Sophomore Jon Gregory’s striking resemblance to Bruce Springsteen is what catches the eyes of his friends outside of wrestling who call him “Boss.” This makes even more sense because both he and the legendary performer come from the state of New Jersey.

And, coincidentally, Gregory’s methods for staying in shape for wrestling season show that he was “Born to Run.”

Gregory’s superb conditioning is a testament to all of the hard work he puts in during the off-season and during practice.

During the season, the 125-pound wrestler wakes up early every morning to get some cardio in at 8 a.m. before his classes begin. After the team’s two-hour practice, he puts more work in during the night hours, either running outside or on a treadmill, whether it is in the fitness center or by sneaking into the Hill Center workout area. He said his night workouts are for mental training purposes. Gregory will also lift a few times a week.

“The big thing for me is getting extra workouts in every day,” Gregory said.

In the off-season, Gregory changes up his workouts by doing a lot of sprint work and explosive lifting. He said he gains about 10 to 15 pounds during the off-season but is able to lose it once wrestling starts again.

This type of training was definitely recognized when Gregory finished first in the team fitness tests when the team returned to campus. He also set an Ithaca College record for most pushups in two minutes with 161.

“For a small guy I can really pack the strength,” Gregory said.

It’s a strength Gregory uses during matches to wreak havoc for his opponents. He’s known for constantly pushing the tempo: every time there is a stop of play, he runs back to the center of the mat to get into position (either neutral, up or down), while his counterpart usually walks back, exhausted.

Gregory, a sport management major, said this gives him a mental advantage over his adversary.

“I really don’t get tired,” Gregory said. “I was pretty much taught [to run to the center of the mat] at a young age. It speaks for my conditioning, but I also think it speaks from a mental standpoint.”

This is something that Head Coach Marty Nichols noticed immediately while watching him wrestle during the recruitment process.

“He sprinted back to the middle every time and that’s something we really liked,” Nichols said.

Gregory’s hometown of Phillipsburg, N.J., is a huge wrestling town. On a regular Wednesday night match, the gym of Phillipsburg High School would be filled with between 1,500 and 1,700 people. Gregory, who has wrestled since age four, was lured in by the prestige and tradition of his multi-state championship high school wrestling program.

“At first I kind of thought that [wrestling] was WWF stuff,” Gregory said. “Really what drew me in as a whole was attending high school matches as a kid.”

In high school, Gregory was ranked as one of the top wrestlers in the country for his 112-pound weight class. As a senior, he finished fourth in the state championships and received many Division I scholarship offers.

Instead, Gregory chose to don blue and gold for his collegiate wrestling career because of the reputations of the wrestling program and sport management department. Nichols said he was pleased Gregory chose to become a Bomber.

“He was definitely a worker,” Nichols said. “I just saw him in competition, and he was good. The hustle and the stuff that he shows is something that we like to see.”

Another aspect of Gregory’s high-pace persona is his ability to motivate his teammates and lead them to success.

“He’s an exceptional team leader,” 141-pound sophomore Willie Horwath said. “He’s a good motivator. He leads by example. He runs us through warm­–ups. He was never really appointed to do it: he just takes charge.”

Horwath said from the moment Gregory arrived on South Hill, he took initiative to get to know all of his teammates and immediately became one of the leaders on the team.

“I sort of noticed the qualities right away,” Horwath said. “He’s got a lot of energy. He’s very outgoing. He got to know everyone right away.”

Gregory’s individual numbers are a direct result of his hard work. His freshman season he was 22–16 overall, with a 6–4 dual meet record and two pin falls.

This season, he is 27–8 overall, with a 13–2 dual meet record, eight major decisions, one technical fall and three pin falls. His performance has earned him a wild-card pick for the NCAA championships March 7–8. His overall career record so far is 49–24.

“[It] takes a lot of off-season dedication to reach those kind of goals,” Nichols said. “Jon’s the kind of kid that already does that type of thing.”