Iowa is considered the Mecca of elite wrestling in this country. Carson High's Paul Carter is going to be right in the middle of it.
Carter signed a letter of intent on Tuesday with William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Carter, who won the NIAA 4A state wrestling title this year at 140 pounds, will be joining Douglas High graduate Nate Bennett at William Penn, one of the top NAIA wrestling programs in the country.
This past season, William Penn had five All-Americans and finished sixth in the country. William Penn also had a 10-0 record against NAIA schools this past season.
The Statesmen also wrestle in dual meets against Division I schools, including national power Iowa State this past season.
"They wrestle in Iowa," Carter said. "They wrestle the best. That's fine with me. I thought that is probably good enough."
Among the other schools that showed interest was NAIA school Dana College in Nebraska.
William Penn offered a package that will cover two-thirds of Carter's costs.
"It was pretty much the only one that gave me an offer that was worth going for," Carter said.
Carter could have gone the junior college route and possibly earned a Division I scholarship. But he said William Penn was his best alternative.
While William Penn had another strong year, the weight that Carter will likely wrestle in was one of its weakest areas. Carter will likely wrestle at 149 pounds.
"I don't believe I'd be able to make 141 in college," he said. "They definitely need somebody in my weight.
"That's what they're looking for. They needed somebody who can step in."
The obvious goal for Carter is to win a national title. "If I could do that more than once, that would be great," he said.
Carter, who maintains a 3.7 grade point average, plans to major in education and would like to become a teacher and coach. That would be appropriate since he said he has many coaches to thank, including his youth football coach, Dan Armstrong. "He was inspirational," Carter said.
About winning the state title, Carter said, "It was awesome. There was no better feeling than that.
"It's amazing. You don't realize how hard you have to work until it's all over and it's worth it."
Carter also wrestled in the National High School Championships this spring where he went 1-2.
"Paul is an outstanding student-athlete," Statesmen coach Gary Garvis said. "We feel we have signed both an outstanding student and wrestler."
