Nisley wrestles at State

Senior Tyson Nisley had a stellar season come to an end after he competed in the IHSAA Wrestling State Tournament on February 21st.

Nisley has been a varsity starter for the La Porte wrestling program since his sophomore year, and he has accomplished many milestones in his high school career including winning back-to-back Sectional and Regional championships, 2019 DAC Champion, repeated placer at the prestigious Al Smith tournament, Academic All-State, and most recently a State Qualifier.

Nisley started his wrestling career at Kesling Middle School under head coach Matt Graham. At first, he didn’t enjoy wrestling at all, but his love for the sport grew as he put in more time and saw improvements.

“When I train hard, I know that I’m out working a vast majority of the state. As long as you make it a goal to work as hard as you possibly can, you’ll be able to doubt yourself less and less,” Nisley said.

Nisley made this offseason crucial to his plan this year. He wrestled in tournaments such as ISWA Folkstyle State Championship, ISWA Freestyle Championship, Grappler Fall Classics, and the AAU Scholastic Duals. Nisley competed and excelled at most of these tournaments racking up many significant wins.

“Tyson is a great example of how you become successful at something. We tell our guys that the formula for success in anything is ‘concentrated time on task.’ Tyson, beginning his freshman year, dedicated himself to becoming a highly competitive student-athlete. We believe it is a three-year process in our program to become a state-quality athlete. By Tyson’s third season, his junior season, he was amongst the state’s best student-athletes. He dedicated his time in his academics, in the weight room, at open mats, and at off-season tournaments. We are proud he had the chance to demonstrate that his senior season. We know Tyson is going to excel both academically and athletically at the college level,” Jason Brown, assistant wrestling coach, said.

Not only is Nisley a good athlete, but he is a great student, maintaining a 4.0 GPA. He even taught himself Calculus. It’s safe to say that he is an extraordinary role model and leader at LPHS.

“I feel that Tyson is a good leader both on and off the mats. His athletic and academic abilities motivate others including me to try my best in class and sports. He is always positive when he is facing a challenge, which is a good thing to have as a team leader,” Jaden Browder, wrestler, said.

After high school, Nisley plans on attending college to pursue a profession in actuary science while continuing his wrestling experience.

 LPHS is fortunate to have Slicers that are as compassionate and diligent as Nisley.