How did you first become interested in wrestling ? What do you like about the sport ?
My older brother Matthew was wrestling and my dad was the youth coach at the time so it was a natural progression for me to start . My favorite aspect of the sport is competing in front of the home crowd during duals for the University of Minnesota . The atmosphere is exciting and really pumps me up .
Tell us about your relationship with your brother Chris . What is he like as a person and as a brother ? What are some of the similarities between you two , and what are some of the biggest differences ?
My younger brother Chris is also a member of the team and we are in the same major . That means I see him just about every day in class or at practice . We are always competing in our classes to get the higher test score , which we then brag about to friends and family . Chris is very hard-working , smart , and competitive . He takes that competitive nature to every aspect of his life and works to be the best . Instead , I ’ m a little more relaxed and easy going about things .
Talk about your upbringing on a farm in Le Sueur , Minnesota . Why is that an important part of who you are as a person , and what kind of values did it instill in you and your siblings ?
I have two very humble , hard-working , and generous parents . My work ethic is a direct reflection of my parents ’ work ethic . My siblings and I spent our summers working on the farm baling hay , picking rocks in the fields , caring for a garden , tending to the animals , etc . One of the biggest lessons I learned is that I ’ m not too good for any job or task .
Growing up in southern Minnesota , did you dream of wrestling for the U of M ? When did you realize it would be a possibility ? Why did you choose to come here over your other offers ?
There are many fond memories of my family and I watching the Gophers compete ; I thought they were superstars ! I decided to go Division I the summer before senior year . I chose the University of Minnesota because of the tradition and the belief that this is where I can win a team and individual national title .
After the 2014-2015 season , the team lost 5 All-Americans to graduation . Tell us about the challenges you faced , as well as how you ’ ve succeeded , in transitioning from a first-year starter on that team to now being a senior leader of a team with a lot of young wrestlers .
I ’ ve emulated the actions and character of good leaders that were on the team when I was an underclassman . The biggest thing is leading by example . Guys like Scott Schiller , Logan Storley , Kevin Steinhaus , the Dardanes twins , Tony Nelson , and more were always hard-nosed and tough people . I try to carry on that same legacy of tough Minnesota wrestling and demonstrate it for the current underclassmen .
With Morgan McIntosh and Nathan Burak both graduated , you are now seen as the Big Ten favorite at 197 . Will you need to make any adjustments with that target on your back ?
I ’ m always making adjustments to my wrestling regardless of rank or placing , as any athlete should . My goal is to be the best , most well rounded wrestler I can possibly be . This means constantly working on technique and reviewing my progress .
This past season , you developed a pretty intense rivalry with Nathan Burak of Iowa , with three matches throughout the season ( Minnesota-Iowa Dual , Big Ten Championships , 3rd Place Match at NCAA Tourna-
Brett Pfarr demonstrates XXXXXX move during a technique session at the 28-Day Intensive Camp at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls .