CROMWELL HAS COME A LONG WAY IN A VERY SHORT TIME

July 30, 2009

Isaiah Cromwell started wrestling only three years ago when he enrolled at St. Benedict’s as an eighth grader.

Now he’s an All-American.

Cromwell obtained the unlikely accomplishment last week in the Cadet National Freestyle Championships at the FargoDome in North Dakota.

The 15-year-old Cromwell, who just began his junior year at St. Benedict’s, placed eighth at 189 pounds to earn All-America status in the most prestigious event in the country.

“I think I surprised a lot of people, even myself,” admitted Cromwell.”When I got to St. Benedict’s, I had never seen a wrestling match and now this. It’s pretty amazing.”

Cromwell’s meteoric rise in wrestling isn’t quite as surprising considering all the time he spends on the mat, including in the off-season. He is a product of Newark’s Central Ward and wrestling has been Cromwell’s way of escaping some of the negative influences of the inner-city.

“Wrestling has allowed me to avoid the streets,” he said.”I’m at school until 6:30 or 7:00 at night during the wrestling season and here almost all summer working in the practice room.”

Cromwell is also very active in community service. In fact, he and his mother, Latrice Smith, have founded a non-profit organization entitled, “Embracing Arms.” The program provides opportunities for kids in Newark and, he hopes, to bridge the gap between the elders and youth of the city.

“I keep busy,” said Cromwell, also an honor student who sports a 3.5 GPA.”People try to pressure me in the streets once in awhile, but I don’t let that get to me. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and that will keep me out of trouble.”

Cromwell’s goal last week in the Cadet Nationals was to win just one match. But, after coming out on top in his first four bouts on the first day, he had to reestablish his thinking.

“I got a lot more confidence each time I won,” said Cromwell, who failed to win a single bout in the tournament last year.”After winning all four matches the first day, I started thinking about placing and getting on the podium.”

Cromwell extended his winning skein to five matches by winning his fifth round match on day 2 of the tournament. He then fell into the consolation bracket when he lost during the sixth round and eventually wound up reaching the podium in eighth place to earn his All-America honor. The top eight place-winners in each weight class earn All-America.

“Even though Isaiah only learned about the sport of wrestling three years ago, he has already made tremendous strides,” said St. Benedict’s coach Solomom Fleckman.”Through hard work and off-season training, Isaiah has gone from being a rather clumsy, awkward “scrapper” to a tactically savvy competitor.”

Cromwell and Fleckman have spent numerous hours - sometimes just the two of them - in the wrestling room working on technique and sparring until the student understood each concept through mental understanding or physical training.

“Virtually no one who knew him thought he would be ready to garner any sort of honors or accolades for years to come,” Fleckman said.”Still, Isaiah followed guidance, asked questions and nagged me to no end to work with him so that he could improve.”

Improve is what Cromwell hopes to continue to do. He also knows he now has made a name for himself and will not be taken lightly in the future.

“I still have a long way to go before I get where I want to be,” said Cromwell, who hopes someday to wrestle for an Ivy League school.”Being an All-American gives me a lot of confidence. But I came in 8th place - not 1st. My goal is to be champion.”

Notes: St. Benedict’s also had three other wrestlers participating in the Nationals. Turtgotkh Luvsandorj (3-2 at 160 pounds) and Matt Aaron (0-2 at 125 pounds) competed in the Junior Division, while Chris Dowdy (3-2 at 140 pounds) joined Cromwell in the Cadet Division. The Grey Bees wrestlers posted a very formidable combined record of 11-7.

— By Ron Jandoli