By Pete Ruden
It all started in Pleasant Hill, Iowa. Cory Clark and Alex Meyer were seniors on the Southeast Polk wrestling team, while Keegan Shaw and Meyer’s younger brother, Aaron, were freshmen.
That year – 2012 – was when the Southeast Polk wrestling dynasty started. Clark and the elder Meyer both won state titles, and they led the team to an undefeated regular dual season, and the team finished the season ranked No. 13 in the country.
But that wasn’t the end of it. By the time Aaron Meyer and Shaw were seniors, they had led Southeast Polk in capturing two State Traditional championships in addition to two State Dual titles.
The legend of the team was thereby set in stone. Nobody could take what they accomplished away from them.
By the time Shaw and the younger Meyer had arrived on Iowa’s campus, their former teammates had already made names for themselves with one of the best programs in the country.
“It’s great. We wrestled together most of our lives. From junior high, up until college, we’ve kind of watched each other wrestle,” Clark said. “We both have high expectations for one another… Winning state titles in high school was something that we expected out of each other, and we obtained that goal. Now, we’re both expecting each other to win a national title, so it’s time to obtain that goal as well.”
While Aaron Meyer and Shaw redshirted their first year at Iowa, Alex Meyer and Clark earned All-American honors.
Being leaders is something the older two have grown accustomed to.
“They were leaders on the team back in high school, and me and Aaron were freshmen when they were seniors, so they were good leaders on that team,” Shaw said. “Now they’re seniors and we’re redshirt freshmen, so they’re leaders on this team too, so it’s pretty cool to have them around.”
Despite one being a high school program and one being a Division-1 college program, there are still a lot of similarities between how the programs are run.
Both develop their athletes, so they can accomplish what they are capable of individually and for the team. Both utilize tough workouts to get the most out of their wrestlers and build stamina for lasting through a match.
One of the reasons Southeast Polk wrestling alums are the type of people and wrestlers they are today is in large part due to head coach Jason Christenson.
A two-time Iowa High School 3A Wrestling Coach of the year, Christenson is known for producing many state champions and collegiate prospects, all while keeping an equal focus on every athlete in the program, no matter what level.
“He preached work ethic. We didn’t really talk about results necessarily. It’s all about the process,” Aaron Meyer said. “Putting in the work, especially on your own, that was big. Going in in the mornings, getting extra work in. That’s really translated here. That’s really, really preached here; you gotta do the extra stuff to get to where you want to be.”
Those similarities help in recruiting, as many Southeast Polk products feel that Iowa is the right fit for them. While that might not be the case for everyone from the school, Clark and Meyer have proven that it’s a place to enjoy success.
Their stories prove to the younger wrestlers from their hometown that they can make it at a higher level and have success with one of the best teams in the nation.
Alex especially had an impact on his younger brother’s decision to come to Iowa.
“I like [being teammates with Aaron] a lot. It’s a lot better than having him somewhere else. That would be real hard on me and our family,” Alex Meyer said. “I think here is the best place for him, as far as growing and becoming the best wrestler he can be. That’s what I kind of told him when he was being recruited, that I thought Iowa was the best for him, but if he wanted to go somewhere else, then that was alright too. But I felt real strongly that Iowa was a good fit for him, just like it was for me.”
No matter how it happened, all four of them are here now. And just like how it was in high school, when Alex Meyer and Clark graduate and leave the program, Aaron Meyer and Shaw will be ready for their opportunity to help the team to more championships.
“I think being a part of Southeast Polk’s program made it a lot easier having high expectations and coaches that really want the best for their athletes. I think that helped a lot,” Alex Meyer said. “College is just another step in that progression… I think our high school set us up for success.”