Top Nebraska wrestler Garrett Grice ready to join Virginia
BELLEVUE, Neb. (BVM) — Bellevue East may not have a reputation as a wrestling school, but Garrett Grice has changed that.
Since the age of 5, Grice has been on a wrestling mat, thanks to his dad Clayton Grice. Clayton was a state champion at Mt. Union High School and went on to wrestle for NC State where he was a two-time ACC champion, a four-time All-ACC student-athlete and a four-time NCAA qualifier.
“He was the one who put on the sport and got me into it,” Garrett said. “I had some pretty good coaching from the start.”
Clayton passed away in 2021, but Garrett keeps his dad’s memory in his heart and continues to find peace when he wrestles.
“As a young kid, I honestly didn’t like wrestling very much,” Garrett said. “As I got older and I started to understand the process a little bit more, it honestly became [like] my therapy. If I have a bad day, I can still go to practice, and everything will be [okay]. It means a lot to me.”
Finding peace and comfort in a sport can be significant for any athlete. Garrett has done that. Along with finding peace in wrestling, Garrett has also become not only the best wrestler in Nebraska, but the best athlete after he was awarded the male athlete of the year by the Omaha Sports Commission.
⭐️ Male Athlete of the Year ⭐️@GarrettGrice of @Beast_Grapplers and an @UVAWrestling commit! #OSCAS22 pic.twitter.com/3j5ONreOtP
— Omaha Sports Commission (@Omaha_Sport) May 27, 2022
“It was a red carpet event where we all athletes got to meet up,” Garrett said. “They announce it in front of a lot of people. That one was pretty cool for me. I usually don’t get too excited for awards and honors, but that one meant a lot to win Athlete of the Year.”
Garrett has backed up that award every year while at Bellevue. He is Nebraska’s 35th four-time state champion, and he has been a top-ranked wrestler for his high school career. He also broke the all-class state takedown record in December 2021.
Garret Grice, Nebraska's 35th 4-time State High School Wrestling Champion! pic.twitter.com/bf4jeZULWU
— Nebraska Public Media (@NebPublicMedia) February 19, 2022
As Garrett continues to produce on and off the mat, it will lead him to a wide variety of opportunities. One of those opportunities has already relieved itself. He is continuing his wrestling and academic career at the University of Virginia.
“They have a really good education,” Garrett said. “And I know wrestling ends one day, so definitely that but the coaches, they believed in me maybe more than I believed in myself. That made me feel really good; the visit was good, everything about it was awesome, and I’m excited to go.”
Garrett will be part of the Cavaliers recruiting class that ranks in the top 10.
“I really want to be a really good teammate,” Garrett said. “Whatever my team needs, I’ll be there to do that. They’re going to get all of me, and I’m going to work hard down there.”
Along with joining the Cavalier wrestling team and moving out East, Garrett aims to show the wrestling world that not only can he succeed at the collegiate level \, but other wrestlers from Nebraska can succeed there too.
“I definitely plan on expanding Nebraska wrestling and getting more respect [to the state],” Garrett said. “I want to honor not only Bellevue and Bellevue East but the whole state of Nebraska. [And] show the whole country we’re very good, and we can compete anywhere.”
For Garrett, wrestling has opened so many doors. Some of those doors have yet to be discovered, like wrestling for Team USA.
“I don’t think I would turn it down,” Garrett said. “If I’m 23 years old and I’m very good at wrestling, and I have a chance at that, I think I would try it.”
Garrett still has a couple of months left before he heads to the Old Dominion, and with that, any obstacles and opportunities await. But whatever happens, one better believe when he steps onto a collegiate map, he’ll be ready to give it his all for Bellevue.
“I’ve been in Bellevue my entire life,” Grice said. “I’ve always been pretty passionate about being here and putting on for my school. For me, being able to win and bring some good [notability] to Bellevue East means a lot to me.”
