San Lorenzo Valley High wrestler Cody Rodebaugh has a goal for his senior season: Win a national championship.
Rodebaugh, the reigning champion of the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League, Central Coast Section and California State champion at 140 pounds, thinks he is better than ever this year.
After finalizing an agreement with North Carolina University at Greensboro in November, he’s completely focused on that goal.
“I’ve already signed a full-ride scholarship. My goal is to repeat as league champion, CCS champion and state champion, and I want to win a national title this year,” Rodebaugh said without a pause.
He opened the wrestling season at perhaps the most difficult tournament in the nation two weeks ago — the Walsh Ironman in Ohio — and finished fifth of 32 of the top wrestlers in the nation at 145 pounds.
“I should have done better than I did,” he said.
The senior will compete for SLV this season, wrestling mostly at 152 pounds, but he will drop weight to 145 pounds for the major tournaments.
He’s focused on the season, but he’s also excited after signing a scholarship that will fully cover his tuition, books, housing, fees and food for four years at Greensboro.
Rodebaugh visited the college during the summer and liked the coaches, the school and even the surrounding landscape.
“It’s a nice area,” Rodebaugh said. “Kind of like Felton, with less hills.”
The self-described country boy was pleased with the campus, too.
“Cal Poly’s was bigger,” he said. “You can walk from one end to the other. I was comfortable being there.”
Rodebaugh said that during his official visit, the school took him fishing — perhaps his favorite pastime besides wrestling — but it was a guarantee that the school would keep him on scholarship even if he was injured that sold him on North Carolina.
He plans to major in business and entrepreneurship and said he will likely take an “Olympic redshirt year” to compete at the Olympic trials in preparation for the 2012 games in London.
Rodebaugh, who has the USA wrestling logo tattooed on his left shoulder, said his best shot at making the Olympic team is 2016, when he will be in the prime of his wrestling career.
“Unless I get hurt, I plan on wrestling until at least I’m 30,” he said.
