wrestling – Page 2 – Dustin Monke

Dickinson State has lost a great athletic contributor with the passing of alumnus and volunteer Tyler Plummer

Tyler Plummer poses with his wife, Annika. Tyler died Wednesday of a massive heart attack. He was a tireless volunteer and supporter of Dickinson State athletics, particularly its wrestling and rodeo programs.

The Dickinson State wrestling team lost one of its biggest fans, supporters and volunteers Wednesday when Tyler Plummer, 33, passed away.

Though the Baker, Mont., native never wrestled for the Blue Hawks, he played an integral role in the program. DSU head coach Thadd O’Donnell said he did it all for free and for no other reason than he loved being a part of the team.

Plummer spent several years helping O’Donnell run his statistics programs, even designing a tournament program that DSU used for years, and keeping score at nearly every DSU wrestling event. He also played a role as a volunteer recruiter for the Blue Hawks. His biggest recruit? Three-time national champion and current DSU assistant coach Justin Schlecht.

Tyler also helped with DSU’s rodeo team. His wife, Annika, works in the school’s Ag Department and his sister, Jennifer Obrigewitch, is the rodeo team’s assistant coach.

One of Tyler’s greatest claims to fame was his stunt man role in the movie “Wooly Boys” that was filmed in the North Dakota Badlands. His job? Getting bucked off a horse in place of actor Joe Mazzello. O’Donnell said Tyler would love to tell people about his acting career and getting to hang out with the movie’s stars, Peter Fonda and Kris Kristofferson. You can catch a quick glimpse of Tyler’s work in the “Wooly Boys” trailer here. He gets bucked off at the 1:05 mark.

In Tyler Plummer, the southwest North Dakota community– not just DSU — lost a person who can not be replaced. Read more about him in his obituary.

Back on the mat

Shane Bennett is one of Dickinson State’s top wrestlers. But, just 18 months ago, his life hung in the balance after a horrific accident.

Dickinson State’s Shane Bennett has returned to wrestling 18 months after an accident nearly claimed his life

Shane Bennett doesn’t believe he’s where he needs to be on the wrestling mat.

He’s not competing at full strength and he’s nowhere near the conditioning level he was at when he took second place at the NAIA national tournament as a redshirt freshman.

Still, the 21-year-old Dickinson State University fourth-year sophomore takes comfort knowing there was a time — not that long ago — when those close to him didn’t know if he would live to see the next day.

Continue reading “Back on the mat”

Shaped by war

Courtesy Photos Justin Schlecht poses for a photo at the wheel of his Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) in Iraq.

War can change a man. It may affect him violently and physically, or it can come at him slowly, setting him on a path that will alter the way he lives out the rest of his days. In Justin Schlecht’s case, it was a little of both.

After Schlecht returned home from the war in Iraq, the Dickinson State wrestler had an epiphany. Schlecht knew then that he needed to start living for the big picture and relax the rigid stance he once had for his wrestling career.

“It (wrestling) wasn’t going to change the world,” Schlecht said. “It wasn’t going to have an effect on the world if I lost the match. … I was still going to have to pay the bills. It opened me up so I saw the bigger picture.”

Although the 23-year-old is quick to admit he doesn’t owe the 197-pound NAIA national championship he won last March to the time he spent in Iraq, he believes the war did its part to shape his persona.

“It’s hard to say who people are and where they come from,” Schlecht said.

Schlecht time at war did its part to shape his body and mind. He believes it’s the mindset he brought back from Iraq that has turned him into DSU’s most reliable wrestler.

“I went over there 19 years old physically and mentally. I came back … I was physically 21 and I feel like I’ve matured like an average 30-year-old,” Schlecht said.

Continue reading “Shaped by war “