COLLEGE: WYALUSING'S WOODRUFF RETURNS HOME TO CONTINUE HIS CAREER (2024-01-30)

BY BRYAN SEYMOUR
Northern Tier Sports Report
Choices. Choices. Choices. Life is all about choices. Sometimes with all choices comes change. And with change comes new opportunities. This is the path Nick Woodruff of Wyalusing is on. From a little town in Bradford County to North Carolina to Florida and back to Pennsylvania. Finding a place to call home even if for a few years can sometimes be harder than we expect. There is always the question everyone must ask themselves. What is the next step following high school graduation? College? Work? Or whatever it may be there is always something for everyone. These are big decisions that Nick Woodruff found himself asking. 

Following the state wrestling tournament and earning a state medal, Woodruff was contacted by different Division I wrestling schools. Woodruff decided to take a visit to Appalachian State and with this visit, a decision was made. After graduating in the spring of 2022, Woodruff was poised to take on the big move to Boone, North Carolina to become part of the Appalachian State wrestling team. Like most Division I wrestlers, they leave home in the summer to head to college and start training, becoming acquainted with their new family. Going into the move with high hopes for the next 4 years, one thing leads to another. Things didn’t go as planned from the beginning of the semester as Woodruff would battle different health issues. Also, the environment within the wrestling room differed from his official visit. Due to these personal issues, Woodruff decided to enter the transfer portal. 

After entering the transfer portal, Woodruff took the spring semester off from college and wrestling. Taking this time to get healthy and evaluate what the next decision would be for himself. Woodruff and his family would search for another home, and another college to pursue a degree. What Nick found was Keiser University in Florida where he would major in Business administration.  In the fall of 2023, Woodruff headed further south to Florida. Keiser wrestling is part of the NAIA division of college sports. 

 

Although a different level of competition Woodruff feels that the NAIA division gets overlooked. Wrestling at the 197-pound weight class Woodruff was finding success in both the duals and tournaments. Even reaching the finals in multiple open tournaments. Just didn’t feel like he was home. Even with the success Woodruff was having he didn’t feel truly at home and found himself questioning what he would even do with his degree following graduation. With the unknown of what he would do with his business degree, he felt that a trade school route was truly the right fit for him at this point. 

Wanting to continue to wrestle and pursue a degree in the trades, Woodruff decided to turn north. Woodruff decided to reach out to Coach Pankil Chandler and the Pennsylvania College of Technology where he could pursue a trade degree. Coach Pankil Chandler was very welcoming to bringing Woodruff to the team. With the start of the spring semester of 2024, Woodruff is currently enrolled and majoring in Residential Construction and Building Technology. Woodruff states he will be wrestling for the Penn College Wildcats in the 197-pound weight class. Penn College is part of the Division III level. 

Woodruff states that he feels no matter what division you are competing at whether it be Division I, NAIA, or Division III, the level of competition is high. The choices made and where we find our home sometimes take a little bit of searching. With time the right door opens, and it is then we find success and happiness in both the academic and athletic world. So welcome back to the area Nick Woodruff and best of luck. 

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