The athlete of the week that we will be honoring is CSU Bakersfield heavyweight wrestler Jacob Sieder who is a senior from Torrance, California. When asked what got him into wrestling, he shared the influence of his dad taking him to wrestling practices and he mentioned that he decided to continue his wrestling career when he began competitively in high school. As the wrestling season is coming towards the end, Sieder is feeling physically healthy with no injuries. He does not have to cut any weight; therefore, it helps him focus on his technique. As the Pac-12 Championship is coming up on Sunday March 6 Sieder feels confident in his preparation and with the help of his coaches.  

He shares that this season has been different for him because it was a last-minute decision to come back to wrestling for the Runners in late December. When asked what made him come back? He shares that he had gone back to his high school in Torrance to help coach the wrestling team and was debating with himself whether he should continue his career or not. He then got a call from Coach Smith asking if he would come back and he agreed because he felt that he would regret not competing again.  

Although he started this season later than his teammates, he views his overall performance as a good one, feeling that after each match he is improving. One big achievement for himself this season was going up against the wrestler that knocked him out of the Pac-12 last season and beating him. This brings confidence to Sieder as he looks forward to making his mark in the Pac-12 Championship.