Fresh off a loss in the quarterfinals of the main draw at the NCAA III Lower Midwest Regional Championships two weeks ago and facing a daunting task of advancing out of the consolation round, Jake Dado felt a surprising calmness come over him.
The University of the Ozarks senior from Lockport, Ill., used that tranquility to put together what he called some of the best wrestling of his career to advance to this week’s NCAA Division III Men’s Wrestling National Championships in La Crosse, Wisc.
Dado won four matches in the consolation round to become only the fourth men’s wrestler at Ozarks to be a national qualifier, joining Nathan Rankin (2018, 2020), Jerhett Lee (2019) and Devon Jackson (2018).
“I came into the regionals pretty hyped up and my nerves were pretty high,” Dado said. “But after the quarterfinal loss, all the nerves just went away and I became focused on doing whatever it took to get to that third-place match. That’s the best I’ve ever wrestled and that’s because the nerves were gone. My attitude became: I’m going to rely on almost 20 years of wrestling experience, give it all I had and whatever happens, happens.”
In the regionals’ third-place match, Dado ended up facing Jalen Schropp of Loras College, who had knocked Dado out of the main draw quarterfinals with a 5-2 decision. In the match that would decide a trip to the nationals, Dado turned the tables with a 3-2 decision.
“I wasn’t timid, I wasn’t scared of taking my shots, I just let it go,” Dado said. “I wasn’t going to lose to him twice.”
Dado, who transferred to Ozarks from The Citadel following his freshman year, will be among 18 qualifiers in the 141-pound weight division that will by vying for an individual national championship. He narrowly missed being a national qualifier last year when he finished fourth in regionals.
“Making nationals has been a goal from day one when I stepped on campus,” Dado said. “After years of practice and working toward it, and on top of last year’s heartbreaking disappointment, it’s a great feeling to get that goal accomplished.”
Dado said he entered his senior season adopting the personal motto of “letting it fly.”
“It’s my senior year and there’s no excuses and nothing to hold me back, so I wanted to let it fly,” he said. “I’ve been wrestling since I was four, so I just wanted to go out my senior year and wrestle like I know I can and not worry about anything. I just had to learn to believe in my abilities and believe in myself.”
Dado has turned that belief into tangible results on the mat, securing a 23-3 record and a No. 12 ranking in the latest NCAA Division III individual rankings by The Open Mat website. He also helped lead the Eagles to their first conference team championship in February.
“It’s been a great senior season and now I just want to see how far I can go at nationals,” Dado said.
On the mat, Dado has shown an uncanny ability to read his opponents and then adapt.
“I try to figure out what my opponent is trying to do and then I react,” Dado said. “I’ve always seemed to be good at figuring out what they’re wanting to do and then adapting to it.”
Dado credited current men’s coach Vinny Barber for helping his wrestling career take off during his time at Ozarks.
“He has helped me tremendously, not only through techniques and coaching, but also in getting me to believe in myself and my abilities,” Dado said. “My sophomore year after transferring in from a larger school, I had a little bit of bad attitude, thinking I was better than everyone else, and then I was shell-shocked when it came to regionals. Vinny has helped make me realize that to accomplish some of the things I wanted, I was going to have to put my head down and go to work. I’ve been following his coaching and advice for the past two years and I think the results speak for themselves.”
Dado has also relied on two-time national qualifier Rankin, now an assistant coach for the team, to help him prepare for the nationals.
“it’s almost like follow the leader; You want to be in the same position as those guys and keep the tradition going,” Dado said. “Nathan has been especially helpful since he’s been in so many big matches and he knows what to expect. In preparing for the nationals, he’s told me to just relax and go out there and wrestle like I know I can.”
Dado, who is graduating in May with a degree in psychology, plans to serve as a volunteer coach next year for the Eagles while pursuing a career in law enforcement or security.
“It’s bittersweet knowing that this might be it for my wrestling career, but also knowing that I’m finishing at nationals is a great cap to my career,” Dado. “I’m confident and excited about competing in one more tournament, it just happens to be the biggest one.”
The NCAA Division III Men’s Wrestling National Championships begin Friday at noon at the La Crosse Event Center. All matches will be livestreamed at ncaa.com
Topics: Athletics