Senior Grant Tungate hits 112 career wins, qualifies for state finals
Grant Tungate during his high school wrestling career.
A much younger Grant Tungate celebrates a youth wrestling victory.
The senior year is always an exciting one, as students seem to reach an increasingly varied set of milestones each week. Student athletes, too, are no exception to this phenomenon.
The Class of 2019 had one of its student athletes reach a significant milestone earlier this season, as Grant Tungate–son of Tara Bunn and Marty Tungate–won his 100th career match earlier this month, while wrestling at 135#.
“Grant has been wrestling since age four as a club wrestler in the youth program,” explains his mom. “He continued through middle school and high school and has had a very successful season this year. He received first at district, first place at Bad Axes, second in the conference, and second at the Dave Elliot Memorial tournament, which is a very prestigious tournament.”
Grant also qualified for the state individual tournament on Saturday, bringing his season total to 112 wins, during the regional finals held in Clinton. This is his second year to qualify and his family is “super proud” of all his accomplishments, said Bunn.
“This has been a great way to end up his high school career!” she added.
Bunn says that despite his individual successes, Grant’s true love is wrestling for his team.
“Making it to individual state finals last year was his greatest personal accomplishment, so far, but in terms of his favorite thing about wrestling? I think he would say that most of all, he is a team wrestler; so his favorite part of wrestling is working with the team. His best moments truly come when he is encouraging his team, and wrestling for his team. He loves that kind of stuff.”
As for his immediate future plans, Grant has enlisted in the US Coast Guard and anticipates leaving in early August for Cape May, NJ, for his initial training.
“It’s very exciting,” Bunn says. “He has always wanted to be adventurous; so this is going to be his way to see a bit of the world, before settling into college and career.”
As part of the Health Science program through the South and West Washtenaw Consortium, Grant has become very interested in physical therapy for patients with brain injuries. He will put some of that training to work in the Coast Guard before heading to college for medical education.
Grant especially appreciates his coaches, Steve Vlcek and Mike Bunn, as they have guided him on this path.
“They’ve been so influential to him,” Bunn says. “He thinks that the sun rises and sets with them … and for a kid like Grant, it really sorta does.”
Congratulations, and good luck at State Finals!
An increasingly frequent sight at this year’s wrestling meets, as Grant Tungate is declared the victor in another match.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login