Fox Lake to honor ex-Grant wrestling star, Olympian Daniel Dennis
After a flurry of rolls over his opponent, Grant High School graduate Daniel Dennis stood amid thunderous applause this month during the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials in Iowa City after winning a freestyle match that put him on the 2016 U.S. team to compete for a medal in Rio de Janeiro.
In doing so, Dennis cemented his legacy in the Fox Lake area that will honor him this weekend.
"It's truly a great honor for him, and for all of Fox Lake," Mayor Donny Schmit said Tuesday. "This community has a rich tradition in wrestling. We've had state champions, we've had national champions, and now, we hope to add an Olympic champion."
Dennis, a 2005 Grant graduate and a former Ingleside resident, will attend a Friday pep rally at the school's field house at 12:40 p.m., Grant High School District 124 Superintendent Christine Sefcik said.
The 125½-pound wrestler also will be honored Sunday in Fox Lake with a parade, set for 9:30 a.m. at Grant, that will head north on Devlin Road and turn west on Grand Avenue. It will end at Rollins Road, where former wrestling coach Ryan Geist, Grant High School Assistant Athletic Director Blair Schoell, and Schmit will speak during a ceremony.
"His is a story of perseverance," Geist said. "Whereas others looked at what he did as having a good career, he was never truly satisfied."
Geist said Dennis posted a record of 14 wins and 12 losses as a 112-pound freshman at Grant before running his record to 42-5 as a 112-pound sophomore and taking fourth in the state tournament.
He was 45-6 as a 125-pound junior and 52-2 as a 130-pound senior, and he was poised to win state championships in each those years but lost in the title matches, Geist said.
"Both of those losses were heartbreaking," he said. "He lost by one point in each match."
At the University of Iowa, Dennis was a two-time all-American and compiled a 22-4 record in his senior year.
However, he lost another heartbreaker, placing second in the NCAA championships in 2010 after a 6-4 loss. Dennis was winning 4-2 with 20 seconds left in the match, according to media reports.
In 2013, Dennis left wrestling and spent two years living out of a trailer and the Ford F-150 truck he bought off Craigslist for $500. He rock-climbed and worked as an assistant wrestling coach at Windsor High School in California, Geist said.
He returned to wrestling in 2015 after his father, Tim, died of cancer in 2014, Geist said.
"His father was extremely supportive of him. He loved watching Daniel wrestle," Geist said.
"The support he received from his father is a big reason why he was able to finally overcome the obstacles in front of him and get to where he's at."
Dennis' climb back to the wrestling elite started after finishing fourth at the U.S. Open in May 2015.
He won a place on the 2016 U.S. wrestling team April 10 by defeating fellow Hawkeye Tony Ramos, a 2015 U.S. World Team Trials champion and 2015 U.S. Open champion.
"He was an outstanding student-athlete during his time here and so dedicated to the sport," Sefcik said. "With his dedication and hard work, it is not surprising at all that he has become one of the top wrestlers in the nation.
"We look forward to Daniel sharing some of his time with our students this Friday and to honoring him in a parade Sunday through the Fox Lake community. We also wish him the best of luck in Rio."