Persistence, mental toughness set Brown up for strong finish
11/30/2015 1:19:00 PM | Men's Wrestling, Student Athlete, Features
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Media Relations
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The year was 2002. Lehigh's Rob Rohn was wrestling Oklahoma's Josh Lambrecht in the National Finals at 184 pounds. Trailing 14-3 with only seconds remaining in the match, it looked all but certain that Rohn would be defeated… until one of the most memorable finishes in NCAA Championship history occurred.
Â
Nathaniel Brown will never forget that moment. He was just 10 years old at the time.
Â
"I was in my room playing and my dad was watching that match," said Brown. "He called me down because Cael Sanderson was about to win his unprecedented fourth undefeated national title at 197 pounds. I walked in and saw Rob Rohn (cement) mixer and pin the guy from Oklahoma. It was crazy. My dad was like 'Oh my God! I can't believe that.'"Â
Â
The moment stuck with Brown. It was quite the first impression of Lehigh wrestling.
Â
"I remember thinking, 'I don't know about this Cael guy, but I want to go wrestle for Lehigh,'" he said
Â
Thirteen years later, Brown found himself in the same position as Rohn, competing in the National Finals in the exact same weight class. The turning point was during the fall of 2013 when Brown realized he could accomplish whatever he put his mind to, much like Rohn, who stayed determined until the very end.
Â
"It got physical, it 'clicked' and I put it on my opponent the last half of the workout," said Brown. "I remember it being the first time I consciously made the decision to keep working rather than taking the easy way out. My mind controlled my body."
Â
Brown opted to defer his eligibility during the 2013-14 season.
Â
"He always had the ability and I think he wanted to work on the mental game, which was the reason for the redshirt," said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. "During those practices with the LVAC (Lehigh Valley Athletic Club) guys, he found himself in waters he wasn't used to and he got comfortable being in those waters. In our sport, if you get comfortable being uncomfortable, you're going to be really successful. Nate's now comfortable being really uncomfortable."
Â
Although it was tough missing out on wrestling for Lehigh, Brown continued to stay sharp by competing unattached, improving his own game and gearing up for a tremendous final two seasons in the Brown and White.
Â
"I had one bad match at the NCAA Championships my sophomore year," said Brown. "I think I was closer than I appeared to be. I was seeded ninth and ended up going 1-2 at NCAAs. I really made a ton of jumps my redshirt season, but I think I would have placed pretty highly if I didn't redshirt. Last year, everyone saw the results, but I would really say the jump came right after my sophomore year."
Â
The jump was a culmination of many years on the mat. Wrestling has been in Brown's blood from the beginning.
Â
"My dad was an assistant wrestling coach, so I was playing on the mat as soon as I could crawl," said Brown. "The first time I geared up was after my eighth-grade season. I had my first 'kick' in training, doing some mountain runs and getting in some extra drills. I got really serious. After my sophomore year of high school, I knew I wanted to wrestle in college."
Â
Brown's transition to Lehigh wasn't easy, but he took the challenges and turned them into positives.
Â
"There was a lot of growing and a lot of tears, but I eventually adjusted," he said. "Academically, Lehigh is really tough. My academics have drawn me close to some awesome people. Give me enough time and I could eventually figure out the wrestling aspect. With academics, I got close with people I might never have been close with because I needed their help."
Â
On the wrestling mat, Brown enjoyed success from the get-go. He went 17-6 as a freshman in 2011-12 then 21-7 as a sophomore. He deferred his eligibility as a junior. When Brown returned, he took his talent to the next level.
Â
The year away from Lehigh competition helped him appreciate the opportunity to compete for the Mountain Hawks.
Â
"You miss it when you're sitting out," said Brown. "It really fired me up seeing all my friends out competing and not being able to go with them. It really is a lot of fun when you're on the team. You miss out on trips, you miss the camaraderie and you miss scrapping with the team and fighting for each other."
Â
In Brown's return season, he found himself entering the NCAA Championships in St. Louis seeded seventh.
Â
"I remember feeling so free and happy to compete in the championships," he said. "I felt pressure, but was able to alleviate it and have fun."
Â
One moment that sticks out is when Brown officially earned All-America recognition for the first time in his career after defeating Pittsburgh's Max Thomusseit, seeded No. 2.
Â
"Looking back, I made All-America honors bigger than it had to be," said Brown. "Being an All-American doesn't make you any different, but it is cool to see some type of reward for the work you put in."
Â
Brown kept winning and found himself in the finals in the exact same weight class as Rohn back in 2002. Â Everything came full circle.
Â
"I remember thinking, 'wow, this actually is happening,'" said Brown. "I'm actually going to be in the finals. Before the finals, I was pretty overcome with emotion. How many nights have I laid in my bed dreaming about this opportunity?"
