WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- Three is
a significant number in Tommy Prairie’s Williams wrestling
career.
Three times Prairie was a New England champion at 125. Three times
he finished fourth or higher at the NCAA Championships earning him
All-America honors, three times. He is the first Eph wrestler to
earn All-America honors three consecutive years.
Another three is now being entered onto Tommy Prairie’s wrestling resume at Williams as he will become the third Eph inducted into the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Hall of Fame at the 2010 NEWA Championships being held at Western New England College Springfield, MA), February 20-21.
Prairie came to Williams College from Delran [HS] NJ and after a post-graduate year at Blair Academy. His second place finish nationally in 2005 was the first appearance in an NCAA final by an Eph. Prairie’s second place finish, best by an Eph, was equaled last winter by junior Ryan Malo (197).
In 114 matches at Williams Prairie registered a glittering record of 106-8 (.930), giving him the highest winning percentage among Ephs with 100 career wins.
“It’s great to see him in the profession,” said former Eph wrestling head coach and current head football coach, Mike Whalen. “I’m not sure he came to Williams with the idea of becoming a coach, but once he thought about it and mentioned an interest he was highly sought after. Head coaches looking for assistants in wrestling want a guy who can get in the room and compete.”
Upon graduating from Williams Prairie took an assistant’s position at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee where he spent a year and also earned a master’s degree in business with honors. From there Prairie accepted the head coaching position at Plymouth State University three years ago.
In his second season at Plymouth State Prairie led the Panthers to a record of 10-8, marking the first time since 1998-99 that Plymouth had won 10 matches in a season. The 2008-09 season was also the first winning season for the Panthers since 2001-02.
Prairie, in fact, did not intend to become a wrestling coach when he enrolled at Williams. “I really had no idea what I wanted to do when I entered and when I graduated,” said Prairie. “I used wrestling to help me get in [to Williams] and then get a free Master’s [Cumberland University]. I just tried to use the sport to get as far as I could to set myself up for success.”
“In graduate school I really enjoyed coaching, but never really thought I would be able to do it long term,” noted Prairie. “I always really enjoyed that aspect of the sport, but there exist very few full-time positions so it was difficult to break into the sport.”
“Tommy was the most talented wrestler I coached here,” stated Whalen. “He had the ability to score a lot of points in a short amount of time – he was just explosive. He loved the sport and was always looking to improve.”
His first season at Williams ended with a concussion, after having finished his last two high school seasons with a concussion. Prairie, Whalen is quick to point out might have become the first Eph to compete at the NCAAs every year. “He had an unfortunate late season injury his first year or he might have been the first Williams wrestler to go to the NCAAs four years in a row.”
While Prairie had a sensational career at Williams, losing just 8 times in 114 matches, he almost ended his career before his sophomore year. “I worried about the long term effects,” he stated. “I had post-concussion syndrome my entire senior spring and summer of high school where I could not run or do any contact and I worried about repeating that.”
Prairie did return to competition his sophomore year and as it would turn out it was the most challenging and yet most rewarding year of his career.
“Tommy went out to nationals and he just expected to win,” recalled Whalen. “He was up 9-1 in his first match and the next thing you know he got pinned and that was a real fork in the road for him. He had a decision to make and fortunately he made the right one. At first he did not want to wrestle any more, but after talking about it he decided to enter the wrestle backs and he basically pinned his way back to a 3rd place finish.”
Prairie calls his sophomore year at Williams his personal Eph highlight. “It was wrestling back for third my sophomore year,” Prairie stated. “That was the only season in my 17 years of competing that I finished a season with a win. I really proved to myself that I could compete at the national level.”
“That experience really helped Tommy mature and become a true leader on the team,” Whalen declared. “He went on to captain the team both his junior and senior years and won two more New England titles and had two more All-American finishes.”
The victory Prairie claimed over himself at nationals, as a sophomore was pivotal in his career and his life. “I think my time at Williams showed me that if I set a goal, work towards the goal, I can achieve anything,” commented Prairie.
Although my goals have changed I think that really sticks true to all aspects of my life now.”
"Tommy Prairie had one of the most impressive careers of any Williams athlete in the school’s history, noted current Eph head wrestling coach Dan DiCenzo. “He competed on the national level through out his career and had total of 106 wins and 8 losses. That is an unbelievable accomplishment. Tommy helped put Williams wrestling on the national scene and he is going to do a great job with the wrestling program at Plymouth State University. He is the best clinician in the New England area and one of the best Division III wrestlers ever."
