Sophomore Colin Lahiff wasn’t always a wrestler. For most of his early years, he practiced judo, a form of martial arts. It wasn’t until his older brother picked up wrestling in high school that Lahiff began to contemplate picking up the sport he now loves.
“I had done a lot of judo, which is a lot like wrestling with a lot of throws and a lot of use of the hips,” Lahiff said. “I had done that for years. My brother, who is a couple years older than me, started wrestling in high school and I thought that was pretty cool, so I picked it up in seventh grade and I have been wrestling ever since.”
Fortunately for Lahiff, Alexander Konovalchik was his high school coach. A graduate of Harvard and a captain of its wrestling team, Konovalchik instilled a passion for wrestling in Lahiff. As a professor, Konovalchik impacted Lahiff’s path off the mat as well, jumpstarting Lahiff’s passion for both history and government.
“In high school I had a pretty good program,” Lahiff said. “Our coach, he was a captain at Harvard. He was also my football coach and government teacher. He had an amazing influence on me and is still a huge role model for me today.”
Despite his newfound love of wrestling, Lahiff didn’t initially think he would become a division one wrestler, at least not at F&M. In fact, prior to receiving a letter from F&M encouraging him to submit his information to then head coach Peter Schuyler, Lahiff had never even heard of the tiny school in Lancaster, PA.
Even though he had never heard of F&M before, he opted to give the place a shot.
“The first thing I learned about F&M was that there was a wrestling program from the letter I got in the mail recruiting me,” Lahiff said. “That was actually under Coach Schuyler. I then got an email over the summer saying that they were changing coaches. I came here and didn’t even know who the coach was going to be, which was a little unsettling. As soon as they brought in Rogers, I think they all knew it was going to be great.”
As to be expected, the Schuyler’s departure was shocking to those incoming wrestlers expecting to compete for him, Lahiff being no exception. For Lahiff, despite some initial concern, Rogers quickly eased any worries he had with his intensity and “mission.” This determination made clear the new path the program was on, something that encouraged Lahiff early on.
“I was definitely a little worried about it at first. Right away, the first week of practice, you could tell by tempo and the energy that we were now on a mission.”
“I had an idea that we were, I guess you could say in a slump and had had a few rough seasons. But I got the feeling the program was on the upswing,” he added.
Both Rogers and assistant coach Matt Greenberg have challenged and supported Lahiff over the course of his collegiate wrestling career. While Rogers has consistently challenged Lahiff on the mat, oftentimes personally wrestling Lahiff in practice, Greenberg has acted more as the calming influence on the sideline. Particularly in tournaments, Greenberg has somehow always known what to say.
“I would say, obviously Rogers, he’s the main guy in the room and he sets the tone,” Lahiff
“Greenberg always seems to connect with me well,” he added. “He always gives me a good advice. He somehow always knows what I’m feeling and what I need to get going.”
Unfortunately, Lahiff’s sophomore season did not go as planned. Following the team’s first meet against the University of Maryland, Lahiff tweaked his knee. After some initial attempts to make it back to the mat this season, it was eventually determined that Lahiff would be better off sitting and preparing himself to make a strong comeback in his junior season.
Although the injury disappointed Lahiff greatly, he has embraced his role this year, recognizing that his greatest contributions to the team have yet to come and will only be realized if he fully rehabs.
“I got injured the first weekend. Maybe I tweaked it before that weekend,” Lahiff said. “I hurt it against the University of Maryland and I knew I had done something pretty bad. I was debating about what to do, but it was getting worse and worse and so we got surgery just so I could get going for next season. I’m doing a lot of rehab right now and I’m trying to do stuff now that will put me in the best position to succeed next season.”
Lahiff’s determination and poise are just a couple factors that make him important to the future growth and development of the F&M wrestling program. Despite the recent lows the program has endured, Lahiff has noticed the program is on the upswing. He credits much of the recent improvement to the strong first-year class Rogers brought in this season.
“As soon as we started having a little more success last year, it started attracting a little more interest,” Lahiff said. “These freshmen, I see them going through the same things I went through as a freshman. It was clear that they came here ready to go and they’re making an impact.”
Off the mat, Lahiff is a relatively quiet kid. You won’t find him partying all over campus or on the member lists of multiple clubs, but you will likely find him buried in a textbook or in his notes in the library. He unashamedly claims to love learning and he hopes to one day turn his love and passion for history and government into a long-term career.
“Other that wrestling, which is one of my passions, I love learning,” Lahiff said. “I’m a little bit of a nerd in some ways. Some people say I go to the library too much, but I love learning, particularly government and history.”
“I’m going to pursue a career in one of those fields, or just stay in academia and keep studying after college,” he added.
Lahiff contributes most of his desire to Konovalchik, who taught him in multiple history and government classes while he was at high school in Massachusetts.
“My interest in government started in high school with my government professor,” Lahiff said. “I just loved every bit of the stuff he was teaching.”
Not surprisingly to anyone who knows him, Lahiff’s goals are rather simple: he wants to be a nice guy and he wants to leave F&M as a role model. Lahiff is a relatively quiet, respectful, and unassuming individual, so to hear him say he simply wants to have a positive impact on the community as a whole should come as no surprise to anyone.
“My main goal is just to be a kind person, always kind to everyone,” Lahiff said. “One of my own goals is to be a great leader. Not just with wrestling, but in the dorm as well. I want to be a positive figure for those around me, someone people can go to. I just want to be a positive influence on people.”
As the team prepares for the EIWAs this weekend, Lahiff is a bit sentimental as he recognizes that his time with seniors Colin Ely, Matt Fullowan, Matt Latessa, and David Pucci is coming to a close. He credits this senior class for preparing him for his life as a wrestler and recognizes he would not be where he is today without their contributions.
“I particularly want to thank these four seniors who are graduating. I have been able to wrestle with all of them a fair amount,” Lahiff said. “When I go injured, that was one of the things that made me the most upset, I wouldn’t be able to wrestle with these guys ever again. They’re great leaders and they’ve given me a lot of tools to work with over the next two years.”
Lahiff didn’t wrestle much this season, however is impact on the team was felt nonetheless behind the scenes. With two more years left before he graduates, it’s fair to expect big things from Lahiff, both on and off the mat.
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