Odd Couple Carries Wrestling

The two men are, upon first meeting, an unlikely pair of friends.

The first is a 285-lb. force with a firm handshake and a deep and powerful voice. He’s serious and pensive, focused on his endless stream of work as a pre-med.

The second is a 125-lb. jokester whose charming laugh and constant smile are contagious. Social and charismatic, he’s always interacting.

Meet sophomores Bode Ogunwole and Robbie Preston, perhaps an even more unlikely pair of roommates.

That’s Bode in his room, locked into his medical reading. His focus is impeccable even though he can barely fit into the generic wooden dorm chair.

That’s Robbie sprawled on the couch, PlayStation controller in hand. He chats with another roommate while playing the new Grand Theft Auto videogame.

By the way, Bode and Robbie are two of the best wrestlers in the country. They have demolished their competition this season and have kept the Harvard wrestling team (1-13, 1-4 Ivy) afloat. Combined, No. 7 Ogunwole and No. 16 Preston have lost a meager five matches all year.

Turn the subject to wrestling, though, and the differences between the two roommates vanish. They are both supremely skilled in their class, Ogunwole in the heavyweight and Preston in the 125-lb. division. Furthermore, they are both contenders for All-America and NCAA bids, honors for which they will compete in this weekend’s crucial EIWA championships in Annapolis, Md.

Ask Bode about this upcoming weekend and his demeanor becomes even more serious, his concentration and drive amplified. He has put his heartbreaking double-overtime loss in last year’s NCAA quarterfinals behind him and is eager to redeem himself.

“I didn’t train to lose,” he says. “I want to win the EIWAs and do well in Nationals. It’s what I’ve worked so hard for all year.”

Turn the question to Robbie and his smile fades, his mind envisioning the upcoming matches for which he has trained so long.

“I want to win the EIWAs,” he agrees. “My expectations are to win the EIWAs. It’s my goal to go to win the national championship and [become] All-American.”

Maybe the two roommates aren’t so different after all. Maybe wrestling has bonded Bode and Robbie in ways that a casual observer would not see, enforcing common core values so important to their success.

There’s the shared love and passion for their sport that has grown with time. For Ogunwole, it started when his high school’s wrestling coach saw him playing football and had instant dreams of getting the quick and powerful athlete on the mat. For Preston, wrestling education began before he learned how to read.

“When I was in first grade I would always see the fourth graders working hard on the mats and wanted to be a part of it,” he explains. “Ever since then, I [have] been.”

There’s the dedication Bode and Robbie have for wrestling, and the desire to work hard every day in practice during the season and in the gym during the off-season to get better.

“It’s like a job at this level,” Ogunwole says. “It’s definitely my number one extracurricular. I put my greatest energy into [wrestling].”

There’s the undying support of each other that strengthens in times of adversity. It’s the kind of support that transcends wrestling and applies on a more general level.

“It means a lot having someone I know who understands what I’m going through,” Bode says of his roommate.

“It’s so great being roommates and going along similar paths,” Robbie says. “We push each other [along] the way.”

Take away the contrasting demeanors, substitute the textbooks and PlayStation controllers for a mat and pads, and you’ll find two men who are remarkably similar. Ogunwole and Preston are united in their determination and will.

They share a rare and fierce drive for success that has propelled them to the top of their sport, and has left head coach Jay Weiss in awe.

“Those two guys are special,” Weiss explains. “It’s an honor for me to be coaching [them].”

But for those like Weiss who have gotten to know Bode and Robbie, the admiration derives from so much more than just wrestling. It’s not the fact that Preston could “beat anyone in the country in his class,” or that Ogunwole could “win a national title” that impresses Weiss the most. Rather, it’s what Weiss calls the “extreme success personalities” of his two stars that has warranted his utmost respect.

“They’re so looked up to on the team, and [it’s clear] why,” Weiss says. “Bode’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, and he’s so determined. [Robbie’s] just got such charisma [and] he leads by example.”

For Ogunwole and Preston, the similarities are far more important than the myriad differences.

It’s the similarities that have led them to great success in their sport, and, as Weiss explains, far beyond.

“Their characters, and [how] they’re driven, will take [them] farther outside of wrestling than on the mat,” Weiss says. “They just don’t know that yet.”

So while Bode resumes his reading, and Robbie un-pauses the video game, the two roommates both have wrestling in the back of their minds. They know what they need to do this weekend. They are prepared to reward themselves for a season’s worth of hard work. But more than anything else, Bode Ogunwole and Robbie Preston are determined.

Perhaps they’re not such an unlikely pair after all.