Carson and Carter Martinson are ready to be Hawkeye wrestlers
ALTOONA, Iowa (BVM) 鈥� Carter and Carson Martinson are about to accomplish something that many Iowans grow up dreaming about, but don鈥檛 get the chance to do. After committing to wrestle for Iowa they will be starting their collegiate career next year.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty surreal to have that opportunity to go there because I鈥檝e been looking up to them my whole life,鈥� Carson said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been a huge Iowa fan.鈥�
The brothers committed back in October, setting themselves up to become the people they used to watch on television as they cheered on the Hawkeyes.
鈥淚t means a lot,鈥� Carter said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e a little kid you look up to people like that and to be one of those guys now is pretty cool.鈥�
However, it was not always a guarantee. If someone had told Carson when he was a freshman that he would be wrestling for Iowa in college, he would not have believed it. At that point neither Martinson had fully understood what their potential was in the sport, but that was the time that both brothers realized their love for wrestling.
鈥淲hen I got to high school I finally learned that wrestling is what I wanted to do,鈥� Carter said.
Up to that point they had been wrestling since they were 6, but had played other sports. Their parents hadn鈥檛 pushed them to any specific sport, but high school showed them that they wanted to focus on wrestling. The training, the competition and the feeling after winning matches all pushed the brothers toward the sport.
鈥淲atching older guys, watching them win, you want to have that same feeling, you want to feel like that,鈥� Carson said. 鈥淚 think the love for winning is a huge thing because getting your hand raised is something that can鈥檛 compare to anything else.鈥�
Once the love and focus for the sport was there, the desire to wrestle after high school came soon after. For Carson, that came the summer after freshman year when they began training at the Sebolt Academy. For Carter, it came during the state tournament when he was a sophomore. He was able to wrestle back into third place and it showed him he could make it to the next level.
鈥淭hat was kind of the moment,鈥� Carter said.
From then on, both Carter and Carson began the recruiting process. The brothers wanted to play together, but the main goal was finding the right fit for each of them.
鈥淲e both knew we wanted to wrestle with each other but it wasn鈥檛 like we had to,鈥� Carter said.
They have been training together since they first got into the sport, working together, helping each other and motivating one another to keep pushing themselves. Carter and Carson may wrestle in different weight classes, but the brothers are always competing in a positive way.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been nice because you watch him and you don鈥檛 want to be considered the worst twin,鈥� Carson said. 鈥淚t pushes you to keep getting better and I think we both push each other to be better.鈥�
And although they didn鈥檛 need to go to the same college and keep pushing each other on the same team, when Iowa began to recruit them, it all fell into place. Carter and Carson committed to their dream school and would be able to wrestle with each other in college.
鈥淭here were some other schools, but once Iowa was in the picture, there wasn鈥檛 anywhere else I wanted to go,鈥� Carter said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something special and you want to be a part of that,鈥� Carson said about Iowa.
Along with being able to wrestle with each other, the brothers will also be able to wrestle with two of their closest friends and another brother tandem that is committed to Iowa. Fellow Southeast Polk wrestlers Joel and Nate Jesuroga will also be Hawkeyes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty cool that all four of us are already best friends and we get to go to the same college and not have to split up,鈥� Carter said.
Joel will be joining Carter and Carson this fall in Iowa City and Nate will be there the following year. They have all worked together to win a traditional team state title this past season with SEP, and now they鈥檒l be able to work together to achieve their goals as Hawkeyes.
For Carter and Carson, that is becoming All-Americans and serious contributors for Iowa.
鈥淚鈥檓 super proud of where I鈥檝e been, but there鈥檚 a lot more work to be done,鈥� Carson said.