Â
Brown wrestled a tough match, dropping a 6-2 decision to Cornell's Gabe Dean, but he kept his head high and is looking to make one last run at a championship this season. Hopes and aspirations around Brown, and the Mountain Hawks' program, are high, entering the season ranked No. 7 in the national preseason poll.
Â
"Being in the finals, seeing it and tasting it will help me be more focused on performance and less focused on the 'moment' of being in the National Finals," said Brown. "It also helps me with the younger guys. I can help them as Robert Hamlin and other guys helped me. I have an opportunity to give back to the program."
Â
Brown's giving back has been on full display.
Â
"Nate has really grown into a tremendous leader," said junior Mitch Minotti. "He leads by example, on and off the mat, and has found a great balance between school, athletics and his social life, making him an ideal role model. He is very approachable and has worked hard to develop personal relationships with every individual on the team. He holds us accountable in every aspect of our lives and cares so much about the success of the team as a whole, individuals' personal growth and uniting the team behind one vision."
Â
Beyond wrestling, Brown would like to work for St. Luke's. In his fifth year at Lehigh, Brown earned his undergraduate degree in behavioral neuroscience and is currently enrolled in the health care systems and engineering graduate program.
Â
Brown has learned a lot in the classroom, and through Lehigh's Leadership Programs, which has provided him tremendous experience.
Â
"Having experience is the most important aspect of leadership," he said. "It allows you to relate better and view things differently, see things from different points of view and apply them to the team."
Â
Brown's overall view on problems, whether it's academically, athletically, socially or whatever it may be, has changed.
Â
"Lehigh has changed the way I view problems. I don't necessarily view them as a negative anymore," said Brown. "Lehigh has helped me grow towards viewing things as an opportunity and learning from whatever happens. My Lehigh experience has also provided me with plenty of failures, so I've learned how to bounce back from a failure and learned how to keep digging."
Â
Brown has kept digging and has served as a model student-athlete within the Lehigh community.
Â
"Nate is a perfect model," said Santoro. "He struggled early on, then figured it out and has done very well. Now he's in grad school. When the freshmen come in, he can say, I've been there. He's lived it. He's been on both sides, has been through the journey and knows how to guide people through that journey."
Â
Brown has learned how to face his fears and not back down from a challenge, which was a theme from his very first memory of Lehigh wrestling when he was 10 years old. Rohn fought until the very end, which is what Brown has done, and will continue to do.
Â
"Lehigh provides so much in the way of challenges and facing your fears that it causes students and student-athletes to really grow," said Brown. "Lehigh has provided a lot of introspective time for me. I've been able to understand who I am, then used what I've learned and give back to Lehigh."
Â
Â
The year was 2002. Lehigh's Rob Rohn was wrestling Oklahoma's Josh Lambrecht in the National Finals at 184 pounds. Trailing 14-3 with only seconds remaining in the match, it looked all but certain that Rohn would be defeated… until one of the most memorable finishes in NCAA Championship history occurred.
Â
Nathaniel Brown will never forget that moment. He was just 10 years old at the time.
Â
"I was in my room playing and my dad was watching that match," said Brown. "He called me down because Cael Sanderson was about to win his unprecedented fourth undefeated national title at 197 pounds. I walked in and saw Rob Rohn (cement) mixer and pin the guy from Oklahoma. It was crazy. My dad was like 'Oh my God! I can't believe that.'"Â
Â
The moment stuck with Brown. It was quite the first impression of Lehigh wrestling.
Â
"I remember thinking, 'I don't know about this Cael guy, but I want to go wrestle for Lehigh,'" he said
Â
Thirteen years later, Brown found himself in the same position as Rohn, competing in the National Finals in the exact same weight class. The turning point was during the fall of 2013 when Brown realized he could accomplish whatever he put his mind to, much like Rohn, who stayed determined until the very end.
Â
"It got physical, it 'clicked' and I put it on my opponent the last half of the workout," said Brown. "I remember it being the first time I consciously made the decision to keep working rather than taking the easy way out. My mind controlled my body."
Â
Brown opted to defer his eligibility during the 2013-14 season.
Â
"He always had the ability and I think he wanted to work on the mental game, which was the reason for the redshirt," said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. "During those practices with the LVAC (Lehigh Valley Athletic Club) guys, he found himself in waters he wasn't used to and he got comfortable being in those waters. In our sport, if you get comfortable being uncomfortable, you're going to be really successful. Nate's now comfortable being really uncomfortable."
Â
Although it was tough missing out on wrestling for Lehigh, Brown continued to stay sharp by competing unattached, improving his own game and gearing up for a tremendous final two seasons in the Brown and White.
Â
"I had one bad match at the NCAA Championships my sophomore year," said Brown. "I think I was closer than I appeared to be. I was seeded ninth and ended up going 1-2 at NCAAs. I really made a ton of jumps my redshirt season, but I think I would have placed pretty highly if I didn't redshirt. Last year, everyone saw the results, but I would really say the jump came right after my sophomore year."
