Reece Humphrey wins April’s U.S. Open in Cleveland. Larry Slater photo.

Reece Humphrey stepped onto the mat in Minsk, Belarus, and immediately sensed something was wrong.

His legs were shaky. He felt slow and sluggish.

Humphrey scored a takedown in each period, but came up short in a first-round loss to Amandyk Bakeev of Kazakhstan. He went 0-1 and failed to place in the Alexander Medved International in early March.

Shawn Bunch, Humphrey’s teammate at the Ohio Regional Training Center in Columbus, went on to win the tournament in the same freestyle weight class at 60 kg/132 lbs.

“That was a huge turning point for me,” Humphrey said. “Bunch is a great wrestler, but I knew there wasn’t that much of a gap between us. I knew I needed to make some changes. I went back home and changed my diet, changed my workouts and changed my intensity.”

And changed his fortunes.

A month after the disappointing showing in Minsk, Humphrey stormed back with one of the best performances of his career. He upset past World silver medalist Mike Zadick in the semifinals before knocking off Bunch in the finals to win the U.S. Open on April 9 in Cleveland.

“Those were huge wins for me,” Humphrey said. “Winning that tournament, it has given me a big boost. My training is better than ever and I’ve never been more focused.”

With his U.S. Open win, Humphrey clinches a berth in the best-of-3 finals series for June’s U.S. World Team Trials in Oklahoma City. He will face the winner of the Challenge Tournament in the finals of the Trials.

Humphrey, 24, a past NCAA runner-up for Ohio State, is a top young prospect in freestyle for the U.S. He is a past University World silver and bronze medalist.

Humphrey’s father, Jim, is a past World silver medalist and has coached his son for most of his career. Jim Humphrey is a past U.S. Olympic and World Team coach.

“My dad has pretty much taught me everything I know – in wrestling and in life,” Humphrey said. “He is one of the main reasons I’m the wrestler and the person I am right now.”

Humphrey and Bunch, a 2009 World Team member, continue to train together in Columbus. 

“We still go at it 100 percent in practice,” Humphrey said. “We push each other and we are friends off the mat. Bunch is an awesome wrestler. He is way stronger than he looks and I haven’t wrestled anybody faster. He has the skills to explode and keep me off-balance even though I see him every day. I expect to see him in the finals of the Trials.”

Humphrey’s performance at the U.S. Open caught the attention of U.S. National Coach Zeke Jones.

“Reece has been coming along nicely,” Jones said. “We've been tracking him through age-group wrestling. He has medaled at every level, so his transition to be gold-medal ready is quicker for him than most Americans. 

“His style is suited for freestyle. He wrestles well in upper body, controls the tie-ups and has a good gut wrench. Reece has a high ceiling. He's grown up around the Olympics and the best wrestlers in the World, and you can tell it’s rubbed off on him.”

Humphrey has thrived in a wrestling room loaded with talent. World bronze medalist Tervel Dlagnev and past World Team members Tommy Rowlands and J.D. Bergman also train in Columbus.

“It really is an unbelievable place to train,” Humphrey said. “Lou Rosselli is a great coach and there is great competition in the wrestling room. I work with Bunch and Logan Stieber, who is one of the best young wrestlers in the country. You see guys like Tervel Dlagnev and Tommy Rowlands pushing each other and it motivates me to work even harder.”

Humphrey said he has continued to step up the intensity in his preparations for the World Team Trials.

“My work ethic is 10 times better than it was,” he said. “I’ve never been this dedicated to this sport. I’m really focusing on making this World Team. I’m doing extra running and extra lifting, and doing more technique. I’m doing 10-12 workouts a week. I am getting so much better every single practice.”

Even though he is sitting out until the finals of the World Team Trials, Humphrey said he plans to wrestle two simulated matches while the Challenge Tournament is going on to prepare him for the final-round series.

“I want to wrestle a couple of matches at 100 percent intensity to get the kinks out,” he said. “Hopefully, my nerves will be settled after that, and then my training and all the hard work I’ve put in can take over. I need to make sure I am ready to go right away in the first match because whoever wins the mini-tournament will have a lot of momentum going into the finals. I would rather sit out, but it is a little stressful. It’s made me train that much harder because I think it’s my spot and they are trying to take it away from me.”

Humphrey and his fiancée, Meredith Swayngim, are the parents of a 4-month-old son, Parker.

“Being a father has made me realize what’s really important,” Humphrey said. “My family means everything to me. It is great coming home after a tough workout and being able to see my family and play with my little boy. Parker has a big back and big legs. He’s definitely going to be a wrestler.”

Humphrey said he plans to wrestle through the next Olympic cycle in 2016, but he hasn’t thought about much beyond 2012.

“I’m thinking about making this World Team and winning an Olympic gold medal in London in 2012,” Humphrey said. “My dream isn’t to be on the 2011 World Team, but I told Lou Rosselli six months ago that I needed to make this World Team to win the Olympics. If I make the World Team and do well, I will understand what it takes next year. It would be the first step to me winning the gold in London.”

Humphrey, who wrestles for the New York Athletic Club, is scheduled to compete in the World Team Trials on June 10.

“I’ve been wanting to compete since last week,” he said. “I’m so focused and I’ve been training so hard, I want that day to be here. I’m very excited. The pressure is on me. I just need to stay on track and keep doing the same things I’ve been doing. If I wrestle the way I’m capable, I can beat anybody.”