Evan Allen '18 Recruiting Profile

My name is Evan Allen I am a eighteen  year old senior at St. Francis DeSales High School in Louisville Kentucky. Currently wrestling at 120. I’ve encountered a lot of adversity and obstacles in my life. In order to understand who I am today requires a journey back in time to around 2009. Follow me if you will. I am in the fourth grade and I am the smallest person in my class, my small stature accompanied by a speech impediment and an auditory learning disability make me an easy target for other kids. I would be bullied everyday until high school. There were days that the anxiety was so overwhelming that I could not attend school. I was afraid to tell the teacher because she was friends with the father of the worst bully and I feared she would take his side. I didn't even tell my parents. They found out strictly by accident in my eighth grade year. Through my grade school years I achieved moderate success as a soccer player despite the turmoil in my life soccer kept my mind occupied and was a distraction from the bullies and the family issues. In 2007 my father was forced retire from his job as a police detective because he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at 38 years of age. This would not be the last of his medical issues. Had I not had the support of my family and friends I could not have moved on to high school. In 2010 long before my freshman year would start my father would hear 3 words that no one wants to hear “ you have cancer”. This would be the beginning of a long road for all of us along this road I would learn a lot about perseverance.  I chose to attend St. Francis DeSales High school because of its small size and the faculty genuinely seemed to care. This was a stark contrast to my experience in grade school but it was a welcome change. I was able to thrive at DeSales. I played soccer and I was on the wrestling team. By the end of my freshman year the entire faculty knew me by name and not in a bad way either. Sophomore year I was earning money as a soccer referee. The quiet kid that had anxiety issues was refereeing games. But wrestling became my true passion by the time sophomore wrestling season came around I had decided that I was going to wrestle year round. My coach Greg Miller took an interest in me from day one. He saw something in me that I didn't even see. Remember the kid that had a speech impediment and a learning disability? Remember the kid who was bullied and suffered from anxiety? The kid who felt like giving up more than carrying on. The kid who worries constantly about his father. That’s not the kid Coach Miller saw, he saw a kid who knew how to overcome adversity. He saw a kid that knew how to fight and persevere. He saw a kid with potential. Me a scrawny 90 pound freshman, imagine that. And thus began my journey into the greatest sport on the planet. He taught me how to be a State contender as a junior. Post season I was ranked 24th in the State and as a senior I am the team captain of the largest wrestling team in the history of St. Francis DeSales High School. This would not have been possible without the help of my strength coach William Wilhote and my wrestling coach Greg Miller. The values and leadership that I learned from them have helped me to grow into a stronger person both physically and mentally. Watching my dad fight and win against bigger odds has taught me that I can overcome anything.  As the team captain I have the opportunity to pass valuable life lessons on to young student athletes and help them to become better people both on and off the mat. I have had the opportunity to work within my community serving others. Mentoring and serving others has prepared me for the next chapter of my life. College will help prepare me to accomplish my future goals of being a first generation college athlete and a first generation college graduate. I don't know how challenging college will be but I’m no stranger to challenges they are simply building blocks. I know how to beat the odds and I lead by example. Thank you for taking this journey with me.