Â
The jump was a culmination of many years on the mat. Wrestling has been in Brown's blood from the beginning.
Â
"My dad was an assistant wrestling coach, so I was playing on the mat as soon as I could crawl," said Brown. "The first time I geared up was after my eighth-grade season. I had my first 'kick' in training, doing some mountain runs and getting in some extra drills. I got really serious. After my sophomore year of high school, I knew I wanted to wrestle in college."
Â
Brown's transition to Lehigh wasn't easy, but he took the challenges and turned them into positives.
Â
"There was a lot of growing and a lot of tears, but I eventually adjusted," he said. "Academically, Lehigh is really tough. My academics have drawn me close to some awesome people. Give me enough time and I could eventually figure out the wrestling aspect. With academics, I got close with people I might never have been close with because I needed their help."
Â
On the wrestling mat, Brown enjoyed success from the get-go. He went 17-6 as a freshman in 2011-12 then 21-7 as a sophomore. He deferred his eligibility as a junior. When Brown returned, he took his talent to the next level.
Â
The year away from Lehigh competition helped him appreciate the opportunity to compete for the Mountain Hawks.
Â
"You miss it when you're sitting out," said Brown. "It really fired me up seeing all my friends out competing and not being able to go with them. It really is a lot of fun when you're on the team. You miss out on trips, you miss the camaraderie and you miss scrapping with the team and fighting for each other."
Â
In Brown's return season, he found himself entering the NCAA Championships in St. Louis seeded seventh.
Â
"I remember feeling so free and happy to compete in the championships," he said. "I felt pressure, but was able to alleviate it and have fun."
Â
One moment that sticks out is when Brown officially earned All-America recognition for the first time in his career after defeating Pittsburgh's Max Thomusseit, seeded No. 2.
Â
"Looking back, I made All-America honors bigger than it had to be," said Brown. "Being an All-American doesn't make you any different, but it is cool to see some type of reward for the work you put in."
Â
Brown kept winning and found himself in the finals in the exact same weight class as Rohn back in 2002. Â Everything came full circle.
Â
"I remember thinking, 'wow, this actually is happening,'" said Brown. "I'm actually going to be in the finals. Before the finals, I was pretty overcome with emotion. How many nights have I laid in my bed dreaming about this opportunity?"
Â
Brown wrestled a tough match, dropping a 6-2 decision to Cornell's Gabe Dean, but he kept his head high and is looking to make one last run at a championship this season. Hopes and aspirations around Brown, and the Mountain Hawks' program, are high, entering the season ranked No. 7 in the national preseason poll.
Â
"Being in the finals, seeing it and tasting it will help me be more focused on performance and less focused on the 'moment' of being in the National Finals," said Brown. "It also helps me with the younger guys. I can help them as Robert Hamlin and other guys helped me. I have an opportunity to give back to the program."
Â
Brown's giving back has been on full display.
Â
"Nate has really grown into a tremendous leader," said junior Mitch Minotti. "He leads by example, on and off the mat, and has found a great balance between school, athletics and his social life, making him an ideal role model. He is very approachable and has worked hard to develop personal relationships with every individual on the team. He holds us accountable in every aspect of our lives and cares so much about the success of the team as a whole, individuals' personal growth and uniting the team behind one vision."
Â
Beyond wrestling, Brown would like to work for St. Luke's. In his fifth year at Lehigh, Brown earned his undergraduate degree in behavioral neuroscience and is currently enrolled in the health care systems and engineering graduate program.
Â
Brown has learned a lot in the classroom, and through Lehigh's Leadership Programs, which has provided him tremendous experience.
Â
"Having experience is the most important aspect of leadership," he said. "It allows you to relate better and view things differently, see things from different points of view and apply them to the team."
Â
Brown's overall view on problems, whether it's academically, athletically, socially or whatever it may be, has changed.
Â
"Lehigh has changed the way I view problems. I don't necessarily view them as a negative anymore," said Brown. "Lehigh has helped me grow towards viewing things as an opportunity and learning from whatever happens. My Lehigh experience has also provided me with plenty of failures, so I've learned how to bounce back from a failure and learned how to keep digging."
Â
Brown has kept digging and has served as a model student-athlete within the Lehigh community.
Â
"Nate is a perfect model," said Santoro. "He struggled early on, then figured it out and has done very well. Now he's in grad school. When the freshmen come in, he can say, I've been there. He's lived it. He's been on both sides, has been through the journey and knows how to guide people through that journey."
Â
Brown has learned how to face his fears and not back down from a challenge, which was a theme from his very first memory of Lehigh wrestling when he was 10 years old. Rohn fought until the very end, which is what Brown has done, and will continue to do.
Â
"Lehigh provides so much in the way of challenges and facing your fears that it causes students and student-athletes to really grow," said Brown. "Lehigh has provided a lot of introspective time for me. I've been able to understand who I am, then used what I've learned and give back to Lehigh."
Â
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