later Herbert went for a run in preparation for the University Nationals April 8-11 in Las Vegas. He has a good chance to make the United States World Team [Council Bluffs, Iowa May 30-31]. He was a university champion in freestyle [85 kilograms] in 2006, ’08 and took a bronze medal at the university world championships in 06 and ’08. In the offseason at Northwestern, Herbert honed his freestyle skills at Overtime Wrestling scrimmaging with Sean Bormet and John Kading.

“Jake has made a lot of improvements already,” said Bormet. “He’s very good on his feet and his leg attack is vastly improved. I don’t think Jake has scratched the surface in freestyle. I think he has a chance for a great international career. I hope he wrestles through 2016 [completing two Olympic cycles].”

“Jake’s personality is healthy for our sport. He’s a guy who enjoys life and people. He values his relationships and is positive in everything he does.”

A free spirit, Herbert’s amiable demeanor makes him a pleasure to be around. After pounding opponents for seven minutes [although it usually doesn’t go that long], he can step off the mat, get in front of the television camera and carry an interview for five minutes.

“Jake is a superstar; he has the most dynamic personality in wrestling,” said Pariano. “He lifts a room when he walks in. Jake’s a good face for wrestling to market.”

This spring, Herbert will begin teaching with Donny Reynolds at Overtime’s Crystal Lake facility. He’ll be involved with Northwestern next season, either as an assistant or with the Wildcat Wrestling Club.