Cincinnati Elder High School senior wrestler Ian Korb (No. 15 @ 189) is a perfect 25-0 in the 171-pound division entering the GCL Tournament Feb. 12. A two-time state placer, Korb finished eighth in the 160-pound division as a sophomore and third at 171 as a junior. He has gone 97-11 over the last three years and will wrestle for the University of Pennsylvania.
Here, Korb discusses his wrestling career.
Aside from placing at state twice, what are you most proud of in your career?
“Last summer I placed eighth at Fargo Nationals. It’s the biggest wrestling tournament in the country; everyone talks about Fargo. I was around 200 pounds, and I had to make 171 in about a week. I got down to about 173, and I was dead. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything. So I bulked back up to wrestle 189. So to place eighth at 189 in the biggest wrestling tournament in the country while weighing about 175, I was really excited about that.
As the wins keep mounting, do you feel any pressure to finish the year undefeated?
“Not really. I don’t even know my record right now. I just know I haven’t lost. The pressure (I put on myself) is to dominate. I get mad if I don’t dominate.”
Your coach, Dick McCoy, has said you’re one of the top 10 or 15 wrestlers in your weight class in the country; what separates you from so many other wrestlers?
“I guess I have somewhat of a natural knack for it. I have good instincts and try to capitalize on knowing what someone is going to do. I probably do more work than a lot of kids in terms of wresting through the spring and summer. There’s a couple kids on the team that do that, and we’re all the best kids on the team. The extra work shows. I played other sports before high school, but once I got to high school, I dropped everything else.”
