Rob Preston photo.

Star high school wrestler Kyle Snyder of Olney, Md. has announced his commitment to training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. in the Resident Athlete Program for the 2013-14 academic year. 

Snyder, a junior at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, is considered one of the top high school athletes in the nation and has seen success in both freestyle and Greco-Roman events. He will begin training with top freestyle athletes beginning later this summer.

"I'm very excited Kyle has chosen to further his career in the Resident Development Program at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs,” said Bill Zadick, National Freestyle Developmental Coach. “Our vision is investing in young athletes who display exceptional commitment to their personal, academic and athletic goals and assisting in the realization of these goals. Kyle represents exactly this vision! I am confident in his ability and I know we can accomplish great things together!"

Kyle will be completing his senior year of high school academics at a Colorado Springs area high school, but will not be competing in the scholastic season as he focuses on training and competitions at the Olympic Training Center.

Zadick and National Freestyle Resident Coach Brandon Slay brought up the idea of training at the OTC to Snyder last year during a training camp. Now that he is committed to coming, Snyder said he is excited to get started.

“I just believe that if I come to the U.S. Olympic Training Center I will get a lot better with wrestling by working out with the coaches and the resident athletes they have,” Snyder said. “I just want to try to get as good as I possibly can at wrestling and get myself ready for the next level of college competition.”

Snyder has made a verbal commitment to attend and wrestle for Ohio State University in 2014. 

“I love the coaches [at OSU] and their regional training center, which is kind of like a smaller version of the OTC,” Snyder said. They have about five resident athletes training at their regional training center close to my weight so I think, again, they’re going to make me a better wrestler.”

In his wrestling career so far at the Junior level, Snyder took a gold medal in Greco-Roman and a bronze medal in men’s freestyle at the 2012 ASICS/Vaughan Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D. In 2011, he placed first in men’s freestyle and second in Greco-Roman at the ASICS/Vaughan Cadet National Championships in Fargo. Snyder also won bronze at the 2012 FILA Junior Nationals in Madison, Wisc. in the men’s freestyle division. Snyder also won the Walsh Ironman Tournament in his sophomore and junior years, one of his proudest accomplishments. 

Snyder has big goals when it comes to wrestling, not the least of which is join the ranks of recent college star, Cornell’s Kyle Dake, with four NCAA titles. Then, he has goals on the Senior level at the World Championships and the Olympics, where Snyder hopes to bring home gold medals for the United States.

Snyder’s father, Steve, said his son has always been determined to be the best.

“Kyle wants to be the best wrestler he can be at whatever level he’s wrestling at,” Steve said. “He was a very active kid. With him constantly rolling around in the living room and attacking me as a five year old, we decided to take him down the road and sign him up for a youth wrestling club. He really liked it from day one. He’s very competitive and he’s the type of kid that tries to excel in everything he does. He really loves the sport of wrestling.” 

Both Snyder and his family are thrilled about the opportunity to train with top coaches and athletes at the OTC next year. His high school coaches have also been very supportive, said Steve Snyder.

“I know it was probably tough on those guys to let their top wrestler and captain of the team go like that, but they’ve always really supported him,” said Steve.

“I know it’s a great opportunity and I’m going to try to have a lot of fun with it,” Snyder said. “I’m really excited for next year. I’ll hopefully get a lot better.”