Posted 12/11/07
UW-Platteville’s Vinny Alber is a freshman wrestler from Rock City, Ill., wrestling at 141 pounds. His record is 12-2 with 5 pins.
Why did you come to UWP? What is your major?
Pretty much because of the engineering and wrestling program. It just had the package deal. Right now I am going for electrical engineering, but it could change.
How does it help to have a high school teammate, Jesse Milks, on the Pioneer team?
He is my cousin too, so we’ve been around each other for a long while. It is a sense of familiarity; it’s nice.
How do you balance your studies and athletics?
We have study tables Monday and Wednesday nights from 7-9 p.m., so that helps. After practice I like to go back to my room, get something to eat, and then do some homework. Practice is usually from 4-5:30 p.m., so an hour and a half, but it could be longer or shorter depending on if we have a meet or tournament the next day.
You were state champion in high school. What has been the biggest difference between high school wrestling and wrestling at the collegiate level?
In high school, sometimes you get a guy that maybe is his second year wrestling, but in college everyone is good, mostly state qualifiers, state placers, and state champs. So, it is tougher.
How did it feel to win your weight class at the Milwaukee School of Engineering Invitational?
It was a big confidence booster because the last tournament at Concordia I didn’t place, and I was kind of feeling like I should have. I could have wrestled better. I wrestled pretty well at Milwaukee.
Interview by Sports Information Student Assistant Renee Gratz