Daniel Renshaw to wrestle at the University of Illinois

The beginning of Daniel Renshaw’s story about how he got into wrestling might be a little unusual:

“I started wrestling in eighth grade after my friends Logan Burdette and Brayden Bone convinced me to try it out during summer detasseling,” he said. “I wasn’t sure at first, but I wanted to try something new.”

Now the 6’1”, 235 lb. Mahomet-Seymour senior has his sights set on wrestling at the University of Illinois while he studies Bioengineering at the Grainger College of Engineering. 

It’s not a path he believed his life would take. Renshaw had his sights set on studying Bioengineering at the University of Illinois. But after placing fifth in the 220-lb class at the IHSA 2A State tournament as a junior, Renshaw began to believe he could do something more.

“I have learned that if I set my mind to a goal, I can achieve it through dedication and hard work,” Renshaw said. 

The mental and physical demands of wrestling do not come without their toll, though. 

“The biggest challenge I have faced was breaking my wrist at the end of my sophomore year,” he said. “I was out for 4 months and couldn’t develop my strength or technique very well for wrestling. As soon as I was able to get back into wrestling I made the goals I mentioned before and stuck to them day in and day out. I was able to recover and come back stronger than ever.Renshaw sat out for four months after breaking his wrist at the end of his sophomore year.”

Those gains came with the support of family, friends, teammates and coaches who have walked beside Renshaw day-in and day-out over the last five years. 

“Coaches Heinold, Ledin, Heller, Acree, Castor, and Stafford have all put countless hours into helping the wrestling program succeed and develop and without them, I would not be as capable of an athlete,” he said. “In reality, the coaches are an extension of my own close family.”

Renshaw also credits teammates Wyatt Heimann, Mateo Casillas and Seth Buchannan who constantly pushed him to become a better athlete each day. 

He also knows that without the support of his mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, sister, aunts and uncles and Josh Cook, owner of Pain and Victory Gym, he would not be where he is today. 

“Especially my parents because they provide me with the inhuman amount of food I eat,” Renshaw said. 

Before leaving Mahomet-Seymour, Renshaw hopes to give back a little of what has been given to him. 

Aside from being undefeated in the 2021 season, Renshaw wants to instill a culture of effort, teamwork, support, and mutual respect into the Mahomet-Seymour wrestling program.

“This past year has been a struggle for everyone, and this wrestling season will be irregular as well,” he said. “My focus this year is to help everyone on the team develop and have fun. I want wrestling to be a formative and positive experience for everyone else as it has been for me.”

For an athlete who is focused on the day-to-day small things that need to be done in order to achieve ones goals, Renshaw also believes that having fun is equally important.

“The two aren’t mutually exclusive and that makes for a more wholesome experience in my opinion,” he said. “We also have a bond that is beyond being just teammates or friends, it is a family. The struggles we go through and overcome bring us together and we all build off one another’s successes.”

Renshaw said that even upon graduating high school, he will not be done with the community he grew up in.

“The school system, athletics, environment, and people have allowed me to do what I want and grow immensely,” he said. “I will always remember what Mahomet has done for me and I hope to be able to give back and help other students, athletes, and community members during my life.”