MM_070617

36 | July 6, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger sports
mokenamessenger.com
A bright wrestling future on the horizon
Youth wrestler makes
name for himself by
capturing Trinity Award
RANDY WHALEN
Freelance Reporter
Oftentimes, people will instruct
others to remember the name of
someone with bright future.
Well, when talking about Mokena
resident Seth Mendoza, one
is justified in saying, “Remember
that name.”
That is because Seth has already
done more in his first 10 years than
many have in a lifetime. An outstanding
wrestler and runner, Seth
was named the 10U Wrestler of the
Year by the World of Wrestling Organization.
With good reason.
At age 10, Seth has won the
prestigious Trinity Award. This
means that he has won the three
biggest national wrestling tournaments
in one season. Seth won the
Tulsa kickoffs, Tulsa Nationals,
and in April ended his season by
capturing the Reno Worlds in the
68-pound division. Each of these
tournaments hosts approximately
3,000 of the best wrestlers in the
country.
For good measure, he also
won the state championship in
the 11-12-year-old division as a
10-year-old by registering a technical
fall of 15-0 in the second period
over a defending state champion.
Seth, who recently turned 11 and
completed his fourth-grade year at
Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Catholic
School in Orland Hills, ended
his wrestling season with a record
of 81-0.
His parents, Kelly Mendoza,
a teacher at Sandburg, and Mike
Mendoza, now retired from the
Marine Corps, met at Rich South
High School and both graduated in
1997. They let Seth be himself to
discover his love of wrestling.
“My husband was a wrestler in
high school, and Seth tried it at age
5,” Kelly Mendoza said. “But he
didn’t take to it. But he started it
again at age 6 or 7 and started winning.
He works extremely hard.”
Mike Mendoza saw the transformation
as his son picked up on the
sport of wrestling.
“I was in Iraq when Seth was 5
years old, and I thought he would
enjoy wrestling,” Mike said. “But
he tried it, started crying and wanted
to go home. Then, at age 6 he
went back, and by age 7 he considered
himself a wrestler.
“He was a baseball player but
thought they goofed around too
much. But wrestling is an individual
sport, and it’s on the individual
to put the time in. That suits him.”
For Seth, the transformation
started at 6 and has carried on
since.
“I went to little kids’ state, took
third and really liked it,” Seth said.
“That’s carried on until now.”
That now has carried on to winning
the Trinity Award.
“I was really happy,” Seth said of
winning that award. “It felt really
good, especially to win the third one
[in Reno]. It’s pretty hard to accomplish
that, so it’s pretty cool.”
A nice side benefit to all his accomplishments
has been what goes
along with it: the travel.
“It’s really fun,” Seth said. “I’ve
enjoyed the tournaments, and afterward
we’ve gone sightseeing and
everything. I’ve enjoyed seeing
things like the Liberty Bell.”
His dad has been one of his
coaches and sees the maturity in
his son at the young age.
“He picks it up right away,” Mike
said. “Mentally, he asks questions
and makes sure he can learn. He
doesn’t talk like a 10-year-old. He
always keeps everything humble.
He just says, ‘Thank you,’ and carries
on.”
Seth not only carries on in wrestling,
he has followed in his dad’s
footsteps and also runs cross country
and track. He was slated to do a
triathlon in Chicago this month. As
far as wresting goes, he trains with
The Contenders, of Orland Park,
and with Region Wrestling Academy
in Indiana. The season will
start back up in the fall, and he will
be working out at the clubs three
times per week instead of once a
week in the offseason.
“I’m a better wrestler, but I run a
lot,” Seth said. “I enjoy both.”
Mokena resident and accomplished youth wrestler Seth Mendoza poses with one of the many trophies
he won last season. The Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Catholic School student won the Trinity Award — a
combination of the Tulsa kickoffs, Tulsa Nationals and the Reno Worlds — earlier this year. Photo Submitted
While he excels at both sports,
wrestling looks to be the big one
for Seth in the future. It may be a
few years away, but a high school
is going to have one of the nation’s
top wrestlers enroll in the fall of
2021.
“I haven’t thought of it yet,” Seth
said of high school and where he
will go.
When he does, there will be a lot
of people interested.