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Munster staying close to home
Some high school wrestlers go down to the wire their senior year before finalizing their college plans, but not Lee Munster.
Some high school wrestlers go down to the wire their senior year before finalizing their college plans, but not Lee Munster.
The Grant star, who won a state title as a freshman, hasn't even started his junior season, but already he's committed to Northwestern.
It was an easy choice, according to Munster's father, Leroy III.
"He didn't feel it was necessary to look for a better offer when a school right out his back door offered what he wanted," the elder Munster said.
Northwestern was attractive for its athletics -- the Wildcats have finished in the top 15 at the NCAA tournament four years running -- and academics. Munster hopes to become a lawyer and the other schools pursuing him included Michigan, Harvard, Princeton and Illinois.
The close-to-home factor also weighed heavily. Munster's grandfather, Leroy II, who has been taking him to offseason workouts at the Overtime School of Wrestling for years, will be able to follow Lee's progress more easily at NU than if he were wrestling somewhere else.
Munster won the Class AA 119-pound title as a freshman and was unbeaten last year at 140 until he fell 7-6 to eventual champ Reese Taylor of Rock Island in the Class AA state quarterfinals. He was eliminated in the wrestlebacks before getting to the place matches.
This spring, Munster was third at 152 in the FILA Cadet National Championships in Akron, Ohio. He then took fourth at 152 in the USA Wrestling Freestyle Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D.
According to his father, Munster -- who has a 73-6 prep record -- will compete at 171 this season for Grant.
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