UW's Jore Volk building off stellar freshman campaign

Nov. 16—A wrestler doesn't become a world champion and participate in the NCAA Tournament as a true freshman by accident.

University of Wyoming sophomore Jore Volk has accomplished both through a determined and dedicated lifestyle. Volk grew up in Lakeville, Minnesota, which has a heavy pulse for wrestling.

"I'm training all the time," Volk told WyoSports on Tuesday. "I'm always on the mat training. I love competing, and it's always easier to train when you have competition coming up."

Both his father and older brother wrestled in college. His brother, Gannon, wrestled at the University of Minnesota, while his father, Randy, wrestled at a small school in North Dakota.

Because of the family ties to the sport, Volk grew up on wrestling mats before taking the sport on himself. Near the end of Volk's time in elementary school, he joined PINnacle Wrestling School, a program coached by Brandon Paulson and Jared Lawrence.

Volk has continued working with Paulson and Lawrence to this day, and considers them close friends. Over the years, Volk has developed a swift style of wrestling.

"I definitely use more fakes and movement," Volk said. "Some guys come out and are super aggressive and are hard hand-fighters. I'm not a brawler. I am more quicker and swifter than anything."

In his freshman season with UW, Volk had a 24-11 record and reached the NCAA Tournament as a No. 21 seed. Volk upset No. 12 seed Michael DeAugustino of Northwestern in the first round before losing in the second round to Killian Cardinale of West Virginia.

Despite the success he had as a freshman, Volk understands what he needs to do to improve on the mat. Volk is the top-ranked wrestler for the Cowboys this winter.

Leaving last year's NCAA Tournament, Volk knew he had to make adjustments. After talking with his coaches, he understood he needed to have more of a killer instinct throughout matches.

"I definitely want to be more offensive," Volk said. "Last year, I felt like I was a little scared to open up, take risks, take chances and maybe give up a takedown. But this year, especially in practice, I've been letting it fly. If I give up a takedown, it's whatever, I'll get the next one.

"Last year, I didn't do good enough. I would cut the switch off, and it cost me matches. I would be so focused on keeping the match close, and then I'd give up a takedown at the end and lose."

The main goal Volk wants to achieve as a sophomore is to reach the podium at the NCAA Tournament. He wants to continue elevating himself on his way to one day becoming a national champion.

Over the summer, Volk took the longest break of his career from June to November, and returned to campus feeling refreshed.

"What I love about this sport is that it's all on you," Volk said. "There is a team aspect at matches, but at the end of the day, it's all on you, and if you work hard, the results are gonna show. You always get what you deserve."

One of the biggest achievements of Volk's career came last summer. He finished first at the U-20 World Championships at 125 pounds in freestyle wrestling in Bulgaria, defeating Merey Bazarbayev of Kazakhstan in the title match.

The opportunity to represent his country in the world final came after Volk qualified at the U.S. Open trials. Volk won a tournament at the World Team trials, and then had to beat three other Open winners to earn a spot on the national team.

"That was a great opportunity, and definitely has been my favorite tournament ever," Volk said. "Getting to go to a country besides the U.S. or Mexico for the first time and trying new restaurants was cool. I was able to meet dudes from all over the world and learn about where they come from. It was cool to wrestle a foreigner. My family and club coaches all came to support me.

"(The national team has) some of the best coaches in the country. Where I grew up, we were surrounded by some of the top-ranked wrestlers in the country, and I was able to wrestle many of the top-ranked guys in the nation in high school while working with them."

Over the years, Volk has developed traditions through understanding what brings him success or failure. He eats the same thing every day, and does the exact same warm-up before each match.

Coming to college, dieting was the toughest adjustment Volk had to make. Volk didn't cut weight correctly in high school, and had to learn how to do it properly as a Cowboy.

"I had to start building good habits and putting good stuff in my body," Volk said. "It's pivotal to being able to compete hard without feeling drowsy, leading to poor practices. On match day, I focus on trying to get my fluids back.

"I'll eat yogurt, oatmeal and maybe half of a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich. There isn't a lot of time on match day, so I try to eat a few things and drink a couple pounds of liquid."

Volk also credits UW's coaching staff for the success he had last year. He has quickly built a connection with new coach Devin Schroder, as Schroder also wrestled at 125 pounds.

"Being able to get on the mat with him has been so helpful," Volk said. "He's been able to help me grow on top and working returns, but I am super grateful for all of our coaches."

Volk said he is excited by the new faces on UW's wrestling team, and he thinks the culture of the program is trending in the right direction. Volk said he thinks the depth the team has this season is better than last year, which is something that could lift the Cowboys over the hump in matches this season.

In practice, Volk has been impressed with 141-pounder Cole Brooks. Brooks has dominated in practice, and won a match against Cal Baptist earlier this month.

"It usually takes time to transition from high school to college," Volk said. "(Brooks has) been super exciting to watch, and I think he is going to do some damage."

In a life consumed by wrestling, Volk knows it's important to find value in other things. In the offseason, he enjoys snowboarding in Breckenridge, Colorado. After last season, he and a few teammates went down to Breckenridge for two weeks to decompress. Volk also enjoys golfing in the summer.

It's important for Volk to take his mind off wrestling, since the sport is so mentally taxing. The margin of error is small, and everyone is constantly trying to out-work everyone else.

"Wrestling has given me some of the highest moments of my life," Volk said. "But it can also put you in your place. Coming off a world championship last summer, I told myself, 'I'm ready to go, I'm ready for college,' and that's why I didn't redshirt last year. I just wanted to compete, and in my first month of college wrestling, I lost more than I did in my entire high school career.

"That was a big change for me. It definitely made me question what I was doing and if I was ready. That's just how it goes. There's that transition from high school to college. You have your highest of highs and your lowest of lows, and it can happen quickly, too."

Austin Edmonds covers Laramie High, University of Wyoming and community athletics for WyoSports. He can be reached at aedmonds@wyosports.net. Follow him on X at @_austinedmonds.