From achieving fifth place at state wrestling last year to currently being ranked number one this season in the 120-pound weight class in Class D, sophomore Eli Kult is looking to be the first-ever state champion in Yutan’s boys wrestling history.
“I think I had a pretty good season last year,” Kult said. “I am not happy with…how I got fifth, but I’m just trying to do better than last year this year.”
So far, Kult has had an impressive season, accumulating a record of 27-1 with his only loss being to the third ranked wrestler in Class B. Despite this, Kult has eight significant wins over ranked opponents from Classes B, C and D.
Winning these matches over tough opponents isn’t the only source of motivation for Kult, however. Part of what drives Kult to continue to set high expectations are his three older brothers that wrestled before him.
“It’s just weird because I have to carry the weight of all of them to do better than them,” Kult said. “They’ve made me work harder because I just want to be better than them.”
Having experienced all her sons wrestle, Kult’s mom, high school secretary Diana Kult, has seen the impact his brothers have had on him.
“He has a lot to look up to following all of the other boys,” Diana Kult said. “He’s a very competitive little guy, and being the baby in the family, he gets compared to his older brothers, so I’m just so proud of him.”
Because of his brothers’ success in wrestling fueling the fire for his own, Kult was able to become the first of his brothers to place at the state tournament.
“None of his brothers ever placed. All of them got really close…or at least qualified,” head wrestling coach Dan Kraijcek said. “Levi [Kult] qualified [all] four years and just always got really tough draws at state, so to finally get a medal is a big deal.”
Although the older Kults never placed, since Krajicek coached all of them, he can see how they helped make Eli into the wrestler he is today.
“It’s pretty interesting to see over the course of ten years…you can see the same thing Levi did eight [or] nine years ago, and Eli does it today,” Krajicek said. “They kind of wrestle the same.”
Although he and his brothers share a similar style of wrestling, Kult has found a way to stand out.
“What makes me different from my brothers, I think, is how I wrestle more in the off-season and my work ethic,” Kult said. “I also think I am more offensively orientated and take more risks in matches.”
Krajicek also notices Kult’s different style of wrestling compared to his brothers.
“They (the brothers) could dominate a match and only win by three or four points because they were such good defensive wrestlers,” Krajicek said. “Where you know Eli has a lot more weapons at his disposal that he uses, which makes him score points a lot easier.”
Despite being similar and different in some ways as far as their wrestling technique, the Kult brothers all share similar personalities, which Krajicek said has made them enjoyable to coach.
“I also get a kick out of seeing how [Eli’s] like his brothers and his attitude where he refuses to miss a weigh-in,” Krajicek said. “And he’ll do whatever we ask him to do, he’ll do it even though he might give us a little attitude, but it’s all a part of the fun.”
Others, like teammate and fellow sophomore Otto Henkel, have also noticed Eli’s personality and how it’s benefitted the team.
“I think he’s always making everything a good time, so he’s making everybody laugh and making everybody happy,” Henkel said.
Because of his work ethic, uplifting personality and influence of his brothers getting him to where he is today, Kult hopes to continue his success in wrestling by setting goals he aims to reach by the end of his high school career.
“I want to be the first state champ boy…be the first one to place more than once, and be the career wins leader by the end of high school,” Kult said.
Krajicek also wants to help Kult improve by not necessarily focusing on concrete goals but rather continuing to work towards his potential.
“The goal for him is to just get as close to his potential as we possibly can. His potential is pretty high compared to most kids,” Krajicek said. “I just want him to get better and keep striving for that level, and everything else tends to take care of itself.”
Because Kult is the last of his siblings left in high school, his parents are sad that watching their sons wrestle will soon be over, but they plan to savor every moment left.
“I think when Eli’s finally done too, it’s going to be a long mourning process just because it’s (wrestling) been a part of our lives forever,” Diana Kult said. “I just want him to have the most success he can possibly reach in high school and be satisfied at the end and know he did the best he could do.”