Athlete of the Month
Hudson Koch

Pictures and Content courtesy of the Koch Family

My Wrestling Story: From Freshman Year to All-American Hello, I’m Hudson Koch, a 15-year-old freshman at McQueen High School, and I’ve been hooked on wrestling since 2020. I actually stumbled into the sport during Covid, starting practices at Nevada Elite, and it wasn’t long before I fell in love with it. I wrestled throughout middle school at Billinghurst, and I’m proud to say I won the Washoe County School District Middle School Championship twice – first in 7th grade at 155 lbs, and again in 8th grade at 185 lbs.
Football Season and a Return to the Mat Coming into McQueen as a freshman, I played JV football, starting both ways as an offensive guard and defensive end. It was an awesome experience, and I even got pulled up to Varsity for the playoffs, which was a fantastic challenge. After football, I was a little hesitant about wrestling again since I’d been away from the mat for a while. But Coach Mumm really pushed me to wrestle, and looking back, it was absolutely the best decision I’ve ever made.
Finding My Stride on Varsity I kicked off the wrestling season on JV and had a lot of success in those first few meets. Coach Mumm then invited me to the Sierra Nevada Classic. I wrestled tough there but didn’t place, which honestly just fueled my motivation to get even better. My next tournament was the Sparks Invitational, where I took 1st place in the 215 lbs weight class. That win earned me a spot on varsity for the rest of the season! I then got to wrestle at Battle for the Belt in Temecula, going 2-2. I went on to place 2nd at Regionals, though I fell short of placing at State.
Becoming an All-American The drive to improve just kept growing. I wrestled in the Reno Rumble and took 1st place again at 215 lbs. After that, I was just hungry to get better and wrestle as much as possible. I dedicated a ton of time to practicing at Nevada Elite and hitting the weight room. My next big challenge was High School Nationals in Virginia Beach. I went into that tournament feeling more confident than ever before, and it paid off – I placed 2nd in the 9th grade 220 lb weight class, making me an All-American! While I was a little disappointed not to get 1st, it just made me even more determined to refine my skills.
Looking Ahead to Fargo I’ve continued to spend every day on the mat and in the weight room, even starting to learn Greco and Freestyle wrestling. My most recent tournament was the Western Regionals in Utah, where I placed 2nd in Freestyle, which qualified me to wrestle at Fargo this summer!
I truly love wrestling for so many reasons. It’s taught me so much about discipline, structure, hard work, self-control, sportsmanship, mindset, and attitude. I’m so grateful for all my teammates and coaches at McQueen and Nevada Elite – they’ve taught me a tremendous amount and supported me through every high and low. I’m incredibly excited to keep wrestling and see how much more I can improve!