Cody Chaney knows a thing or two about starting from the ground up.
In three years of college, the Plant City native has been a founder of two wrestling programs. At Emmanuel College, his current school, he won one of the Lions’ first-ever individual national championships.
Now, the 184-pound history major can enjoy summer vacation while feeling on top of the world.
BIG MOVES
Chaney honed his mat skills at Plant City High, ending his career with a second-place finish at 170 pounds in the 2012 FHSAA state championship tournament.
“It was the highlight of my high school career, even though it was one of the saddest moments,” Chaney says.
After graduation, Chaney went to Brewton-Parker College, in Mount Vernon, Georgia, and was one of the first wrestlers in the Barons’ program. The team, which had only recently come into existence, finished its first two seasons with winning records.
Chaney, who bulked up from 170 to 184 pounds, eventually became a team captain — a position he’s held for the last three seasons. And, when head coach Jake Brumbelow moved to Emmanuel College to found the Lions’ program, Chaney was one of eight Barons that followed.
“We put a lot of trust in coach,” Chaney says. “Whatever he thinks is best for us, we follow behind him. He thinks everything through. Whatever he says, we basically do. He's never led us the wrong way.”
According to Chaney, switching to Emmanuel — 40 minutes either way from the University of Georgia and Clemson University — was a good idea. He credits the administration, faculty and student body as being completely supportive of the new program and its athletes.
So, with a comfortable new setting and a good system in place, Chaney has been able to focus on his wrestling possibly better than ever. It’s hard to argue against the results: a 37-5 record (one win by forfeit), a conference championship, All-American honors, a National College Wrestling Association national championship as an individual and a stake in Emmanuel’s NCWA team championship.
Since a Jan. 29 loss, Chaney is on a 12-match winning streak heading into next season.
THE BRASS RING
Nothing, he says, was better than his and his team’s success in the national championship tournament in late March. But even a national champ won’t act as though he knew he had it in the bag from the start.
“I was really nervous,” Chaney says. “I rarely got any sleep those three days. Just the atmosphere, with all the wrestlers there, was intense. Everyone was out for blood. Only the top dog could survive. At some points, I was shaking before a match.”
Chaney’s first match, held March 10 against University of Toledo wrestler Shawn Murrey, helped ease his nerves. He won by major decision, 17-4, and then had a one-day break to gather himself.
“I kind of got that nervousness out,” Chaney says. “I kept reminding myself that I'm well-enough prepared to be in this tournament and ready for whatever comes at me. I kept telling myself, ‘You're okay, you're fine, you've been in this system. Your preparation is A-plus.’”
Chaney wrestled twice on March 11, winning both by decision. That put him in the championship round on March 12, against UCF’s Chandler Dobler — whom Chaney had beaten by decision in February’s NCWA Southeast Conference Championship tournament.
With his family present, Chaney once again won by decision, 6-3, and had his hand raised for the first time as one of the best wrestlers in the nation.
It’s third on his list of favorite things about the season, behind the team championship (three other Lions won individual titles that day) and Brumbelow winning Coach of the Year honors.
LOOKING AHEAD
Chaney kicked off his summer vacation with a trip to Savannah, Georgia, with friends. He’s going to enjoy his time off but, once fall semester starts, his senior year will be all business.
In the classroom, Chaney will be finishing work on both his history degree and his minor in pre-law. He says he already has plans to go to grad school, finish with a teaching certification and, hopefully, go to a high school to teach and coach wrestling.
On the mat, Chaney wants nothing less than repeat success for himself and the team.
“I want to leave and have people remember who I was, how we started the program,” Chaney says. “I want to have an impact on incoming freshmen, young guys, and give them what they need to have to keep the success going.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.