Lucas Galdine '24 Recruiting Profile

My ultimate goal during my sophomore wrestling season was to place at the IHSA State Wrestling Tournament. With 2 months left in the season, I had a setback. I sustained a stress fracture in my lower back. Although I couldn’t wrestle, I did what I could every day to fix my back and improve my wrestling. Not only did I do physical therapy every day, I also attended practices so I could drill lightly and watch film. 

One month into my physical therapy, my high school team had an important dual meet against our rivals-Grant High School. It had been years since our team beat Grant, and the winner of this dual would win the Conference Championship. Although I was still in pain and not fully recovered, I made the game-time decision to fight through the pain and wrestle for the sake of my team. The dual meet was close, but with two matches left, we were down on points. For my team to win, I had to pin my opponent. Although I was in pain, I took him down with a blast-double, locked up a cross-face cradle, and pinned him. Our team won the Conference Championship.

Helping my high school team to win the Conference Championship felt great, but unfortunately, this match aggravated my back, and I was unable to practice leading up to the Regional, Sectional, and State tournaments. Despite extreme pain and stiffness in my back and lack of practice, I still managed to have a pretty successful postseason. I took first place at Regionals, third place at Sectionals, and tied for ninth place at State. Although I didn’t place where I wanted to, I am still proud that I was able to overcome adversity to qualify for the State tournament.

I became interested in wrestling through my passion for Martial Arts. I’ve been training in Kung fu since I was 5 years old. To become a better athlete and Martial Artists, I’ve also trained in Judo, kickboxing, tumbling, and cross country. My Martial Arts accomplishments include 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place trophies at the Illinois State Karate Championship, the Midwest Regional “Day of Champions,”  the North American Grand Nationals, and more. My greatest Martial Arts accomplishment is becoming the youngest adult black belt in the 40-year history of Gangi MMA and Kung fu.

My accomplishments aren’t only athletic but also extend into academics. I have received Academic All-Conference every high school year. When I was in 4th grade, I was excepted into Northwestern University’s Midwest Academic Talent Search (NUMATS). Because of this program, I completed all my high school math classes before I even started high school. I’ve also completed the NDignite program at the University of Notre Dame - an online program for high-achieving students.

Although I already have quite a few academic and athletic achievements, I’ve only just begun. I look forward to working with you as a member of your team and accomplishing so much more!