Camden Harms to wrestle at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
By FRED KRONER
High school wrestlers had a difficult time staying out of Harms’ way during the 2022-23 school year.
Their problems were created by Mahomet-Seymour senior Camden Harms, an undersized 285-pound wrestler (weighing in around 260) who had a penchant for pinning his opponents.
Harms registered a school-record 40 pins for the Bulldogs, a feat that helped him get on the radar of college coaches.
Next year, Harms will be competing at Wisconsin-Oshkosh, a university of approximately 15,000 undergraduates.
“It is really funny because my coach and family would say I didn’t have to always win by pins my junior and senior year,” Harms said. “I would say I achieved this number by being consistent and working my same moves I always did in all my matches.
“That record shows me that I can achieve things people have yet to reach, and it definitely puts fuel on the fire and gets me motivated to achieve bigger goals.”
As a senior, Harms compiled a 47-9 overall record. His first 12 wins of the season were all by pins. Twenty one of his pins were posted in the first period, including seven in less than a minute. His fastest fall was in 19 seconds.
Osh Kosh expressed interest in Harms even before they saw his senior-year exploits.
He ultimately had about 10 offers, the majority from other Division III universities.
Besides Oshkosh, Harms also visited Iowa State University, the University of Illinois and William Penn University.
“I picked UWO because it ticked off all the right boxes for me and I loved the touring experience there as well,” Harms said. “I heard from a lot of schools and to decide from all of the choices, I had to figure out the certain aspects I liked by going and touring many different schools.
“Some aspects that were important to me were size of the school, majors the school has and the type of competition their wrestling program sees.”
Harms is joining a collegiate program that as recently as 2022 placed 10th at the Division III national tournament and had the individual champion at 285 pounds (senior Jordan Lemcke, 28-3 record with nine pins).
Current wrestling head coach Aaron Konitzer will start his second year at Oshkosh in the fall.
“I believe Camden will have a very successful collegiate career,” M-S coach Rob Ledin said. “He knows and enjoys the grind.
“The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is a nice fit for Camden both athletically and academically.”
For his first two years in high school, Harms struggled to get into the Bulldogs’ varsity lineup.
He was positioned behind state-placers Daniel Renshaw and Mateo Casillas as well as state-qualifier Colton Crowley.
When Renshaw graduated and Harms added some weight, Ledin was confident his heavyweight would be successful.
“He placed in the frosh-soph state tournament as a sophomore (fifth at 220 pounds), so I knew we were good when he got his shot after Daniel Renshaw graduated,” Ledin said.
“Camden has always had an intense desire to improve, be coached and succeed. He put in big-time work on his strength and grew nicely into a heavyweight.
“He also attended a heavyweight camp in the off-season to help him wrestle ‘big.’ When he got his varsity shot at 285 his junior year season, he capitalized.
“Camden has always been great to coach.”
Harms didn’t get discouraged when he wasn’t a full-time varsity regular in his first two years of high school.
“I wasn’t really frustrated when I was behind my teammates,” he said. “I feel like those feelings of frustration can lead to the weakening of team bonds.
“When I did see that I was behind them, I just knew I needed to work harder than what I was to be where I wanted to be. I really never felt like stopping or quitting. I always wanted to be at practice and better myself.”
His success at the freshmen-sophomore state tournament in 2021 was a confidence-booster.
“Even though it was a small achievement compared to my teammates, it still helped me believe in myself more and thrust me into a new mindset to take with me in the following years,” Harms said.
Harms has thrived in the heaviest of weight classes due to his tenacity.
“One of my strengths is my mindset,” he said. “In my junior year, I barely ever hit 230 pounds in the 285-pound weight class.
“I was like an ant compared to a giant in almost every match. I had to learn fast that size does not mean anything at all.”
As a junior, Harms was 36-8 with 25 pins. Thirteen of those came in the first period and three required less than a minute of mat time. His first six wins of the season were by pinfall.
That 2021-22 season was when Harms felt his collegiate aspirations were realistic.
“It was during my junior year when I realized I wanted to continue my wrestling career in college,” he said. “During that year, it really changed. I felt more confident in my skills as a wrestler and combining that with my love for the sport, I knew if I refined myself, I could compete at the college level.”
The appeal of wrestling, he said, is its 1-on-1 format.
“Wrestling definitely has a team aspect to it and that part is amazing,” Harms said, “but it is the whole ‘I am responsible for the outcome of my match.’
“If I lose, it is because of me, not because my teammate did something wrong.”
When he took up wrestling as a sixth-grader, he didn’t see himself as a natural in the sport.
“At the beginning, I was not very good,” Harms recalled. “Even though I was not the best or even good at the sport, I still loved it from the start and stuck with it even during the hard times.”
He developed a passion for the sport almost immediately.
“Once I joined wrestling, I planned on wrestling in college even if it was just one of those little dreams you have in the back of your head,” Harms said.
He wrestled at 185 pounds in junior high and moved up to the 195-pound class as a freshman, then the 220-pound class as a sophomore and finally, the 285-pound class his final two years in high school.
Harms has progressed steadily throughout his four years at M-S.
“The main part of my development I would say is being consistent with how I practice and how I compete,” Harms said. “My coaches have been a huge help in my development, and my practice partners as well.
“COVID (affecting his sophomore season) was a year I knew where I would develop me, and my wrestling skills. It was not so much frustrating, but more of a time, I knew I needed to better myself.”
Among his other highlights include winning his weight class in the Marty Williams Invitational in January and going 6-0 at The Clash National Duals, earning All-America accolades.
He also boasted a perfect 4-0 record in IHSA final eight state dual-team matches the past two seasons.
Harms plans on majoring in mechanical engineering and is considering continuing his education after earning a bachelor’s degree and working towards a PhD.
Ultimately, he said, he wants to work “at a job I love to wake up every morning and go to.”
In the short term, that will mean being a student-athlete at Oshkosh.
“I see myself as a possible leader of my future team and being a keystone component,” he said. “As for coaches’ input, they agree with me wanting to work on consistency and speed.
“I really like this opportunity I have been given with getting to wrestle in college. I feel like being too comfortable is a problem. It allows weak points to form, so being in a state where I have to prove myself is great for me and I am ready for it.”
Oshkosh is about 320 miles, almost directly north, from Mahomet. Harms is ready to deal with that distance.
“I actually was looking for a college father away, not because I hate my amazing mother, but because I want to learn how to be independent and if I was too close to home, I would be tempted to come back home every other weekend,” Harms said. “Me and my mother have been through a lot together and it will be hard being five hours away, but it is for the better for the both of us in the end.”
Also the best, he added, is to keep in pursuit of goals.
“No matter how wild or insane your goals are, keep a hold of them,” Harms said. “Even if right now they seem impossible, don’t ever let anyone put them down.
“I had this silly dream of wrestling in college. When I first started, I didn’t think I would get to where I am today. I am glad I held on to my goals and aspirations. Always chase your dreams.”
