Photos by Hillary Ehlen
Cam Sykora
- Redshirt Junior
- Wheaton, Minnesota
- 133 pounds
- Sykora was an NCAA qualifier at 133 pounds last season for the Bison and a two-time qualifier overall.
Why NDSU wrestling?
I started out at SDSU, I transferred in. Just kind of buying into the culture here, the workout partners I had here. I mean, when I first came here, I had Josh Rodriguez to work out with every day, so that was a big factor. It was close to home, close to family. Those were the big factors.
How do you define the word tradition and how does it relate to NDSU wrestling?
Committed to excellence every day. Dedication and buying into the culture that we have established here. We’re starting to get back to that more now. Believing in each other as a team too.
What is the difference between wrestling at NDSU compared to other places?
The big difference is the communication with the coaches, it’s a lot better relationships overall. There’s more understanding and just a better situation.
If you had to describe NDSU wrestling in one word, what would it be?
Dedication.
Cordell Eaton
- Redshirt Junior
- Long Grove, Iowa
- 197 pounds
- Had a 16-15 record for the Bison last season and was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Wrestling first team.
Why NDSU wrestling?
The driving force for me was the engineering school, but I also like that it was a little bit of a smaller school, but still Division I. There are a lot of people here with the same lifestyle as me, being from small towns and stuff. That was a big plus too.
How do you define the word tradition and how does it relate to NDSU wrestling?
To me, that means that people just expect to win and are expected to work hard. When people look at our program, they see us as hard workers. Even if we are not the more talented team, we’ll still compete with anybody.
What is the difference between wrestling at NDSU and other places?
The mindset that we’re not going to beat anybody by being more talented, but we’re going to beat them by grinding them down and working harder than them.
Being from a small town in Iowa, how important is a city like Fargo for you?
It’s pretty important. If I was in a city that didn’t have that small-town feel, I would feel very claustrophobic. Fargo feels open and it doesn’t feel like you’re trapped anywhere and you can head out of town if you want to. Just the general happiness and keeping a positive mindset has really helped me.
