A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2020
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Colbray tries to focus on the positive amid COVID-19
Former Hermiston state
wrestling champion had
qualifi ed for the NCAA
championships
By ANNIE FOWLER
SPORTS EDITOR
AMES, Iowa — Sam
Colbray
had
punched
his ticket to the NCAA
Championships, so injury
defaulting the third-place
match at the Big 12 Cham-
pionships seemed the smart
thing to do to make sure
his hip would be ready for
an All-American run two
weeks later.
For the former four-time
state champion at Hermis-
ton High School, and junior
at Iowa State University, it
was his second time qualify-
ing for the NCAAs, and he
was excited.
Then, in a matter of days,
it was gone. The NCAA can-
celed all postseason tourna-
ments, from basketball to
wrestling.
“They told us at prac-
tice,” Colbray said. “I was
upset, but there’s nothing
you can do about it. We
just have to keep our spirits
high and remain hungry for
the next opportunity. Get-
ting upset puts energy in the
wrong place.”
When news of the coro-
navirus fi rst started to cir-
culate, Colbray, his team-
mates, and the rest of the
sporting world were pre-
pared to compete without
fans.
“We went from no fans,
to school getting canceled
until further notice, to hav-
ing our coach tell us it was
over,” Colbray said. “It was
shocking. Some guys were
emotional. There is no way
to mentally process it or
make it feel better. If it was
my senior year, it would
“I WAS UPSET, BUT THERE’S
NOTHING YOU CAN DO
ABOUT IT. WE JUST HAVE TO
KEEP OUR SPIRITS HIGH AND
REMAIN HUNGRY FOR THE
NEXT OPPORTUNITY. GET-
TING UPSET PUTS ENERGY IN
THE WRONG PLACE.”
Sam Colbray, on learning that the NCAA canceled all
post-season tournaments
have hit me harder, but there
is nothing I can do about it.
You have to fi nd the humil-
ity in it.”
The NCAA Champi-
onships typically are held
during the college spring
break. Colbray had gone to
watch in the past, and com-
peted in 2019. This year, he
drove home to Oregon to
see his parents, Delta and
Leroy.
He will return to Iowa
at the end of the month
to fi nish the school year
online, and he also has work
opportunities.
Colbray said he has been
careful of where he goes and
who he sees while he’s been
home. “I don’t want to bring
anything home to my par-
ents,” he said.
A successful season
Colbray fi nished the sea-
son with an 18-9 record,
wrestling at 184 and 174.
Going to 174 was a big
cut for Colbray, who com-
peted at 195 in high school.
“It was a matter of trust-
ing the process of whether I
wanted to go to that weight
or not,” he said. “There
were outside factors — the
guys in my weight class,
what’s best for the team. I
had to weigh whether the
sacrifi ces meant more.”
The move proved to be a
good one.
“The 174 Sam Colbray
was better than Sam Col-
bray at 184,” he said. “My
coaching staff deemed it a
viable choice. Your ambi-
tions change. I had to trust
they knew how to get me
to that weight. Wrestling
is truly the only sport in
Div. I that has a weight
cutting proponent that is
monitored.”
One of Colbray’s biggest
wins of the season came at
174, when he upset fi fth-
ranked Bryce Steiert of
Northern Iowa 7-6 on Feb.
16.
Colbray, who fi nished
fourth at the Big 12 Cham-
pionships at 174 pounds,
was one of eight Cyclones
who earned a trip to the
NCAA Championships.
Iowa State fi nished sec-
ond in the team standings
behind Oklahoma State.
“Everything I did in the
process, even though the
NCAAs got taken away, I
know I put in the work,”
Colbray said.
“Our guys had an awe-
some season, and we need
to be proud of the work we
put in. We have to realize
the fun, the blood, sweat
and tears was part of the
process.”
Iowa State Photo/Wesley Winterink
Iowa State University junior Sam Colbray celebrates his 7-6 victory over Northern Iowa’s
Bryce Steiert on Feb. 16, 2020, in Ames, Iowa.
PET OF THE
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MEET
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Small and Large Animal Care
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