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The Grand View University wrestling team has won five consecutive national championships and is looking at the 2016-2017 season as an opportunity to add another.  Grand View sits on top of the preseason poll for the fourth consecutive season and have now been ranked No. 1 for 32 consecutive polls.

However, Head Coach Nick Mitchell isn’t taking the program’s success for granted.

“I worry sometimes that maybe they think because they are at Grand View, winning is just going to happen,” Mitchell said. “We have to remind them that there is a lot of work that goes into it, it’s a new process every year.”

Mitchell said the key to success for the next season will be how motivated his wrestlers are to set individual goals for themselves.

“If they are driven for their individual goals, and they take care of their job, the team aspect will take care of itself,” Mitchell said.

Despite the team’s success through previous seasons, there are plenty of goals to accomplish for many of the wrestlers.

Lawton Benna, a sophomore out of Missouri, comes into the season ranked No. 1 in the 174-pound weight class. After losing in the finals last year Benna knows this year will be different and is ready for a challenge.

“The target is on my back, but I like that feeling,” Benna said.  “This year I’m going to get that title.”

Grand Henderson, a junior from Iowa, also sits atop of his weight class, ranked No. 1 for the 157-pound group.

“That’s not really a motivator for me,” Henderson said. “I’m not trying to protect a number by my name. I’m trying to do everything right and be better each day.”

The overall culture of the Viking’s wrestling program is what Mitchell describes as the championship lifestyle.

“We tell guys that if they want to make our line-up, you have to be consistent, you have to be reliable and you have to be tough,” Mitchell said.

Handling the pressure of being No. 1 is not easy. With every team expected to give Grand View its best shot.

“I can remember vividly last year, we had seven guys in the finals, so when we were competing it was our crowd, which was the biggest crowd, and then it was everyone else in the stadium cheering against us.”

Mitchell’s coaching style pushes his guys to be the best version of themselves that they can be. Not only does he expect this on the mat, but in real life as well.

“I want them to understand that if they want to be successful in wrestling, then they have to take that mindset into other aspects of life,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell’s goal is to not only build a championship program ever year but also to develop strong, resilient men who can face life’s challenges. The word he pounds into the identity of his team is ‘tough.’

“Not just being tough on the mat, but being tough when adversity hits, being able to overcome adversity is key,” Mitchell said. “We all have something going on in our lives that is tough, and it is just about how you respond to it.”

The top ranked Vikings start competition on November 5th at the Grand View Open in Pleasant Hill, Iowa at Southeast Polk High School.