Athlete of the Week: Kevin Lyskawa

The crowd cheers as the referee raises senior Kevin Lyskawa’s hand in the air. Lyskawa has just defeated Ryan Durkin of the Loomis Chaffee School in the New England Class A championships. He caps off his senior year with this huge win, making him the new 152 lb weight group Class A wrestling champion. Lyskawa runs to his teammates for celebratory high fives and smiles as his coach and fellow wrestlers congratulate their captain.

After beginning to wrestle in second grade, Lyskawa credits his childhood best friend for introducing him to the sport at a young age. “Eleven years ago, my neighbor, who was a big judo wrestler, asked me to come out to the team, and I did. It was a sport I picked up really young, and I just stuck with it,” he said.

Lyskawa’s favorite memory from his wrestling career is his first national tournament. “My freshman year, I went to nationals and won three overtime matches in a row to make it to the next A, which is to be an All American. I remember getting a hug from some of my teammates and coaches, and that’s one of the best memories of my life,” Lyskawa said.

Upper Chimenum Tasie-Amadi praised Lyskawa for his talent and skill in leading his team. “He shows up and gets work done. Leading by example, he sets the tone for us, goes out there and tells us what we have to do,” Tasie-Amadi said. “He tells us that everyone we wrestle is someone we can beat; he gets us going before every match.” He described Lyskawa as “[a] captain even before he was voted for that role.”      

Outside of the wrestling room, Lyskawa inspires his teammates to be their best selves. Lower Tyler Morris said, “I met Kevin my first week of school; he was one of the most welcoming kids I met that was on the wrestling team, and he showed me around and ate meals with me.”

Lyskawa’s hospitality is noticeable even before the wrestling season starts. Tasie-Amadi also described the first time he met Lyskawa by saying, “He was one of a couple lowers the team, one of the more experienced guys, and he was one of my first friends.” Lyskawa’s athletic ability is only a small part of why he is the captain of the highly competitive wrestling team, as his leadership skills are strong enough to affect his teammates beyond the sport of wrestling.

Determined and passionate, Lyskawa employs grit and force when he’s facing an opponent on the mat. “Kev wrestles with an intensity, [and] he wrestles hard for the full six minutes and never gives up,” Morris said, describing the way in which Lyskawa controls the game and dominates opponents.

Furthermore, lower Ethan Rosenthal said, “He has great technique and stamina, which allows him to best most of his opponents.” Lyskawa’s lethal combination of strength and speed create a powerhouse wrestler.

Lyskawa’s success in his matches translates from his hard work in practices. As the captain, it is his job to set the pace for his teammates and inspire them to follow in his steps. Tasie-Amadi states that Lyskawa practices as hard as he plays. “He is one of the guys who moves himself, he is quick on his feet and agile, he is very well rounded,” Other than athleticism, Lyskawa motivates his teammates mentally to be the best wrestlers they can. “He pushes everybody in the room, his determination sheds off on other people and you can see that in the way people wrestle around him,” Morris said.

One of Lyskawa’s best characteristics as a teammate and captain is his ability to motivate others. Just before a crucial tournament, Tasie-Amadi ran into crisis with his weight management. “I was 10 pounds overweight, and I had to cut 10 pounds in one night. Kevin came down to the gym at the hotel with me to motivate me while I was on the treadmill for an hour.” Even as the captain of a so-called ‘individual’ sport, Lyskawa never leaves a man behind.

Lyskawa has been on the varsity wrestling team throughout the four years he has been at Exeter. He started by winning the New England Class A championship his prep year, then again his senior year. Lyskawa states that he stays on the team because “the cool thing about wrestling is the personal aspect of it.”

“You have the team part where you’re fighting for each other, but if you win something it’s yours and nobody else did it, only your hard work and effort,” Lyskawa said. “So if you win a championship, then it’s your championship.” He takes pride in his personal accomplishments: being named an Under Armour All American wrestler; winning two team New England championships; three team Class A championships and finishing first for New England’s 152-pound weight class, among other significant accolades.

Lyskawa continues to motivate his teammates and work hard as his final wrestling season comes to an end. During his last opportunity to make his mark on the Exeter program, Lyskawa has inspired and motivated his teammates and coaches through his own hard work, motivation and passion for the game. Morris wished him the best of luck on his future endeavors, saying, “Wherever he goes to college, I support him—the whole team supports him—and I just hope he keeps on wrestling. We’ll miss him.”