Coming off injury, Whitaker ready to get back on the mat one last time
MARTINSVILLE, Ind. (BVM) — Cayden Whitaker has been wrestling for most of his life, and has enjoyed a lot of success on the mat. But last year, his wrestling career was altered after suffering a season-ending injury. With a lot of hard work, Whitaker has made it back to the mat, and he hopes to have one last chance to compete collegiately this winter.
Whitaker has suffered through injuries throughout his wrestling career at the University of Indianapolis (UIndy), but none greater than the torn labrum he suffered prior to the 2019 wrestling season. At his team’s first practice on Oct. 10, 2019, Whitaker went down in a heap of pain, knowing his shoulder was likely dislocated.
After taking a few weeks off, the 23-year-old thought he might be able to get back on the mat for the rest of his season. But after a couple more practices, Whitaker ended up dislocating his shoulder again, and tearing his labrum in four different spots. At that point, he knew his season was over.
“It was tough,” Whitaker said about the injury. “After those two practices kind of came the realization that this was bad. After I dislocated it the second time I knew I was going to have to get surgery and it was really hard to have to sit out the entire year and watch my guys from the sidelines.”
Whitaker ended up sitting out the entire 2019 wrestling campaign. But one benefit from watching from the sidelines was further realizing his potential future as a coach in the sport.
“It was kind of cool because I’ve always had aspirations to become a coach,” Whitaker said. “I took some of the young ducks under my wing, and coached them through their redshirt seasons which was really cool.”
After graduating from UIndy this spring — where he has studied criminal justice over the last several years — Whitaker hopes to keep wrestling as a part of his life, as it has been since he was 8 years old.
Up until high school, Whitaker was a football, baseball and basketball player in addition to wrestling. During his youth, he often found wrestling intense and demanding, and really didn’t enjoy it as much as the other sports he played.
Admittedly, Whitaker was an average wrestler as he entered high school, yet he realized that the mat was also where he had his greatest athletic potential. But after losing in sectionals as a sophomore at Martinsville High School, Whitaker knew it was time to get better.
“My sophomore year, I didn’t even make it out of sectionals,” Whitaker explained. “That just really bugged me because I put so much time and effort into this sport. I knew I needed to turn it up a notch.”
As a result, Whitaker ended his football career going into his junior season, allowing him to put a greater focus on wrestling. The results were special for the 23-year-old, as he made it to state and placed seventh, finally realizing his true potential in the sport.
“I was super proud of how far I’d come from the year before,” Whitaker said. “My goal as a sophomore was to make it to semi-state so the next year when I came in and made it, it was really special. I walked into the arena knowing I could do it and I made it to the finals and qualified for state. That was a pretty cool moment.”
In his senior season, Whitaker would make it back to state, and this time finish third. He also capped his high school career with a conference championship. It wasn’t before long that Whitaker knew he had a college wrestling future in his sights.
However, Whitaker was not a big name and competed at a small high school — resulting in few college offers. While he had some lower-level interest, Whitaker was always intrigued by UIndy. After Greyhounds’ coach Jason Warthan watched the Martinsville grad wrestle at state, he was “all in” on Whitaker.
Whitaker would end up redshirting in his freshman year, but began competing and beating many top-tier college wrestlers in his first year on the mat with the Greyhounds, where he went 13-6. Although an injury would end that campaign prematurely, Whitaker began setting his sights on becoming an All-American and national champion.
In his redshirt-sophomore campaign, Whitaker would maintain his success with a 10-3 record, highlighted by a second-place finish at the Findlay Open, and a third-place finish at the Midwest Classic.
Of course, Whitaker’s junior season would be derailed by his torn labrum. But after putting in the work, the fifth-year senior is ready to compete on the mat one last time for the Greyhounds. However, with COVID-19 continuing to impact the sports world, the question for Whitaker is will he have that chance?
“I’m hoping we have a full season but it’s hard to tell,” Whitaker said. “If it does happen it probably won’t happen until after January so we’re most likely going to have half of a season and I would be surprised if we did have a postseason. Obviously, I would like to go into this season and come out as a national champion, but it’s just not looking in our favor right now.”
No matter what happens, this year will be Whitaker’s last season of competitive wrestling. If the season was to be outright canceled, it would be tough to take for the wrestler.
“It would be very heartbreaking,” Whitaker said about a canceled season. “This is definitely going to be my last year because I’m 23 years old now and want to start my life. So it would definitely be heartbreaking if we don’t have a season this year.”
Beyond his college career, Whitaker hopes his coaching tenure with wrestling can begin right away, as he will aim to give back to the sport, specifically at the high school level.
“I definitely want to give back to the sport I love so much,” the 23-year-old said. “I’d like to get involved at a high school program and help a kid achieve his dreams and become a state champion. That’s a huge goal of mine after I graduate.”
For now, all Whitaker and his Greyhound teammates can do is prepare as if the season will be played at some point this winter. And if Whitaker is finally able to suit up and get back out on the mat coming off his injury, it will be a significant moment in the wrestler’s career.
“It’s going to be very special to strap up the singlet and be out there again in front of my team and do it for my coaches and my team,” Whitaker said. “Being back on the mat will be a very, very special moment for me.”
