Arteaga to wrestle for Lindenwood

Greyhound grappler Alexander (AJ) Arteaga is seen with his family, San Benito High School coaches and faculty inside the varsity gymnasium on Wednesday as he signs a letter of intent to wrestle for Lindenwood University. (Staff photo by Francisco E. Jimenez)

Greyhound grappler Alexander (AJ) Arteaga is seen with his family, San Benito High School coaches and faculty inside the varsity gymnasium on Wednesday as he signs a letter of intent to wrestle for Lindenwood University. (Staff photo by Francisco E. Jimenez)

By FRANCISCO E. JIMENEZ
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com

Standout San Benito Greyhound grappler Alexander (AJ) Arteaga accepted a scholarship to wrestle at Lindenwood University in Belleville, Illinois.

Arteaga, a senior at San Benito High School, signed with the university on Wednesday, March 20, inside the high school varsity gymnasium while surrounded by his parents, grandparents, coaches and principal Delia Weaver.

“I’ve pushed myself so hard,” Arteaga said. “I’ve got to keep pushing myself to become a better athlete. I’m not as good as I should be right now, but I plan to get a lot better.

“It’s going to be hard,” Arteaga added. “I’ve got to force myself to have good dedication towards academics and sports at the same time. You’ve got to be able to balance things out. It’s going to be interesting.”

Arteaga, who has wrestled for the purple and gold since his sophomore year, advanced to the state tournament in the 182 pound weight division. While he was unable to place at the tourney, which was held in Austin, he finished the season with an impressive 29-3 record.

“I went to state, but I feel that I could have done a lot better…,” Arteaga said. “I should have placed, but I didn’t push myself hard enough. At the end of the match, I looked at myself and tried to figure out what I did. I could have done a lot better. Wrestling has gotten me this far. I’ve got a scholarship.”

According to Arteaga, wrestling has helped him in many aspects of his life, in addition to getting him a college scholarship.

“Wrestling helps in life in general,” said Arteaga. “It takes nutrition, a lot of good morals and mindsets, goals especially. You’ve got to stay healthy. The atmosphere is just fun. It’s not as serious as I assume college is going to be. Coach (Rudy Quilantan) has helped me a lot. He got me to state. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now.”

Quilantan expressed the same appreciation for Arteaga, who he watched grow as a wrestler for three years.

“I am extremely proud of AJ’s accomplishments in wrestling,” Quilantan said. “He’s really surprised me. From the first time I ever met him, he was real chunky and had shaggy hair. He looked like he was probably going to quit on the first day of practice, but he stuck it out and he really proved himself. He lost weight, learned the techniques and the wrestling. He has a lot of quickness and dedication, and a lot of self-discipline on his part.”

Quilantan said that Arteaga has opened doors for up-and-coming wrestlers thanks to his accomplishments on the mat.

“It’s going to be some pretty big shoes to fill,” Quilantan said of Arteaga. “AJ is the type of athlete who will be pretty hard to replace. He is very dedicated, always working out, always there on time for the tournaments at 6 in the morning, always the first one to get there. Those are the type of wrestlers you want.”

Read this story in the March 24 edition of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.sbnewspaper.com/2013/03/25/arteaga-to-wrestle-for-lindenwood/

2 comments

    • San Antonio Fan on April 2, 2013 at 4:59 pm
    • Reply

    AJ, Very proud of you and excited for you. Looks like you are headed to a school that has an excellent wrestling program. Put your game face on and get ready for the big challenge.

  1. Look closely at the picture can you find the part if the olympic symbol? Coach Spencer Gantt is looking right at it .

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.