Greeneville’s Derrick Day signed to continue his wrestling career with Northwestern College on Wednesday afternoon at in a ceremony Greeneville High School.
“It feels pretty good to sign and have a set goal for myself and know where I’m going in the future. I love the fact that I can continue my wrestling career here at Northwestern. It feels amazing, honestly,” Day expressed.
Northwestern College, not to be confused with Northwestern University, is located in Orange City, Iowa. They compete in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC).
His decision to join the Raiders program was largely based on his comfort level when he first stepped foot on campus. He detailed his desire to attend after great conversations with head coach Rik Dahl and his continued interest in Derrick through the late stages of his career at Greeneville.
He stated, “My first visit there was amazing to say the least. It immediately felt like home. Coach Dahl stayed in contact with me through the entire last half of my career here at Greeneville. He was texting me just like congratulations on the regional win, congratulations on the sectional win, then after state he congratulated me for 3rd place. Went out there and let me wrestle around with their guys, stayed with their guys a little bit, and just all felt super easy and super normal for me. And it’s a blessing to have.”
His interest in wrestling stems from his father who was a wrestler himself. He mentioned, “I’ve been wrestling since I was six, so about 12 years, and it was actually my dad who first introduced me to it. He’s been a wrestler his whole life and I fell in love with it from the day I started.”
Derrick says he intends to major in Criminal Justice. “It’s always been something that I’ve wanted to do just going forward. I want to eventually become a detective,” he mentioned.
He reflected on his time at Greeneville and what it’s meant to him by saying, “It’s been amazing here. Coach Shelton and Coach Atlas (Fagundes) have all been a huge help to my success. Not just as a wrestler, but as an individual, they’ve made me much better as a person and it’s pretty amazing to have.”
