Pat Greco of St. Charles has never been one to back down from a challenge.

After a successful high school wrestling career at Marmion that included a third-place finish his senior year in the IHSA Class 2A State Tournament at 145 pounds, Greco could have chosen to wrestle at any number of colleges in any number of conferences. He chose to attend one of the nation’s most academically challenging schools – Northwestern – in the nation’s toughest wrestling conference: the Big Ten.

“The Big Ten teams ... everyone’s tough. It’s a grind,” Greco acknowledges. “Every person you wrestle is ranked.”