SUCCESS WITHIN HIS GRASP: Princeton University wrestler Luke Stout, top, controls a foe earlier in his Tiger career. Senior star and co-captain Stout is primed to end his final Princeton season on a high note as the Tigers get into the 2025 portion of their schedule. Princeton, now 2-4 in duals, hosts West Virginia on January 4 at Jadwin Gym. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Justin Feil

Luke Stout can appreciate his achievements in his first three years for the Princeton University wrestling team.

The senior at 197 pounds has been a steady contributor in the Tigers lineup since freshman year and qualified each season for the NCAA Championships.

“I think I’ve accomplished some good things, but I’m still looking for a little more,” said Stout. “I’d like to finish it off on a stronger note.”

Stout has been slowed by injuries in two of his trips to the NCAAs and didn’t feel up to his standards in the other. The start of his final year also has been slowed by another injury, but he’s looking forward to making a return after sitting out the Ken Kraft Midlands Championship, hosted by Northwestern University, to end December. He’s hoping to be back on the mat for the Tigers in a busy month that begins with Princeton hosting West Virginia on January 4 at Jadwin Gym.

“The biggest thing for me this year is going to just be believing in my training and having full confidence in my wrestling,” said Stout, who got off to a 4-1 start this season before getting banged up. “I’m wrestling guys like Chance Marsteller in the room, who is a world-class athlete. And there are plenty of other tough partners in the room pushing me. We’re working our butts off every day. It’s just going to be a matter of believing I’ve put in the work and when I get stuck out there on the mat I can put into play whatever I was working on that week. I think that confidence is the biggest piece for me.”

The Tigers too are looking to get healthy and turn the corner when they return from their winter break and Midlands. Princeton opened the season 2-4 with wins over Long Island University and Tennessee Chattanooga. They come off losses to powerhouse programs Iowa and Rutgers.

“We haven’t had our full lineup in any of our competitions including the Princeton Open,” said second-year head coach Joe Dubuque. “In that regard, it’s a little frustrating. But the good thing is that they’re not season ending injuries, so I feel like we’re going to be as close to 100 percent after a Christmas break. I’ve been pretty pleased overall with the effort and fight from the guys that have stepped into the lineup so that’s good just from a program standpoint, a culture standpoint.”

With Stout out, the Tigers are missing one of their most experienced returners. He placed second at Midlands a year ago, and has excelled in past Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) and NCAA championship meets. He remembers how his career started.

“My first college dual actually was against Iowa and so now it started off with a bang,” said Stout, who won his first match at Iowa.

“And then I just kind of tried to keep that ball rolling throughout the season. It’s cool to think back on those experiences and I’m trying to keep making those memories right now.”

His debut for the Tigers came after a 153-16 career at Mt. Lebanon (Pa.) that featured two trips to state championship matches with one culminating in the state crown. When the Ivy League canceled its 2020-21 athletic seasons, Stout took a gap year. He stayed in shape by working out with his two brothers and occasionally came to Princeton to work out with future teammates.

“I would stay with some of the freshmen in my class and get workouts up there and was kind of living out of a suitcase a little bit for some parts of the month,” said Stout. “It was a big year for me to mature and then also gain some experience wrestling some college guys. I think that really carried over into my actual first year when I got on campus the following year. I still had that same excitement from high school wanting to compete at the next level, and I came in ready to scrap whoever and whenever.”

Seeded third at the EIWAs, he upset the second seed to reach the final and went on to compete at the NCAA Championships where a knee injury curtailed his chances. He was back to the NCAAs as a sophomore but was not at his best, and when he returned to the nationals last year it was with shoulder and knee injuries that slowed him.

“I’ve made it to the tournament every year,” said Stout. “But in the same sense I haven’t really finished the season the way I’ve wanted to any of the years.”

Stout is hopeful that it will come together for him this year. He’s trying to use the ups and downs that he has had to remind himself how to approach his final college season.

“Staying the course has been a big part of it for me, not getting too high after a big win or getting too down on myself after I drop a bad match or don’t wrestle the way I want,” said Stout. “I think I’ve learned to appreciate any positives I can pull from the match. Recognizing what I did good no matter what I thought about the performance as a whole has been big for me to keep my confidence rolling.”

This year, Stout has been charged with also keeping the team positive and pushing forward. He is a captain for the Tigers and focused on ensuring that the team stays on track for its lofty goals.

“It kind of serves as a reminder that I’ve got to continue to hold myself to a high standard in the room,” said Stout. “Before I always had myself pushing me and trying to use my work ethic as an example and everything, but now even more so as a person in a leadership position, I know what my team expects of me and I’ve got to show up every day no matter how I feel.”

His experience is a big plus as he returns to campus for a busy month of wrestling. He can share with teammates what has worked for him.

“You hear it so much how mental our sport is, but the mindset has been a huge part of it for me,” said Stout. “In high school it’s a little different. You’re not going to have a tough match every week or that often at times. So a lot of it was pushing myself in high school and I think in college, you’re wrestling tough guys every week. You know you can expect no matter if your guy’s ranked or not, you’re going to have a tough match.”

Princeton has been sorting out this season how to fill in holes left by last year’s graduations. The Tigers feel good about what they’ve gotten from Danny Jones at 133, Mikey Squires and Kole Mulhauser at 184 and Sebastian Garibaldi at heavyweight. Princeton will face another test at Midlands before getting back into the dual meet schedule.

“With multiple day tournaments I like to see how these guys are handling those routines,” said Dubuque. “Obviously I want them to win.  I want them to have great performances and go there and place as high as they can, knock off some nationally ranked guys, and just stick to our brand of wrestling and stick to their individual brand of wrestling. I think that’s the thing that we harp on the most. It’s not just about getting your hand raised, it’s about, what does your perfect performance look like and trying to stick to that every match that you wrestle.”

Stout has seen his share of the country’s top wrestlers and tough competition. He is preparing to return for the chance to ascend to the top of his weight class at nationals, something that has been stalled by injuries but remains a big goal.

“I think this break before the start of the New Year is going to help him kind of get back to as close to 100 percent as possible,” said Dubuque.  “Hopefully we see a guy who is very offensive, very aggressive, something that has helped him gain success in the past.”

Stout is taking all that he has learned in his first three seasons with Princeton into the final stretch run. It begins with him getting back on the mat healthy and ready to lead the Tigers this month while putting himself in position for a big finish.

“It’s a really fun time of year,” said Stout. “That’s when you really get your team identity. We’re not in classes throughout January, so we’re pretty much just scrapping. It’s a fun time to see yourself make some jumps and head into the postseason.”