Indiana University Athletics
Student Spotlight: Luke Blanton
11/28/2016 9:15:00 AM | General, Wrestling, Student-Athlete Services
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Luke Blanton learned how to wrestle the same way many people learn the sport, even if they don't continue a competitive career in wrestling: he had brothers.
Unlike many growing up, however, Blanton had nine brothers.
Chris, Matt, Eric, Randy, Mark, Brent, Josh, Jon and Tyler. They, in addition to Luke and his only sister, Angel, made for 11 siblings. And Luke is the second youngest of the bunch.
That made for an adverse journey through childhood for Blanton, but he wouldn't trade it for anything.
"Growing up, we always had little competitions between all of us," said Blanton. "I had twin brothers, Josh and Jon, who are 18 months older than me and we were pretty much triplets growing up. We did everything together—play, fight, and eat—it was awesome."
Naturally, wrestling matches took place amongst the Blanton brothers. They all wrestled in grade school, and a few at the Division III level as well. Even now when he goes home for holidays, his brothers try to pick fights. Many times, they end up grappling on the living room floor.
That's because Luke, nearly the youngest in the group, was the only brother to place in the Indiana State Championships and landed at a Division I program.
"Every year I went, I had the biggest section at the state tournament," Blanton said regarding his time at Alexandria Monroe High School. "Even now when I'm in college, I'll see someone and they'll be like, 'Oh you're that kid from state with the huge fan section.' Having a big family kind of helped that, but a lot of my community would come and support me as well."
Although he rose to the top of his siblings in wrestling, Blanton's time as a younger brother prepared him for the challenge of being a walk-on wrestler in the Big Ten. He had planned to come to Indiana to major in economics and mathematics, and said that reaching out to coach Duane Goldman was a last-second decision on the way down to a visit.
The first season was his hardest year yet, but the support of his family, his girlfriend-turned-fiancé Brenda, and his teammates kept him going.
"It was a struggle to make it through the season. There were times where it wasn't like I thought it would be," Blanton said looking back on his redshirt season. "I stuck with it, and looking back, I made the right decision."
Blanton validated his hard work quickly. He started as a 157-pounder as a freshman, and dropped to his natural 149 lbs. class last season. The year in a higher class gave him the sense of taking on a bigger opponent and an opportunity for competitive mat time.
It paid off. In his 2015 sophomore season, Blanton started flipping the script on nationally ranked grapplers. Luke upset No. 17 Nick Barber (Eastern Michigan), No. 11 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State), No. 19 Alex Griffin (Purdue) and No. 10 Jake Short (Minnesota) in his breakout year, the latter of which clinched an historic dual win over the Golden Gophers. Blanton and his teammates secured IU's first win over Minnesota since 1968.
For Blanton, it was his first Big Ten dual win.
"That was one of our first matches of the season, and it was huge for the team," Blanton said. "When Alonzo Shepherd got that pin, that turned everything around, and I got on the mat and upset Short. That moment was awesome for me individually, getting that upset win, but also for the team as a confidence booster taking us into the rest of the season."
Blanton credits the culture of the room to their rising success, which led to IU's highest Big Ten win total in seven seasons. As a junior, he pivots to an instructional role with the younger guys, while also training alongside nationally ranked wrestlers like Elijah Oliver and Nate Jackson. That environment in Goldman's room is propelling him toward his goals for the next two years.
But Blanton won't be alone in the process. He has to become the best wrester out of his nine brothers, in turn, those brothers, his sister and his family are going to give Blanton the loudest fan section on match day.
"I want to get to the NCAA Championships this year," he said. "Last year lit a fire because I was right in the mix with the at-large bids, which woke me up a bit. That's an attainable goal and once I can get there, I want to make it to the podium."
Unlike many growing up, however, Blanton had nine brothers.
Chris, Matt, Eric, Randy, Mark, Brent, Josh, Jon and Tyler. They, in addition to Luke and his only sister, Angel, made for 11 siblings. And Luke is the second youngest of the bunch.
That made for an adverse journey through childhood for Blanton, but he wouldn't trade it for anything.
"Growing up, we always had little competitions between all of us," said Blanton. "I had twin brothers, Josh and Jon, who are 18 months older than me and we were pretty much triplets growing up. We did everything together—play, fight, and eat—it was awesome."
Naturally, wrestling matches took place amongst the Blanton brothers. They all wrestled in grade school, and a few at the Division III level as well. Even now when he goes home for holidays, his brothers try to pick fights. Many times, they end up grappling on the living room floor.
That's because Luke, nearly the youngest in the group, was the only brother to place in the Indiana State Championships and landed at a Division I program.
"Every year I went, I had the biggest section at the state tournament," Blanton said regarding his time at Alexandria Monroe High School. "Even now when I'm in college, I'll see someone and they'll be like, 'Oh you're that kid from state with the huge fan section.' Having a big family kind of helped that, but a lot of my community would come and support me as well."
Although he rose to the top of his siblings in wrestling, Blanton's time as a younger brother prepared him for the challenge of being a walk-on wrestler in the Big Ten. He had planned to come to Indiana to major in economics and mathematics, and said that reaching out to coach Duane Goldman was a last-second decision on the way down to a visit.
The first season was his hardest year yet, but the support of his family, his girlfriend-turned-fiancé Brenda, and his teammates kept him going.
"It was a struggle to make it through the season. There were times where it wasn't like I thought it would be," Blanton said looking back on his redshirt season. "I stuck with it, and looking back, I made the right decision."
Blanton validated his hard work quickly. He started as a 157-pounder as a freshman, and dropped to his natural 149 lbs. class last season. The year in a higher class gave him the sense of taking on a bigger opponent and an opportunity for competitive mat time.
It paid off. In his 2015 sophomore season, Blanton started flipping the script on nationally ranked grapplers. Luke upset No. 17 Nick Barber (Eastern Michigan), No. 11 Hunter Stieber (Ohio State), No. 19 Alex Griffin (Purdue) and No. 10 Jake Short (Minnesota) in his breakout year, the latter of which clinched an historic dual win over the Golden Gophers. Blanton and his teammates secured IU's first win over Minnesota since 1968.
For Blanton, it was his first Big Ten dual win.
"That was one of our first matches of the season, and it was huge for the team," Blanton said. "When Alonzo Shepherd got that pin, that turned everything around, and I got on the mat and upset Short. That moment was awesome for me individually, getting that upset win, but also for the team as a confidence booster taking us into the rest of the season."
Blanton credits the culture of the room to their rising success, which led to IU's highest Big Ten win total in seven seasons. As a junior, he pivots to an instructional role with the younger guys, while also training alongside nationally ranked wrestlers like Elijah Oliver and Nate Jackson. That environment in Goldman's room is propelling him toward his goals for the next two years.
But Blanton won't be alone in the process. He has to become the best wrester out of his nine brothers, in turn, those brothers, his sister and his family are going to give Blanton the loudest fan section on match day.
"I want to get to the NCAA Championships this year," he said. "Last year lit a fire because I was right in the mix with the at-large bids, which woke me up a bit. That's an attainable goal and once I can get there, I want to make it to the podium."
Players Mentioned
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