It’s the first week of Chris Mecate’s collegiate career. He is going up against then captain John Nicholson. Nicholson is beating up the freshman and Mecate is so tired he can barely stand. After a double leg take down off the mat on to the floor in the wrestling room, before he could stand again, Nicholson pushes Mecate out of the double doors into the hallway of the wrestling building.
“He took me down again right there in that hallway. Administrators and other athletes were just passing through. My back was killing me, I was hurting so bad,” Mecate said.