BOONE —When football season cranked up last fall, Appalachian State freshman Danny Misenheimer wasn’t all that sure he’d chosen the right career path.
Misenheimer, a four-year all-county gridiron star at East Rowan High, a Shrine Bowler and the county’s defensive player of the year in 2000, said thanks, but no thanks, to disappointed football recruiters and signed a wrestling and track grant-in-aid with the Apps last spring.
That decision led to some initial misery for Misenheimer. He sat in the stadium on Boone’s crisp Saturday afternoons, watched the Apps roll and yearned to make tackles and throw crunching blocks.
“At that time, I was just missing football something bad,” Misenheimer says.
The big guy got over it, though, when both wrestling and indoor track practice got under way. Especially after wrestling matches cranked up in earnest in early November. All winter, Misenheimer, just shy of six feet and 265 pounds of muscle, has performed an amazingly successful athletic double dip.
“It’s wrestling practice in the morning, then class, then weightlifting, then track practice and them more wrestling practice,” sighs
Misenheimer. “I’m too busy to think about football much anymore.”
OK, so when does “Big D” sleep?
“Whenever I can,” he responds.
Misenheimer almost went to sleep during some of his high school wrestling matches. He was head and shoulders above the competition almost all of the time — finishing sixth, third, second and first in the state in a record-setting career. By his senior year, a high percentage of Misenheimer’s matches were forfeits, as overmatched opponents simply weren’t interested in getting on the mat with the soft-spoken bruiser.
But college wrestling was a revelation for a young man who is the reigning North Carolina prep Wrestler of the Year. The Apps tackle a challenging nonconference slate and Misenheimer was subjected to some painful early wake-up calls. UNC’s Matt Kenny, ranked 11th in the nation, flattened Misenheimer in 41 savage seconds.
“I started real slow, because I had the wrong frame of mind,” Misenheimer admits. “I wasn’t used to the college style. I found out if I didn’t want to get used to losing, I had to get in really good shape. I had to realize I couldn’t just walk out there and win like I did in high school.”
Misenheimer is very strong, but he’s not huge by heavyweight standards.
“Most everyone at this level is taller and heavier than me. They’re mostly 285 pounds or so and anywhere from 6-1 to 6-3,” he said.
But Misenheimer eventually made the necessary adjustments and proved it by recording a pin of N.C. State’s highly regarded David
DeBinder. And when he hit Southern Conference competition, Misenheimer was nearly unstoppable, going 4-1. He and fellow East Rowan alum Steve Fox helped the Apps go 5-0 in league matches and win the school’s first conference title since 1997.
“Danny’s one of our studs. He’s really starting to get some notice,” said ASU sports information assistant Geoff
Wiswell.
Misenheimer’s most exciting league match was a pin of Chattanooga’s A.J. Lyczkowski in two overtimes. Lyczkowski was the defending league champion, but a limping Misenheimer mashed his shoulders to the mat. That stunner made Misenheimer a No. 1 seed for the Southern Conference tourney on March 3, which will be held in Chapel Hill in conjunction with the ACC and Colonial Athletic tournaments in an event known as “Mat Jam.”
Big crowds are expected.
“We usually have pretty good crowds,” said Misenheimer. “About 400 to 500 for home matches. We had a thousand for our home match with Carolina.”
By the way, between pins, the part-time track man tossed the shot well enough to qualify for the conference’s indoor tourney.
“I’ve got a pretty good chance to place in that,” Misenheimer said. “Maybe even win.”
No matter how he does in his conference meets, there’s little doubt, Misenheimer’s going to be a winner in the main event. He already knows he wants to teach in high school and coach football, track and wrestling after he earns his degree.
“I was fortunate to have great high school coaches,” he said. “The most important thing I learned from them is that when you push yourself in sports, you also do better in school — and in life. I’d like to pass that on.”
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