WINNING THE DAY: Princeton University wrestler Quincy Monday, top, controls a foe in a match last season. Senior star Monday, who advanced to the NCAA final last March at 157 pounds, is primed for a big final campaign with the Tigers. Last Sunday, Monday, ranked No. 1 nationally at 157, posted a 5-0 win over No. 15 Chase Saldate of Michigan State in the Garden State Grapple at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Tigers, who fell 38-3 to Wisconsin and 21-15 to Michigan State in the event, to move to 0-3, host Rutgers on December 11. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

In his debut season for the Princeton University wrestling team in 2018-19, Quincy Monday qualified for the NCAA championships at 157 pounds but the trip to Pittsburgh turned out to be a downer.

With his inexperience showing, Monday lost all of his matches. Looking for redemption, Monday made the NCAAs as a sophomore and was seeded fifth but didn’t get to compete as the event was canceled as a result of the global pandemic. In 2021, Monday had no chance to make the NCAAs as the Ivy League scrapped its winter season due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns.

Those disappointments fueled Monday’s motivation as he competed last winter.

“To have that get canceled and not get that chance and get a win and do my thing at nationals set a fire under me for sure,” said Monday, who won his first Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) title on the way to qualifying for the NCAA championships

Once in Detroit for the NCAAs, a fired-up Monday got some redemption, making it to the final where he fell 9-2 to Northwestern’s Ryan Deakin.

“It was just really exciting, I was grateful to be there and be able to be at nationals and get rolling,” said Monday, who was joined in the finals by classmate Patrick Glory, who made it at 125, giving Princeton its first two NCAA finalists since 2002. “We had a lot of energy and momentum going into it, being able to have that opportunity to be able to go back and compete.”

Advancing to the final along with Glory helped make the experience even more memorable.

“I just remember some of my best moments from that trip to that tournament was me and Pat in the back with our coaches and our trainers,” said Monday, who ended the season with a 24-4 record. “We were all just back there having a good time, getting ready. It was good energy. It was a fun experience to be able to do that with each other. We fed off of each other.”

Bringing energy into
senior year, Monday is ranked No. 1 nationally at 157. Last Sunday, Monday posted a 5-0 win over No. 15 Chase Saldate of Michigan State in the Garden State Grapple at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Tigers, who fell 38-3 to Wisconsin and 21-15 to Michigan State in the event to move to 0-3, host Rutgers on December 11.

Monday believes that the lessons learned from last year’s NCAA run should help him take the next step up the podium.

“It is just sharpening up a lot of technical stuff,” said Monday, a native of Chapel Hill, N.C. “A really big jump I made in my sophomore year was mental. Reaching the finals and having that experience under our belts now, we approach it differently. We are just working to  get back there. It is sharpening up everything we are doing in all of the areas we wrestle. It is being intentional with my hands for me, especially in the hand fight. I came in and learned to hand fight in the first few years of college. Now I definitely want to be more intentional in moving guys and putting them where I want them to go.”

The influence of Glory has helped Monday move up the ladder.

“Pat was kind of the top guy in high school, I was good but he was a top-10 recruit,” said Monday. “He came in firing and that really helped me reach the next level, just seeing somebody in the room who was doing those things. I was like if he is doing it, why can’t I. I think we have been feeding off each other’s energy for a long time. It definitely helps bring everybody to a higher level.”

Another key influence on Monday has been his father, Kenny Monday, a legendary wrestler who was a gold medalist at the 1988 Olympics, a silver medalist at the 1992 Olympics, and the NCAA champion at 150 in 1984.

“His influence can’t be overstated; when you have someone of that high level of a wrestler, an Olympic champ and a lot of other accolades in your life, you can’t not be influenced by them,” said Monday. “His mentality and his discipline and the way he goes about approaching the sport definitely had an effect on me. A lot of people ask me if I feel pressure because of that but I see it as an opportunity. I don’t really see it as a negative, like I can’t fill these shoes. I am going to do it in my own way. I am going to do it on my own path and in my own right. I am just grateful to get that from him.”

As Monday looks to make another big run in the NCAAs, he is utilizing discipline to keep from being complacent this season.

“I think there is a target on my back because of making the finals,” said Monday. “I still see names in the way that I want to go get, I feel like I am still hunting these guys down. There are guys who I have rivalries with. There are guys I have wrestled since and they have a win over me. There are guys I still have my eye out for. I am still excited about these matches. I will have no problem getting up for these matches.”

Monday is excited to see what he and his fellow seniors can achieve this winter.

“I am extremely proud of what my class has done, I think we saw this coming,” said Monday. “When we first came in, we looked at each other and the energy that we brought. The team had a few all-Americans and leaders to look up to like [Patrick] Brucki and [Matt] Kolodzik when we are freshmen. They were the guys that showed us how to lead and we have been able to step into that role. I am extremely proud of my class. We are family and I think we definitely helped the program reach another level, jump off, and keep elevating.”

Over the next few months, Monday is primed to take his wrestling to another level.

“I really want to go out and put a stamp on my legacy and what I want this season to mean to me,” said Monday. “I am going to be more intentional in my matches and how I approach each match. I want to make a statement every match. I don’t  just want to skate by and get to the last tournament. I am trying to close this chapter out the right way.”