Notre Dame College’s Joey Davis can.
Recently, the Compton, Calif., native made history, capturing his fourth consecutive NCAA Division II title (184-pound division). Not only did he win four straight national championships, he went his entire collegiate career without losing a match.
Davis is the only the third wrestler in the history of collegiate wrestling to accomplish that feat.
The senior at Notre Dame College, located in Euclid, Ohio, finished his career with 133 victories, and no losses. He was also named the 2015-16 National Wrestler of the Year by the Wrestling Coaches Association.
Davis is simply a brilliant athlete, who was a multisport star in high school. In fact, his play on the football field caught the interest of college coaches as well.
But there are a lot of superb athletes in the country. What separates Davis is his mindset.
“He is mentally stronger than everyone, and he was trained to be that way,” said his father, Joey Davis Sr., who was a wrestling standout during his high school days in Gary, Ind. “He is determined to take you to the deep end of the pool and see if you can swim.”
And it took that mental strength to excel in the highly competitive world of wrestling. Since bursting on the scene his freshman year, Davis was the main target of every opponent.
Even great athletes have bad days, but even when Davis wasn’t at his peak performance wise, his will to win and mental toughness helped him to persevere.
“We are extremely proud of Joey’s accomplishments,” said Anthony Ralph, the Notre Dame co-head coach. “To go undefeated over the past four years is an amazing feat. Joey’s work ethic is second to none and his dedication to be the best was inspiring to witness. I couldn’t imagine being under the amount of pressure that he was in his final match, but he handled it like the true champion he is.”
That is simply amazing.
Davis has a bright future. The 2020 Olympics are a possibility, as well as offers in professional fighting, and he has caught the eye of NFL teams
Davis is just the latest gem to come out of Compton, the home of the ground breaking rap group, NWA, and tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams. And, just like those icons who are considered among the best in their respective fields, you can make the same case for Davis being the best in his field.
After all, perfection is hard to beat.
