COLUMBIA, Mo. – Redshirt junior 149-pounder Grant Leeth (Kearney, Mo.) has been wrestling since he was six years old. But this season marks Leeth's first time on the mat as a Mizzou Tiger, rather than on the sidelines cheering on his teammates.
Leeth has battled injury after injury throughout his collegiate career. His freshman season at Duke, Leeth suffered a season ending meniscus tear after only three tournaments. At the conclusion of the season, he transferred to Mizzou, choosing to be a part of a program much closer to his hometown of Kearney, Missouri. The next season, Leeth had similar luck. Doctors discovered a serious disc herniation closing off his nerve endings in his neck, causing loss of feeling and strength in his left arm. At that point, there was a serious chance that Leeth was done. Grant Leeth
"At first, we talked about being done." Leeth admitted. "For about an hour or so, I thought I was done wrestling. And I just could not settle with that."
His doctor equated continuing wrestling to riding a motorcycle – he wouldn't suggest it, and there would be large risks, but at the end of the day it was his own choice. If Leeth wanted to wrestle, he could wrestle. So he went through with the surgery, and spent his second consecutive season on the sidelines. He attended practices, fit in workouts, encouraged his teammates.
And just as Leeth was cleared to return to the sport he loved, he was once again sidelined. Another knee injury revealed a much larger problem than was fixed the first time around – his meniscus root had been torn, causing the cartilage to slide into the joint and lock his leg in place. Leeth was faced with yet another season-ending six month recovery.
"That one was tougher," Leeth said. "Just because I did so much work to come back, just to have it taken out from under me again."
But Leeth's determination was unwavering. He was at every practice, every work out, watched film every day. He mentored younger teammates, and spent time analyzing opponents.
"The whole time being out, it was really really hard. My priority – aside from my family and being a Christian – is wrestling." Leeth said. "I feel like I've put so much into it, I've wrestled since I was six and dreamt of being a Division I wrestler and winning a national title, and I felt like I wasn't even getting an opportunity."
But rather than let the mental strain get to him, Leeth used it to fuel his motivation. He spent countless hours in the gym, further dedicating himself to his return. He bettered himself both physically and mentally, working out when he was able and focusing on getting mental repetitions every day.
Through all of the tribulations and trials of Leeth's career, he has many people to thank for support and encouragement. He spoke of his parents' endless support, as well as past coaches and teammates. He cited the continuous support from Mizzou's coaching staff as the main reason he is where he is today, especially that of assistant coach Joe Johnston.
"Even though I was hurt and couldn't really help the team, Coach Joe showed me as much attention as he does now," said Leeth. He still made me feel important and still made me feel like part of the team."
He also mentioned the recent influence of Mizzou Hall of Famer Mark Ellis. The two worked at a Fellowship for Christian Athletes camp in Illinois, which Ellis helps run. Leeth said the two had a few talks about wrestling and their faith, and the influence he had on uplifting him before the beginning of the season.
"I knew when I finally got my chance, I was going to make big things happen," Leeth said.
And earlier this season, out on the Mizzou softball field, all the hard work paid off in a major way. The match marked his return to his home state, and his return to the sport in which he had invested so much of his life too. For his first match in nearly 2 ½ years, Leeth was matched up against No. 17-ranked Eric Barone of Illinois. But Leeth showed no sign of rustiness or hesitation, and defeated Barone, 6-2.
"I just felt like everything that I had done and all of that time sitting out and going over mental reps, watching video, lifting, running, trying to keep as sharp as I could, it all paid off," Leeth said with a smile on his face. "I don't know, it was just so cool. It was awesome."
Leeth has continued to have success in his first season back, starting 6-0 in duals and shooting up to be ranked No. 12 in the FloWrestling Individual Rankings. He hopes to carry that success through the remainder of the season, with the end goal being the national championships.
"I don't think [Nationals] is out of the question by any means…I know now that I'm competing, I can get better every single week," said Leeth. "And being at this point, with all of those injuries, it's only going to keep getting better and I'm just going to keep going up from here."
