Kevin Hardy did the unprecedented for Oklahoma City University.
Hardy, a senior from Solon, Ohio, became OCU’s first individual wrestling national champion in the NAIA Championships on March 3.
“It really hasn’t fully hit me yet,” Hardy said. “I went into the tournament and just told myself to have fun a wrestle. I knew I was good enough to win it and now that I have, it is just really surreal. I haven’t really been able to celebrate too much yet.”
Hardy, who spent most of the season ranked No. 1 at 165 pounds, finished the season with a record of 39-2 and is this week’s Super Star of the week. Hardy won his national title by defeating Brad Lower, of Grand View (Iowa), in 4-0 decision.
“It was actually the match I was least worried for because I felt like I was expected to beat all of the other guys, and I felt the pressure that if I lost to those guys then I wouldn’t be fulfilling anything,” Hardy said. “I made it to the finals and this kid had beaten me before and I just thought, ‘I can’t do any worse than I did before so I might as well go out there and just have a good time while I’m doing it,’ and that was probably the smartest I’ve ever wrestled.”
Hardy was pinned by Lower two weeks earlier in the NAIA Central Qualifying Tournament and was motivated to redeem himself.
“I knew I was better than him, but I didn’t give him enough credit the last time I wrestled him,” Hardy said. “I got pinned and it was really embarrassing, especially two weeks before the nationals. It kind of crushed me a little bit and I started working a lot harder and I never took a break the last couple of weeks and I think that is what helped me. I’m kind of glad I lost in the regional because I don’t think I would have got the same result if I had beaten him.”
Hardy is no stranger to success on the mat. The senior was a two-time all-American and won a team national championship at Notre Dame (Ohio), but says transferring to OCU put him over the top.
“That experience helped me because I’d been there before,” Hardy said. “But I think the only way I could have ever won a national title is wrestling for coach Randall at OCU. I was stuck in the best situation because I was on the best team in the nation and we won a couple of championships in a row, but it wasn’t the right environment for me to really succeed. I probably would have just been another all-American and maybe took second or something if I had stayed at Notre Dame, but I think I got the right tools here to fulfill my dream.”
According to Hardy, his national championship performance is the highlight of his wrestling career.
“Winning a national title tops it because I proved myself to be the best person in the country in my weight class,” Hardy said. “I’m just glad to have been able to represent OCU and my parents.”
Hardy gives credit to his teammates for helping him reach his goals.
“The only reason I was able to win was because of people like Nik Turner and Derek Peperas pushing me every day,” Hardy said. “Nik getting second at nationals was great. I think him more than anybody on our team deserved a national title, but that is just the way things work sometimes. He is a great guy and he’s a national champion in my mind. I don’t think I would have been able to win a national championship if it wasn’t for him.”
More on Kevin:
Favorite teacher: Mr. Rogers
Reason I picked OCU: Coach Randall
Sporting event I would like to see someday: Rattlesnake rodeo
Career plans: Grad school
Favorite athlete: My little brother
