Virginia wrestling star, a Germantown Academy grad, winds down a brilliant career

Chris Henrich is trying not to look too far ahead, although the University of Virginia senior wrestler admits it's not an easy task.

Barring an unforeseen circumstance, Henrich, a Lansdale resident and Germantown Academy graduate, should conclude his collegiate career in his own backyard.

The NCAA Wrestling Championships will be staged March 17-19 at the Wells Fargo Center. The event is already sold out, and no doubt Henrich will bring a sizable rooting section.

"I will have a lot of support and a lot of eyes will be on me, and that can be taken one of two ways," Henrich said in a recent phone interview.

He said the positive way would be to use the attention he'll receive as motivation to work harder.

As for the negative?

"The negative is that I could feel and fold under the pressure, and I am taking the necessary steps to turn this into a positive."

Based on his track record, it would be wise to favor the positive aspect. Henrich had a career record of 124-17 entering the weekend, and earlier this season he set the all-time Virginia career-win mark when he earned his 117th victory.

As a freshman, Henrich qualified for the NCAAs and went 1-2.

He first earned all-America status as a sophomore, when he went 40-3 and placed seventh at 174 pounds, the weight he has wrestled at all four years. (The top eight in each class are named all-Americans).

Last season he became the first two-time all-American in school history, going 35-3 and placing third.

What makes this season so intriguing is that Henrich insists it will be the end. An economics major who will earn his degree in May, Henrich, ranked No. 4 in the country at 174 by Intermatwrestle.com, doesn't plan to continue competing after this collegiate season. He does, however, hope to become a part-time assistant coach and full-time graduate student next season.

"When I was younger my goal was to get in international competition after college," Henrich said.

Those goals have changed.

"I love wrestling and will be extremely upset when it's done, but I don't have a future after college," he said. "I will hang up the shoes."

He hopes the shoes will be hung up after his hand is raised in his final bout.

Henrich wrestled two years at La Salle High before transferring to Germantown Academy, repeating his sophomore year and competing three seasons there. He went 199-20 in five high school years.

By his senior year, when he couldn't compete against public schools because he was a fifth-year senior, Henrich participated in open college tournaments, actually winning the Wilkes-Barre Open.

"Compared to anybody I have ever coached he has the best work ethic," said La Salle High assistant Anthony Panzarella, whom Henrich considers one of his mentors. "He will outwork any kid I ever coached, and I have had some very good kids."

The Virginia coaching staff has raised the bar for Henrich as high as possible, given his work ethic and success.

"We are expecting him to win [a national title]," said Virginia head coach Steve Garland. "That may sound arrogant, but you have to have the mind-set going in."

Garland should know. He was among the most successful wrestlers in Virginia history with 91 career victories. As a senior in 2000, he placed second in the NCAA championships, losing to Penn State's Jeremy Hunter, 7-3, in the 125-pound championship.

When asked how long it took him to get over finishing runner-up, Garland didn't hesitate with his response.

"I still haven't really gotten over it," he said. "It's still with me, and when I walked off that stage I wish there was a hole I could have jumped in."

That's how intense things are in this sport. Couple that with a wrestler coming home, finishing his career, and looking to make one final impression. Between now and his anticipated trip to Philadelphia, Henrich is intent on savoring every last moment as his brilliant career winds down.

"I only have about two months left, and I want to enjoy every practice, everything about wrestling, and not just go through the motions, and savor these last few months," he said. "It has inspired more fire and attention to detail, holding on to this passion."