Physical training has made Tom Gerszewski a decorated wrestler at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

His career-best 33 victories last season led to a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association title at 157 pounds and a berth for the first time in his career to the NCAA Division III national championships.

But when Gerszewski, a Crystal Lake South graduate, talks about his biggest improvements, his focus is away from the mat.

“It’s my mental approach,” he said. “We spend tons of time in practice working on the physical stuff. It’s easy to forget that the mental game is as important, if not more important.”

For Gerszewski, his mental training is thanks in part to hundreds of pages of books that contain stories of people overcoming difficult circumstances, reaching great achievements or taking part in grand adventures.

In mixed martial arts superstar Ronda Rousey’s autobiography, Gerszewski found motivation.

“The way she approaches opponents, I’m really inspired by that,” he said.

The story of British explorer Ernest Shackleton, who led three missions to the Antarctic, features tales of his teams facing great challenges.

“It’s fitting with the cold weather,” Gerszewski said, “that I’m reading that right now.”

From Teddy Roosevelt, our nation’s 26th President, Gerszewski has learned to see life’s playful possibilities.

"He would take his cabinet members or anyone who was visiting on wild adventures," he said. "One thing I pulled out of that is to have the body of a man and the heart of a boy."
His readings have made Gerszewski more "mentally aware" and allowed him to ensure his mental and physical preparation are in line.

“When you can go out on the mat and know that you’ve prepared more than any guy you’re going to face, that does a lot,” he said.

Gerszewski is 33-6 this season and is ranked No. 6 in the nation by D3Wrestle.com in his new weight class of 165 pounds. Entering thes weekend, he had won 19 consecutive matches and won over some early dissenters.

After losing his first match at the Pete Willson-Wheaton Invitational over the weekend, he won seven matches in a row to earn third place.

“I was cutting (weight) really hard last season to make 157,” he said. “I didn’t want to have to do that again, and I feel a lot better competing now. People were telling me, ‘165 is not your weight class. You have to go back down.’ But I stayed the course, and I’m glad I did.”

Like the subjects of some of his favorite books, Gerszewski has learned from both his failures and successes.

His off-season approach was impacted greatly by an 18-9 major decision loss that ended his NCAA run last season in the wrestlebacks.

“I got dominated on my feet,” he said. “I knew this summer and this season, I was going to have to pay special attention to the attacks on my feet.”

Gerszewski is especially encouraged by his success – including a 4-0 record this season – at the National Wrestling Coaches Association’s annual National Duals meet.

"That's been a time when I've beaten some pretty good opponents," he said. "That definitely gives me a lot of confidence."

Senese shines on ice: Hampshire grad Giovanna Senese has nine goals and 15 assists this season for D-III State University of New York Plattsburgh's women's hockey team.

The Cardinals are 18-0 this season and are ranked No. 1 nationally by USCHO.com. The team has won the past two D-III national titles.

Senese, a senior forward, has scored 94 points in 98 career games for the Cardinals.

Making a splash: Wisconsin-Whitewater sophomore Michaela Matthys was recognized Tuesday as the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Swimmer of the Week by CollegeSwimming.com.

Matthys, a McHenry West grad, won the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 25.23 seconds at a triangular meet last weekend against Lawrence and Lake Forest. She also placed second in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.12) and helped the Warhawks’ 200 freestyle and medley relay teams win both events.

Wildcat contributor: Spring Grove's Connor Frantti has two assists this season as a defenseman for D-I Northern Michigan's men's hockey team.

A freshman for the Wildcats (9-9-6), Frantti has played in 15 games and helped the team’s defense allow 2.21 goals a game, which ranks fourth in the 10-team Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

• Barry Bottino writes a weekly column about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and follow @BarryOnCampus on Twitter.