Ihsan Yumak ’25 is a 138-pound wrestler on Varsity Wrestling and co- captain with Athanasios Athanasiou ’25. Athanasiou said, “Ihsan works really hard, and that rubs off on the team. People see the work he puts in and how dedicated he is and as a result, are more inclined to listen to him.”
Yumak has a 54-7 career regular season record, with 73 total wins during his four years at the school, 38 of which came by pin. He is the 2025 138-pound Western New England Independent School Wrestling Association (WNEISWA) Tournament West Championship Champion, a 3x placer at the New England Preparatory School Wrestling Association Championship Tournament (NEPSWA), an All-Founders selection, and a 2x Prep Nationals qualifier.
Yumak ended his final season with a near-perfect record of 19-2, with 17 of the wins by pin. This past February, Yumak placed first at WNEISWA, sixth at NEPSWA, and advanced to Prep Nationals at Lehigh University for the second year in a row.
Head Coach Cooper Puls ’11 said, “Ihsan loves the sport, enjoys working hard, and has the capacity to push through discomfort. He’s proven himself to be physically and mentally resilient beyond most of the athletes I’ve worked with.”
When and why did you start wrestling?
I started wrestling in sixth grade. At that time, all the other fall sports that my middle school offered required tryouts, but I had broken my wrist and couldn’t attend them. Still wanting to do a sport, I picked wrestling. I ended up falling in love with the sport and continued it throughout high school, before I was forced to stop because of Covid.
What’s your favorite thing about wrestling?
Wrestling has taught me lessons that can be applied anywhere in life. There’s a famous quote: “Once you wrestle, everything’s easier.” I really think that’s true. If you can come in every day and stay consistent with your wrestling, that’s going to bleed into other aspects of your life where it’s just going to be a lot easier to focus and get stuff done.
Do you have a favorite memory from wrestling for the school?
My Lower Mid year, we were wrestling Hopkins in a dual meet. Going into the final match, which was my match, the team score was tied. We were having a successful season—at that point I think we were maybe 8-1 or 9-1. And with our record on the line, it had come down to me.
I wrestled a pretty good match. I pinned the kid in the second period and clinched our victory and the team score. The support from my teammates, both before and after, really made my experience and taught me the importance of the team.
How does it feel to be a leader on the team?
There’s definitely pressure, but it feels rewarding. I remember looking up to Seniors my Prep and Lower Mid years—learning from what they did both on and off the mat and trying to apply that myself. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to play that role for others on the team now as a Senior. I try to lead by example as much as possible and to uphold values that I think are important for the team to embrace.
What is one of your favorite things about being part of the team?
I would say the team environment. Throughout my years, there’s always been good energy with the team, and we’ve always pushed each other to get better. That’s apparent especially this year when, despite many injuries, we’ve been able to uphold good team energy, succeed, and push each other to improve. By the end of the season, I was confident that everyone got better compared to where they were at the beginning of the season. I don’t think that’s possible without having a supportive team around you.
Who is a mentor who has inspired you during your wrestling career?
Coach Puls has inspired me a lot as a wrestler. He has always been there to support me, whether through wins or losses. He has seen me develop and progress, and he’s always there to offer advice and support. I don’t think I could have reached the level that I have without him as a mentor and a coach.
What have been the keys to your success as an athlete?
I would say it’s conviction. Wrestling’s not an easy sport, and there are many times when you feel like it’s too hard— you don’t really see the benefit and you want to quit. But if you’re able to push through that, you learn a lot about yourself, and you’re able to apply it to other aspects of your life.
Do you have a favorite in-match move?
My Upper Mid year, we had a home meet against Taft. It was under the lights, and the room was packed. I was wrestling this tough kid from Taft whom I’d wrestled before, and tensions were high. The team score was close and every point mattered.
I was up by eight points or more, with about 10 or 15 seconds left. The entire Taft team was screaming for the kid to get up and score a point to cut the lead slightly, which would be better for their team score. This kid fought up to his feet, but I picked him up and mat-returned him pretty hard, which is a pretty cool move to the untrained eye. The entire room erupted, and everyone was pretty much in shock. It was a good way to end the match, and we ended up winning the dual meet overall.
What do you plan to do in college and beyond?
I had offers, but I decided that it would be better for me to apply regularly. I’ll be attending the University of Chicago next year, but I won’t be wrestling mainly because of injuries that I’ve had to deal with.
I will definitely stay connected to the sport throughout the rest of my life. I feel like my time on the mat hasn’t fully ended, and I’ll be looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned with others.
