It’s no secret that it takes a special kind of person to compete in the premiere conference of college wrestling, The Big Ten.

From four-time state champions to Fargo All-Americans, high school prospects enter the sport with astounding resumes and incredible potential. But what happens when you don’t have all those accolades?

Indiana senior heavyweight Nick Willham faced this same challenge when he joined the team as a walk-on.

“I was only a state runner-up, I wasn’t nationally ranked. I remember just wanting the opportunity to wrestle.” Willham said.

And indeed he got the opportunity his first season, but that’s not to say the road was easy.

“I didn’t have a very good freshman year, but I felt like toward the end of my freshman year I started feeling like ‘okay I feel like stuffs starting to come together,” Willham said. “I was coming in for individuals a lot, working extra with Coach Dixon, and then Covid hit.”

And just like that hours, days, weeks, and months of progress down the drain. But instead of complaining, Nick faced the adversity head on and continued to do what he had always done before: put his head down and work hard.

That kind of effort and determination didn’t go unnoticed.

“His first summer he worked so hard that I came back circled around with him had a conversation and said ‘you’re getting a scholarship here ‘”,wrestling head coach Angel Escobedo said.

“We knew it was going to be something special and he was gonna progress really fast because of the work he put in.”

Both internal and external growth is a remarkable and inspiring accomplishment in it’s own right, but the most important thing Nick has found in his time as a Hoosier is purpose.

A purpose etched in the fabric of faith.

“I wouldn’t have gotten this opportunity without Him looking back I never really considered that,” Willham said. “I didn’t really deserve to be on the team here and somehow the Lord found a spot for me to start off my freshman year, starting.”

With the postseason looming, and the Big Ten Tournament right around the corner, tensions are building and stress levels are at an all time high. But when I watched Nick for the entirety of a wrestling practice, through all the drills, the cardio, the sweat, and the struggle, there was never a moment where he wasn’t smiling.

“It just comes back to I know this is where God wants me to be and I’m getting to do what I love doing and what he’s put me here to do,” Willham said. “I don’t know what could be better than that.”

It doesn’t get talked about enough, but the balance between school and sport for student athletes at the collegiate level is something not many individuals can do.

Nick took that challenge to another level. He started a business, and brought in senior teammate Nico Bolivar. Together, the two created Farmogic, a website that allows customers to shop for local produce and have it delivered right to their doors.

While the rapid development and success of Farmogic has been a pleasant surprise, it has been the blossoming friendship between Nick and Nico that has been the most life giving for the two business partners.

“I look at him as a brother,” Willham said. “It’s been awesome seeing him grow through wrestling, schooling, and his faith this whole adventure we’ve been on.”

“We didn’t really hang out too much until this past summer, and that’s when our relationship started to grow,” Bolivar said. “We really got to understand each other…our weaknesses, our strengths, and our struggles.”

“We both see each other growing each day, but we both see each other struggling in our weaknesses, and we’ll always be there to bring each other up, and hold each other accountable, and always look back to the Lord.”