Wrestling: Schoenfelder opts for Northern Iowa

Climbing the ladder of success was a step-by-step process for Pat Schoenfelder, but he eventually reached the top.

Antioch's senior wrestler capped a 48-2 campaign by capturing the Class 2A state championship at 160 pounds, and that proved to be an eye-opener for college recruiters.

Originally slated to wrestle at the Division III level for Wisconsin-La Crosse, Schoenfelder took a step up in class last week when he signed a national letter of intent with the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.

Schoenfelder was a force to be reckoned with from the day he started wrestling for the Sequoits, as he reached the state meet and finished his freshman season with a 36-16 record at 132 pounds.

Antioch coach Wilbur Borrero always knew Schoenfelder had the potential to win a state title, and Schoenfelder got one step closer to that goal when he placed fourth in the state with a 46-5 record at 145 as a sophomore.

"Coming into my freshman year, I really didn't expect to get a state championship, and (Borrero) kept reminding me that I could do it," said Schoenfelder, who became the first state champion in Antioch's history. "He's definitely made a huge impact on my life and my wrestling career. And he's someone I'm always going to remember and keep his ideas and philosophy for the rest of my life."

The next step to Schoenfelder achieving his ultimate goal came last year when he placed second in the state at 152 with a 48-3 record.

Then came the moment of truth when Schoenfelder captured the state crown this past February in Champaign to put the finishing touches on an amazing career that ended with a 178-26 record (.873 winning percentage).

"I had always told Pat that he was a D-I wrestler, and he should be wrestling Division I," Borrero said. "When he won the state championship, all of a sudden he started getting contacted by D-I schools. They flew him out to the University of Oregon, he went to the University of Virginia, but he's an Iowa kid so that is the bottom line. He is closer to home and he was comfortable there."

Schoenfelder's father, Antioch athletic director Steve Schoenfelder, attended the University of Iowa.

"I'm sure he's really excited," Schoenfelder said of his dad. "He grew up in (Bettendorf) Iowa, and we've visited Iowa countless times, so it felt like a second home. I'm just trying to be the best wrestler I can be. I'm never going to forget what Antioch has done for me."

Schoenfelder could be redshirting his freshman year, but that decision will be finalized when he consults with Northern Iowa coach Doug Schwab. The Panthers wrestle in the Mid-American Conference so Schoenfelder should return to the Chicago area when UNI faces Northern Illinois.

"The wrestling partners he has there will force him to be an even better wrestler in college, and he has a lot of room to improve," Borrero said.

While wrestling will be always No. 1, Schoenfelder also reached state in track last year as the anchor on the Sequoits' 1,600-meter relay team. He ran cross country in the fall.

"It's nice to get away from wrestling every once in awhile and focus on something else," Schoenfelder said. "The first three years (of wrestling) I was coming up short in my medal matches and it gets to you. But you have to use that as motivation, and it paid off in the end."

Besides Borrero, Schoenfelder credits the Poeta Training Center in Lake Forest and former University of Illinois standout Mike Poeta, who was a two-time IHSA state champion, for much of his success.

Borrero expects nothing but a great future for Schoenfelder.

"I think Pat will take on that challenge, and he will meet it head on," Borrero said. "He's a three-sport athlete, and when he starts really dedicating himself to wrestling, which he will have to do, he will be even better."