Coming out of Kellam High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Eric Olanowski was set to head to wrestle for Delaware State. As the NHSCA Senior National Champion at 112 pounds, he wasn't getting too many Division I offers and then-coach Earl Walker was ready to give him a shot. Then Walker was unceremoniously ousted at Delaware State, the program was later dropped and Olanowski settled in East Lansing to wrestle for Tom Minkel at Michigan State. Olanowski was an NCAA qualifier at 125 pounds during his career, but now his wrestling days are over, Olanowski is talking wrestling pretty frequently as a color commentator for Big Ten Network Student U broadcasts.

Olanowski talks about several topics that impacted his career on the mat, including dealing with being a small senior, going through the recruiting process, gaining and receiving advice from two brothers, one older and one younger, who both wrestled at the Division I level.

He also offers some insight in what high school wrestlers look for when being recruited by coaches — and the answer might be an obvious one, but it's not often talked about.

He's looking forward to the upcoming season with BTN's Student U broadcasts and is excited about the prospects of Ohio State's championship aspirations and welcoming Rutgers and Maryland into the Big Ten.

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