Your future, our focus
DeWitt's Leadership Traits Now Benefitting UW
By DAVID DICKEY
Powell Tribune Sports Editor
When Northwest College wrestling coach Jim Zeigler talks about his current squad, he has plenty of good things to say. There's an abundance of talent on this year's roster, and after the Trappers' solid effort on the mats at the NWC Open in Powell last Saturday, the 2007-08 season appears to hold plenty of promise.
However, there's a presence missing. There's a void left by one of the most dependable team members Zeigler has ever had in his program. Oddly enough, that vacancy isn't at one of the 10- weight classes Zeigler must attempt to fill each year. The void, Zeigler said, comes at the manager position - a role recently held by Nick DeWitt.
"It's funny how that comes about," Zeigler said of DeWitt and the leadership role he attained while serving as the team's manager before moving on to the University of Wyoming to continue his education and serve as an equipment manager for the football team. "He wasn't even a guy that got on the mat, but what he did for us was so valuable. He was a leader for us in so many areas, and we miss him."
DeWitt, according to Zeigler, approached his job with the Trappers' with a can-do attitude. That, teamed with a toughness that came from overcoming bouts with leukemia since the age of 5, easily helped him earned the respect of the wrestlers whom considered him a competitor just like themselves.
Because DeWitt was such an important asset to the Trapper wrestling program, Zeigler upgraded his title to director of operations. He even went as far as to list DeWitt with that title on the team's Web page and event programs.
Zeigler took his respect for the Greybull native a step farther last January when he named him the recipient of the Christopher Brooks Apodaca Memorial Award
or Leadership and Excellence. The award, which is the highest team honor a Trapper can attain, is coveted. With it comes a great deal of responsibility because it is named after a quiet leader, accomplished NWC wrestler and civic-minded young man who lost his life tragically in a one vehicle accident in 1998.
At the time of the award presentation, Zeigler said DeWitt was a slam-dunk choice for the honor because of his dedication and the respect he earned from his teammates. Zeigler also knew Apodaca's spirit and qualities would be well represented and carried on by DeWitt.
DeWitt's role at NWC included everything from washing uniforms to overseeing the Trappers' participation in study hall sessions. Zeigler said he's got a strong leader on the mats this year in sophomore Nathan Barzee and several other sophomores who quietly take care of business in practice and in competition. But Zeigler admits that no one has stepped to the forefront yet and taken hold of the role of holding teammates accountable for their actions away from areas outside the practice room and official competitions.
DeWitt's character and work ethic are now a part of the University of Wyoming's football program in the form of an equipment manager. UW head coach Joe Glenn has yet to list DeWitt with a lofty title like the one he held as a Trapper, but Zeigler said it's only a matter of time.
"Give him time and he'll be running the show," Zeigler said with a laugh and a sense of seriousness.
In the current role he has with the Cowboys' football program, DeWitt humbly says he's the low-man on the totem pole as far as managers go. Much like he did at NWC, DeWitt handles a multitude of responsibilities. He fills in when other managers are absent, and he primarily handles equipment needs and other duties associated with UW's special teams.
Though he downplays his role, DeWitt has made a name for himself. Some managers at college programs go months, sometimes years, before the head coach knows their names. That's not the case for DeWitt. Glenn knows his name, and DeWitt gets plenty of good-natured needling about it.
"Some of the older guys don't like that," DeWitt said. For his hard work, DeWitt's textbooks are paid for by the university, but he's yet to be placed on a scholarship. He hopes that will change in the future as he pursues a degree in physical education and secondary education.
As it worked out, DeWitt did not travel with the Cowboys to San Diego for UW's football game with San Diego State University. That provided him with a rare opportunity to visit his family in Greybull and make the drive up to watch the Trappers compete in the annual NWC Open.
When DeWitt stepped into Hank Cabre Gymnasium, it didn't take long for Zeigler to spot him. And when he did, his first words to DeWitt summed up how much the junior at UW has been missed.
"You're late," Zeigler said.
Not long after, DeWitt was seen running an errand or two. And he even slipped back into his role as one of the team's biggest fans as he cheered on the Trappers from the stands.
"It means a lot just to come back for an event like this, and I plan to be back for the Apodaca Duals," DeWitt said as he watched a series of bouts unfolding on the mats in front of him. "I miss it here. I miss it a lot."