What Summer Break? Rey Staying Sharp During Offseason

Wrestling success came quickly for Hopatcong High School graduate Zach Rey.

Despite a relatively late start to his wrestling career [he only began competing in ninth grade], Rey was a state place winner three out of his four years at Hopatcong, and captured state titles at heavyweight in both of his final two seasons for the Chiefs in the 2006-07 seasons.

Rey's success on the mat has continued in his first two seasons at collegiate wrestling powerhouse Lehigh University, where he studies earth and environmental science.

In two seasons with the Mountain Hawks, Rey has posted a 56-11 record. After finishing the 2009-10 wrestling season with a 33-5 record, taking third place in the NCAA heavyweight tournament, and winning the 2010 Eastern Intercolliegate Wrestling Association heavyweight championship, the soon-to-be junior has spent this summer working diligently on honing his skills as he looks to cement his status as one of the nation's elite heavyweight wrestlers.

Aiding Rey in his quest to be the best is Lehigh's newest volunteer coach, two-time NCAA heavyweight champion, four-time NCAA finalist, and 2008 Olympian Steve Mocco, who joined the Lehigh staff as a volunteer assistant in mid June.

Rey, who has been training regularly with Mocco for most of the past two months, is counting on the lessons he gathered from his sessions with Mocco to serve him well in the upcoming season.

Specific attention has been paid to Rey's skills at controlling a dominant position. Heavyweight matches are frequently the lowest scoring, and most closely fought battles of any weight class. When two immovable objects battle for supremacy, a single escape often decides the outcome.

This fact is not lost on Rey.

"I've never been known as a dominant top position guy," Rey said.  "That hasn't been among the strongest elements of my game. I've been working hard with Steve to improve my top control. I've learned a lot from him already, so I should be much better at riding guys this season."

Mocco has been impressed by what he has seen from both Rey's ability, and his approach to his preparation.

"Zach has a good sense of self-awareness," Mocco said. "He knows exactly where he's at skill-wise. He's aware of his strengths, what aspects of his game he needs to improve, and he works hard at it."

Rey has also stepped up the strength and conditioning element of his training, with particular attention to the buzzword of the moment in athletic conditioning.

"I've definitely been focusing on my core-strength when it comes to weight training," Rey said. "I've also been working hard at improving my leg strength. They're both necessary for building a strong base."

Mocco's time spent on the mat with Rey has convinced him that the Lehigh junior can compete with the best in the game.

"Zach is a very capable, tough competitor," Mocco said. "He has both the skills and the athletic ability to win at both the collegiate and international levels. If he keeps working like he has been, he's going to put himself in a position to win a lot of titles. He just needs to keep working hard, because they don't just give those titles away."

Even with his hectic schedule, Rey still found the time to volunteer to referee at Hopatcong High School's Summer Duals last month.

"It was good to be around some familiar faces," Rey said.

But since even the most dedicated competitors still need their occasional down time, Rey plans on squeezing some well-deserved rest and relaxation time into his busy schedule.

"I've been training hard for the past two months, so August is my time to get off the mat for a little while and relax," Rey said. "I'll still be keeping up with my weightlifting and my conditioning, but this is the time of year when I get a chance to spend some quiet time with my family and my girlfriend. We'll probably take a cruise somewhere."