Jan. 9, 2006
Austin DeVoe came to Columbia from Columbus, Kan., with lofty expectations of someday reaching All-America status while wearing the Missouri singlet.
He wasted no time making a name for himself at the 125-pound weight class, compiling a 31-16 record during his freshman and sophomore seasons. His success continued during his junior campaign, leading to high aspirations for his last campaign in 2005-06.
"I want to be an All-American," DeVoe said. "I've beaten some of the current All-Americans when I was younger and I wrestled all of them back in high school. I definitely want to achieve All-America status--I can see that. I can see a top-three finish."
He looked to be well on his way to fulfilling his goals last year, when he took victories in four of his first five matches. He took second place at the Central Missouri State University Open and finished fifth at the Missouri Open on Nov. 21, 2004.
With things rolling along and his potential coming to fruition, DeVoe couldn't have been happier. That was until Jan. 11, 2005, when his streak of five consecutive victories, which included two falls and a major decision.came to an end.
It wasn't the loss that hurt, it was a torn pectoral muscle in his right shoulder that left DeVoe feeling overwhelming pain. After consulting with the Missouri medical staff and seeing a few doctors, the consensus was that if DeVoe underwent surgery to repair the muscle, which had been torn 75 percent through, he might be able to return near the end of the season.
"The hardest part was sitting on the side during practices, having to just watch the whole time," DeVoe said. "I was doing cardio work the whole time because I thought I still might be able to get back in time. That included a lot of rehab in the mornings and throughout the rest of the day, doing different exercises with the trainer (Pat Beckmann). He did a really good job of getting me through it."
Unfortunately for DeVoe, his long hours of strenuous rehab work didn't quite pay off as he would have liked. He never saw the mat again in 2005, and after obtaining a medical redshirt from the NCAA, would have to wait until the start of the 2005-06 season to face another opponent.
To say DeVoe was anxious would be an understatement. Out to prove the injury was nothing more than a minor setback, DeVoe is off to his best start as a Tiger. He is currently ranked No. 16 in the country with a 22-5 record. Of his 17 victories, five have come by fall.
His wins include a first place finish at the Missouri Open on Nov. 20 and a fifth-place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 3. The tournament in Vegas is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the nation.
"The most important thing I learned while I was out was from Coach (Brian) Smith," DeVoe said. "He taught me never to give up and that you can always improve at something. There's always somewhere you can go."
For DeVoe, that somewhere would be Oklahoma City, site of the 2006 NCAA National Championships. He knows it won't be easy. Looking to give credit where credit is due, DeVoe was quick to mention sophomore Tim Kephart as a big reason for his early success this season.
When DeVoe went down last year, Kephart had to step in at 125 pounds as a redshirt freshman. It wasn't an easy task for the O'Fallon native, finishing with a 5-7 record in dual meets. But Kephart returned a seasoned veteran, and is giving DeVoe all he can handle on a daily basis.
"It's always good to have great practice partners in the room," DeVoe said. "They're going to make or break you. Tim's been pushing me really hard this year, actually. It was kind of hard to get going at first, but things have been going good so far and I feel like things are going to keep rolling my way. I think it's going to be a good year."
Maybe it's time that DeVoe catch a break. After all, it's pretty cruel to see the light at the end of the tunnel and have the journey come to a screeching halt. It has been DeVoe's hard-nosed work ethic that has remained constant through thick and thin and left him on the cusp of achieving what he set out to do when he first made the transition from Columbus to Columbia--become an All-American.
"I want to be remembered for always working hard enough to get the job done," DeVoe said. "Of course, that's only if those two words don't make their way in front of my name first."
All-America status or not, DeVoe has the attitude and work ethic necessary to succeed in wrestling. DeVoe isn't sure what he wants to do with his life when he graduates in May, but he knows that he wants to start by helping others find their way in the sport.
"In summers I help out coaching the Kansas junior national team in Fargo," DeVoe said. "I really enjoy that, I get to do that with one of my old coaches. I'd really like to get involved in coaching."
"I'm not sure about the career part yet," he joked. -- Jeremy Lynn