GREAT FALLS — The University of Providence men's wrestling team isn't short on expectations heading into a new season.
After finishing 12th in the nation last year, the Argos return multiple All-Americans and feature an experienced senior class that head coach Steve Komac believes has the pieces to accomplish even more.
"We've been young and talented for years," Komac said. "We're no longer young and talented. Now we're just talented, and we've got experience. And so we have all the makings of putting together a great team this year."
But for Komac, talent is only part of the equation.
Wrestling comes with an unusual dynamic. Individual wrestlers ultimately compete for themselves once they step onto the mat, but the results of those individual matches determine the success of the team.
"We're called an individual team sport, and very appropriate, very fitting," Komac said. "Individually, we're all going to get our own personal rewards, which is really cool because your team could stumble and you can still have a good day.
"The flip side is, we become so close that we want all of our individuals to be successful. So at the same time, we feel and function exactly like a team."
Senior All-American Aden Graves has experienced that firsthand throughout his career with the Argos.
"It's an individual sport, everybody says, but we're all in the room together," Graves said. "We're all going through those aches and pains. We're all having tough times. We're all having good times."
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That shared experience has created what Graves describes as a brotherhood.
"These guys are doing everything with me," Graves said. "There's a sense of friendship, almost brotherhood, that you get when you're doing it with these guys."
Getting through a college wrestling season takes plenty of that support.
Graves calls wrestling a "full-time job," balancing school with practices, extra workouts and recovery. And unlike his high school seasons, the college grind stretches for roughly six months.
"People always say it's not a sprint, it's a marathon," Graves said. "You're sprinting a marathon is what it really starts to feel like. It's six months of really, really hard work, really tough work, and it's just constant."
Komac said navigating that grind comes down to discipline, extending well beyond the wrestling room.
"We have to take care of the classroom. We have to take care of our personal life. The weight room is important," Komac said. "We preach healthy diets nonstop and healthy weight control nonstop. If we do it with really good discipline, we can still feel pretty good."
That message carries particular weight with an experienced roster. Komac said this year's lineup could be the most experienced Providence has fielded during his eight years leading the program, with wrestlers who have already proven themselves at the All-American level.
And he's noticed another difference during preseason work.
"They really want something," Komac said. "Every single day we look like we're in here with some purpose. So it looks like maturity-wise, we understand why we're doing the things we're doing."
For Graves, this season carries an added significance.
After four years in the program, he's preparing for his final season in Argo colors and has taken on a larger leadership role with younger wrestlers.
"If I see a freshman struggling or they need help in a position or something like that, I'm really quick to jump in on it," Graves said. "This year I've definitely felt it. I'm not taking a coach's standpoint, but, you know, a good teammate in that leadership role."
His individual goal couldn't be much higher: a national championship. But even that goal circles back to the team around him.
"I want to achieve my dreams so they can achieve theirs," Graves said. "If I do my part and win a national championship, I've done what I can do for my team, and that'll help eventually my team get their goals."
And when his final season eventually comes to an end, Graves said success won't only be measured by where he finishes.
"I want to have known that I competed at my best," Graves said. "Regardless of result, I think that's a good way to look at it. If I go to nationals and it didn't go my way, but I can walk off being grateful that I got the opportunity and I got to come do what I love, then I think that's the best way to leave it."
