“Wrestling, like a lot of sports, will keep you out of trouble,” Trice said. “A lot of people look at wrestlers as teens trying to stay out of trouble, but I just like to compete and I like to beat people.”

One of his middle school football coaches suggested he show up to wrestling practice one day, and one day was all he needed.

“I played all sports really, and I started wrestling just to keep myself active,” Trice said, “But I just got addicted to winning and beating other people.”

The heavyweight graduated from Highland Park High School in spring 2007 after earning four varsity letters in wrestling and football, as well as three in baseball.

As a football player, Trice played on the offensive and defensive line, winning the title of “team’s defensive lineman of the year” twice, on top of All-State honors at offensive guard.

In the spring, he played first base and pitcher for the baseball team, earning All-Conference honors.

Football was at one time his favorite sport, but when it came down to it, Trice said he was tired of choosing between sports and decided to continue wrestling.

In four years, the heavyweight racked up a 163-15 record, claiming two Division III state titles his junior and senior seasons, and a runner-up finish in his sophomore season.

“You have to be pretty tough-minded and you have to be pretty assertive to be a good wrestler and he didn’t really have to learn those things when he got here,” said CMU coach Tom Borrelli. “He learned those things in his neighborhood, which gave him the edge that you need to be a good wrestler.”

Recruiting Trice

“(Trice) was one of the better heavyweights in not only the state, but nationally, and he was always on our radar,” Borrelli said. “We knew the program there at Highland Park, which has had some tremendous athletes come through there, not only in wrestling.”

There wasn’t any doubting if Trice had the talent, but what really drew Borrelli to the heavyweight was his passion for everything he did. Such passion has followed him to the collegiate level and is visible to anyone who spends time with him.

“You know when you’re around Jarod you can’t hardly not notice him, and you’re just drawn to him,” Borrelli said.

Another strong suit Trice has is his style.

Picking up wrestling in middle school, Trice became familiar with two styles of wrestling: Greco-Roman and freestyle.

Greco-Roman style wrestling involves throws and doesn’t allow any tripping or grabbing the legs of an opponent below the waist. In freestyle, it is acceptable to go after the legs of an opponent or to use your own for defense.

“Most wrestlers try to stick to one style, and mostly that’s freestyle, but I like both,” Trice said.

Borrelli said, “It’s not really uncommon at a younger age to be good in both styles, but as you get older you kind of have to focus on one. For him to be able to maintain that on this level is pretty unique.”

Collegiate career

Trice is in his third season as CMU’s starting heavyweight, holding a 67-20 collegiate record and has been consistent in the Mid-American Conference, winning 10 of 11 conference matches.

He redshirted his first season at CMU and competed in four tournaments as an unattached heavyweight wrestler. He finished first at the Michigan State Open, third at the Eastern Michigan Open and Kent State Open and fourth at the Cleveland State Open, showing early promise.

“Right away Trice was real competitive with Bubba Gritter, who was our heavyweight at the time, and Bubba was a two time All-American,” Borrelli said.

He was a national qualifier in his second season and his collegiate career took off during his third season with the team. The heavyweight claimed All-American honors, finishing eighth at the NCAA Tournament after a 27-5 overall season record. He knocked off all four top-20 opponents he faced, and tied the second longest streak in school history with his 20-straight victories.

Trice was invited to Italy to compete at the World University Championships at the start of the 2010 season, and finished eighth among 120kg wrestlers.

“We’ve had some guys represent CMU on the world stage, but not very often,” Borrelli said. “I think it was good for out program, but also it was a heck of an experience for him.”

He continued into the season, finishing second at Midlands Championships and third at the Cliff Keen Invitational, posting a 7-1 dual-meet record.

“It’s been a step by step process for him to learn how to train properly, and how to prepare himself properly for every competition,” Borrelli said. “He’s not a finished product yet, but we knew he was going to be very competitive right away.”

As a sports studies major with a minor in athletic coaching, Trice hopes to go into coaching at the collegiate level when he finishes his wrestling career: a job outlook that wouldn’t surprise Borrelli.

“He’s not much of a leader by example, he’s kind of the cheerleader of our team,” Borrelli said. “If you’ve seen a dual meet, he’s up coaching everybody and he’s really into the match and that motivates (our wrestlers).”