Ranked 7th in the state, the Park Ridge-Emerson Wrestling team is full of elite wrestlers. Park Ridge senior Evan Kinsey, in particular, has a personal record of 12-8 and has contributed tremendously to the team’s undefeated record of 18-0. Along with his individual success, his greatest accomplishment as a wrestler is also all the things he has accomplished with the team. Last season, they achieved a major goal of winning the NJIC league title; this season Evan and his teammates have even bigger hopes of winning a state sectional title and a state title. As most athletes know, the sweat and tears behind all the winning and success are often not shown. While Evan may have a strong record, it hasn’t come without endless hard work and effort. Evan says that his biggest challenge is living up to the expectations others have for him, and being able to be on the same level as the rest of his teammates. He states “It gets difficult trying to keep up with all the kids on our team, but I think it  makes me better as a wrestler overall. In addition, a huge challenge everyday is practicing. Our practices can be so grueling sometimes, and a lot of the time it’s hard to get into the practice mentally. But in the end, it’s all worth it wrestling for a team like Emerson-Park Ridge.”

Evan attributes all of his success to his coaches and teammates, who are supportive without exception. On a great day or on a terrible day, they make it easy for him to make each match better than the next, regardless of the outcome. He states, “I believe that we have the best coaches in the entire state, who push us day in and day out to get better. Also, my teammates are awesome motivators too. Even if I lose a match, they’ll tell me I wrestled well. When you have an incredible coaching staff and a team with incredible wrestling skills and personalities, you’re bound to do well. Surrounding myself with all the elite wrestlers in our program has made me improve not only as a wrestler, but as a person.” Evan attributes his success to the others around him, which is a clear indicator of the winning culture our Emerson-Park Ridge wrestling program has built.