James Munro, a senior and soon-to-be graduate of Miami Trace High School, recently announced where he will spend the next four years of his life.
Munro, in a ceremony in the lobby outside the gymnasium at Miami Trace High School, signed a letter of intent to attend Thomas More University, located in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, where he will continue his education and his wrestling career.
The two-time State wrestling qualifier was joined by many family members, friends, classmates and coaches for the occasion.
Munro spoke about his wrestling career at Miami Trace.
“It’s been great,” Munro said. “I had some of the greatest coaches in the state, maybe even the country, I feel. They pushed me hard every day. That’s where most of my success came from. It’s been a fun ride.
“The (Thomas More) wrestling program, I would say, is about 10 years old,” Munro said. “They have some pretty good coaches. They’re going to push us hard in the room and they have pretty high expectations. (Wrestling) at Miami Trace has (helped me prepare) for the next level.”
At Thomas More, Munro will study athletic training.
“My main goal is to get to a college and be an athletic trainer there,” Munro said.
What were a couple of Munro’s favorite subjects in high school?
“Definitely science,” Munro said. “Science is my favorite; science and history.”
Munro said his favorite teacher was history teacher Brent Noes and he specifically mentioned his sophomore year.
Favorite moment
“Probably my favorite moment was making it to the State tournament as a senior with one of my best friends, Mcale (Callahan),” Munro said. “We just became close and we fought for it and we got it (qualifying to State). That was a really big career point in my life.”
One of the best parts of the transition to the new high school for Munro was the new wrestling room.
“I think the best part about it was getting our new wrestling room,” Munro said. “It was just nice to get a brand new room, a brand new facility. It looks nice. It doesn’t get really cold in the winter or really hot in the summer.
“The weight room is nice,” Munro said. “It’s great.”
As for his college choices, Munro said, “It was down to Thomas More and Heidelberg. Heidelberg was just too big for me. I liked Thomas More because it’s more of a smaller school. You can have better relationships with your coaches and the professors. You get to meet more people that way.”
Thank yous
“I’d like to thank my parents,” Munro said. “Driving me back and forth to workouts, or coming to watch me wrestle.
“I’d like to thank my coaches,” Munro said. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am now. My teammates, who pushed me every day in the weight room and the wrestling room. They helped to make me better.”
“James has always been a great student and a great wrestler,” Miami Trace wrestling coach Ben Fondale said. “He’s always been a great leader in our room, even as an underclassman, he still was a great leader for the kids in the room, as far as showing an example, putting in all the extra time, being there for his teammates, making personal sacrifices.
“Outside the sport of wrestling, he’s just a great kid,” Fondale said. “He’s got a lot of friends; his classmates respect him, they look up to him. He’s just an all-around great kid.
“We were really fortunate to have him wrestle for us,” Fondale said. “We do hate to see him go, but we know he’s going to do a lot of great things when he goes to Thomas More, which is an up and coming wrestling program. We think it’s a pretty good fit for him.
“Sometimes you see kids who are very athletic,” Fondale said. “Then they go on to college and they might lack a work ethic and it doesn’t pan out for them. The guys who really succeed in college are the ones who put the extra time in and put in all the extra work. James is one of those kids.
“We’re thinking he might even have more success in college, as long as his work ethic keeps up and he stays healthy,” Fondale said.
Munro won 91 matches at Miami Trace.
