Welcome to Saturday Spotlight, where we dive into the lives of Ohio State student-athletes and learn more about their journeys to Columbus, their love of the Buckeye traditions and who they are as competitors and students.
Myles Martin is a senior-to-be wrestler at Ohio State. A two time All-American and an NCAA Champion as a freshman, Martin has already had an illustrious and decorated career as a Buckeye.
Just the first true freshman in Ohio State history to win a national championship, and the 15th overall national champion, the New Jersey native personifies the values of Ohio State wrestling.
We sat down with him to learn about his favorite meal, his past goals, his future goals and much more.
What drew you to Ohio State outside of wrestling?
MM: It was very appealing to me. I based my decision off what they were building here. The recruiting class was excellent. I've always been a Buckeye fan. I liked Buckeye football. I loved my visit here and got a good feeling about this place, and was able to feel the vibe of the coaches. I liked what they said. My dad was a big part of it as well. He wanted me in a good situation without any sketchy stuff going on. I have a lot of faith in what my dad says. Meeting Coach Ryan for the first time was really cool. I didn't expect his faith to be as strong as it is. They were just real with me. There was no lies, nothing like that.
What is your proudest wrestling moment?
MM: Winning the national championship was really cool. I have a lot of other moments too. My little brother just started wrestling a little while ago. He's 12. He's just starting to get into it. A lot of pride just comes from passing down stuff to him. He's wearing it and wrestling it and it makes me proud, a little bit. They call him Myles Martin's brother, which he likes. I'm proud to be his idol and who he looks up to. It's not just about winning, its about who you inspire.
What's it like to be a true freshman - on that stage - and do what you did?
MM: It's intimidating a little bit. There's not a lot of true freshman who do well at the tournament. You hear about guys who are two- or three-time All-Americans, but they are rarely freshman All-Americans. You get intimidated by the tournament because of how big it is. The coaches helped me keep into perspective about how its just another tournament. Wrestling isn't the end all be all. It helped me take away the whole intimidating factor. "Hey man, just another tournament. I wrestled a ton of these tournaments in high school." Eliminating distractions was another thing. The elevated mat, all the fans there and being caught up in the moment can distract you from putting your best out there. Staying away from the crowd and staying to myself helped. I would watch a couple matches before me and isolate myself and I feel like it helped me stay focused.
What do you like to do when you are not wrestling?
MM: I really like playing basketball. I play video games now and then but not a lot. I really like to sleep and I really like basketball. I enjoy my naps. We have a basketball court in the wrestling room now so it's cool co come in and shoot around and play with the other guys on the team.
What are you studying? What has been your favorite class at Ohio State?
MM: My major is sport industry. One of my favorite classes was this sport law class. My professor was fun and her passion for the legal aspect of sport. I think she made it fun. The class itself was boring, but I loved the class and the activities that we did. Some teachers just come in and lecture and kids are falling asleep, but she kept us alive and awake and engaged.
What is your favorite meal you have had while in Columbus?
MM: A steak dinner with a baked potato and asparagus is my favorite meal. I really like Black Point down in the Short North. Its a sushi and steak place. I first went with recruits but then got to go on my own. It's kind of expensive but not too expensive. I like the whole dressing up aspect as well. Putting on nice clothes and going to dinner to have a good meal.
What is something about you that we wouldn't believe?
MM: When I was going to high school, I wanted to be in the NFL really bad. I played football but ended up quitting my junior year. I remember on my interview to get into McDonogh they asked me what my dreams were. I told them I wanted to play football for Oregon and go into the NFL.
Also, summer of my 7th grade year I wanted to give up wrestling to play basketball. My dad told me to see how summer league went. It didn't go that well, I'm not gonna lie to you.
What is your favorite Ohio State tradition?
MM: The O-H-I-O. It's so universally known. It's a way for us to connect. Even when we're at the airport, someone will say O-H.
What are your goals for this upcoming season?
MM: This upcoming season, I want to be very dominant. Every time I wrestle, I want the kid to not want to wrestle me again. Just go after kids and not hold anything back. I want to make our team better. I want to be a leader and want to make everyone better and win a national title. That's what I'm most excited abut going into the season.
What has changed since you've been at Ohio State?
MM: The whole leadership thing. When I first got here, I was a young freshman doing my part for the team but being a little selfish about what I wanted out of college. Now, I've changed from being worried about myself to being worried about everyone and being a leader. I want to lead the freshman coming in so they can lead their freshman coming in, and keep the chain moving. Kyle [Snyder], Nate [Tomasello], and Bo [Jordan] changed me for the better.
My mindset about wrestling changed a lot. I worried so much about winning that losing was really not good. I love wrestling in general now. I love making people better. I love seeing my friends do well and winning like Joey [McKenna] and Kollin [Moore]. Just getting bonus points for the team. It made me happy because we suffer a lot every day in the wrestling room.
