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Austin senior Sam Winkels was surrounded by a good representation of the community as he made history by becoming the first Packer to commit to a Division II wrestling program in at least 15 years at Austin High School Tuesday.

Amongst current teammates, youth wrestlers, football and wrestling coaches, and family, Winkels signed his national letter-of-intent to wrestle at St. Cloud State University under a partial athletic scholarship.

“I’m stoked. To be around guys that think like me and want to get better, compete and want to win national championships, that will be amazing. I know they’ll make me a better wrestler and I hope I can help make them a better program,” Winkels said. “I didn’t know if I was going to try to play football or wrestle (in college), but over the last couple of months I’ve realized my love for this sport. I realized that I’m not willing to give it up and St. Cloud came calling. They’re the number one ranked team in Division II right now and their coaches are really good and they’re really personable. I just felt it was the best fit for me.”

Winkels is a two-time state qualifier and he took fourth place in the Class AA 285-pound bracket last season. He had a record of 49-3 overall last season.

Winkels set AHS records for wins and pins in a season in his junior campaign.

It was during his freshman season when Winkels found his drive to go all-in on wrestling. He suffered a broken arm and missed almost two months of the season.

“I had to watch my brother wrestle during his senior year and I wasn’t able to compete with the injury,” Winkels said. “I was on the fence with wrestling before that, but watching it made me miss it and made me realize I love the sport.”

Winkels is hoping that wrestling will grow in Austin, even after he graduates. Since he’s been wrestling, the team has opened a new wrestling room in the basement of the Annex at AHS and there have also been plenty of young wrestlers looking up to Winkels.

“That’s always been my goal is to leave the program better than I found it. It’s the same thing with football, I want to do the best I can no matter what,” Winkels said. 

Moving on to college will offer Winkels a challenge in the classroom and the mat, but he’s ready for the task. He’s always made education a priority.

“You’ve got to keep everything balanced and you’ve got to work with what you’ve got and roll with the punches,” Winkels said. “If you have a test on the same day as a game, you’ve just got to focus on two things and stay focused on your goals.”

The Huskies finished in fifth place last season at the NCAA championships and they are ranked No. 1 this season.

Austin will open its wrestling season with a home invite at 9 a.m. on Dec. 7.