Last season, four members of the UW-Whitewater wrestling team advanced to the 2024 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships, where the team finished 22nd out of 55 teams. Fortunately for the Warhawks, three of those four athletes returned to the purple and white in 2025.
One of those athletes is junior Jalen Dunson. While the 125-pound wrestler fell short of All-American honors last season, he is the highest-ranked wrestler on the Warhawks, ranked fourth in his weight class according to The Open Mat.
His journey across the Illinois-Wisconsin border is a fascinating one. Dunson sat down with the Royal Purple to discuss that journey, his success on the mat, and more.
Q: Why did you choose UW-Whitewater to continue your wrestling career?
A: I thought of the cost of attendance first. I really liked it here, it wasn’t too expensive. I also thought I could start. I feel like when I was getting recruited, I took a look at every roster and kind of placed the odds. I didn’t want to go to a team that had 10 125-pounders. That was a big thing for me. It felt like me getting recruited here was special; the coaches put a lot of effort in recruiting me and guys that wrestled here at the time were texting me. I wasn’t seeing that tension from other schools.
Q: Who has contributed most to your development as a Warhawk?
A: I would say Dakarai Clay. He was the starting 141-pounder my freshman year, and I feel like I just immediately clicked with him. Even though he was significantly bigger than me, I’ve always liked practicing with the guys bigger than me. It gives me a challenge and makes me focus on my technique and being creative. I would also try to practice with him. Outside of college, he’s doing really good things now, and ultimately that’s the goal. I just want to be successful in whatever I do.
Q: The wrestling team has 16 freshmen on the squad this season. How can you act as a role model for the younger guys?
A: On the mat, helping my teammates and pushing that wall. Off the mat, just trying to be a good role model through example. I feel like your freshman year is the hardest. Going from high school to college is a really big jump, so taking them and guiding them through that, and letting them know that it’s not always going to be positive. Sometimes you’re going to have to take losses to learn. I had to learn that. No one’s going to understand your struggles as much as your teammates and your brothers.
Q: What are some of your go-to moves on the mat?
A: My go-to move is definitely my blast double. That’s always been my bread and butter. And then recently, during the summer, I took a lot of time developing this outside step move because I’m a left leg lead and sometimes it’s harder for me to create positions. I’ve been doing this outside step that specifically a lot of European and Russian wrestlers do. They have a completely different style.
Q: How do you balance being a student-athlete?
A: I try to keep myself a schedule. I have scheduled days where ‘I’m probably going to be really tired this day.’ Like Mondays, I know it’s a light day, so I’m going to try to crank out as much homework as I can that day. When I know I’m tired and I’m not going to want to do my homework, it’s already done for me. Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesdays I try to do an hour to three hours of homework – just as much as I can get done.
Dunson and the wrestling team will participate in two tournaments – the Pete Willson Invitational Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, and the Don Parker Open Feb. 8 – before hosting the WIAC Championships Feb. 15 for the first time since 2018.
