By Diane Gasper-O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n
HAYS, Kan — The coming week is going to be a busy one for Jonathan Inman, and it\u2019s not because he is taking off for vacation land during spring break like a lot of college students.<\/p>\n
Inman, a Fort Hays State University junior, will begin his quest for All-America honors today. The sixth-ranked 184-pound wrestler in NCAA Division II, Inman is 35-2 this season and is competing at the national tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D., Friday and Saturday.<\/p>\n
While that might seem like the most exciting event of this school year for Inman \u2014 and at least this week \u2014 it isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
A week after hopefully garnering that elusive All-America honor and getting to climb the steps of the awards stand, Inman will take an even bigger step. He and his fianc\u00e9e, FHSU junior Breanna Tendick from Bonner Springs, will be married March 18 in Kansas City, Kan.<\/p>\n
Then the newlyweds will return to Fort Hays State to finish out the school year and live happily ever after in Hays, for another year at least, while Jonathan completes his degree in criminal justice and Breanna finishes hers in social work.<\/p>\n
Funny how first impressions can change over time. Inman wasn\u2019t sure as a teenager he would like living on the plains of western Kansas for four years. After all, he grew up in the Ozark Mountains in Branson, Mo.<\/p>\n
“Branson was a small town with a big-town feel,\u201d Inman said. “The lake was right there to fish in, and it had all the nice places to eat. It was a super place to live, a great place to grow up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inman was a four-time state qualifier in wrestling in high school but flew under the radar because of a couple of other standouts in his weight class, and there were no big-name programs that came calling.<\/p>\n
An FHSU graduate, Dustin Martin, happened to be coaching youth wrestling nearby and liked what he saw in Inman and told Tiger Coach Chas Thompson about him. It didn\u2019t take Thompson long to contact Inman.<\/p>\n
“Besides being a quality wrestler, he was a 4.0 student with a 29 ACT,\u201d Thompson said. “I thought he would be a perfect fit for our program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inman wasn\u2019t as convinced at first. He had wrestled in Hays in some freestyle tournaments and wasn\u2019t so impressed with the location. But he thought he\u2019d at least give FHSU a look following a recruiting trip to Colorado Mesa University.<\/p>\n
Mesa is situated in another picturesque mountainous setting, on the western slope of the Rockies in Grand Junction. Inman said he loved the campus \u2014 the price tag to attend there, not so much.<\/p>\n
Hays didn\u2019t seem so bad after all, especially once he set foot on campus.<\/p>\n
“It was 30,000 (dollars) at Mesa, and when I visited Hays, I enjoyed the campus, and it was a great value for a great education,\u201d Inman said.<\/p>\n
Inman signed with FHSU before his senior year in high school. Good thing for the Tigers. He went on to win the 182-pound state championship his senior year, and other college coaches started to take notice.<\/p>\n
“Even that summer before he came to Fort Hays State, I had some coaches come up to me at some tournaments and ask where (Inman) had been hiding, if he had signed with a school yet,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n
Oh, yeah, Thompson thought. He\u2019s a Tiger.<\/p>\n
So Jerry and Lynn Inman packed up their only child and sent him seven and a half hours to the northwest, and their son couldn\u2019t be happier about his decision.<\/p>\n
“I had thought I didn\u2019t want to go to the middle of nowhere; that\u2019s the stereotype about Hays,\u201d Inman said. “But Hays, and Fort Hays State, is about so much more than location. It\u2019s about the people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inman continued to excel on the mat, and he met his wife-to-be his freshman year. The rest, like they say, is history.<\/p>\n
Inman has hopes of making some history of his own this weekend. With his parents and fianc\u00e9e cheering him on, he would like nothing better than to win an All-American trophy to bring home. He came within one victory of achieving that last year at nationals.<\/p>\n
The top eight finishers in each weight class achieve All-America status.<\/p>\n
“Make it to the second day,\u201d Inman said. “That\u2019s the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
If not, there\u2019s still next year.<\/p>\n
In fact, Inman has become so attached to Hays \u2014 and Fort Hays State \u2014 that he said he and fianc\u00e9e are considering sticking around after graduating next spring. Both Jonathan and Breanna are checking out graduate programs at FHSU.<\/p>\n
“I have a really good friend base here, and that\u2019s what makes someplace your home,\u201d Inman said. “My friends are what\u2019s keeping me here. I love Hays.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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