The journey for Chris Albright to the 2011 NCAA DIII Wrestling Championships was direct, nearly as direct as it could have been. Chris took command in his season to finish with 31 wins and only one blemish, a hotly contested match against former All-America Chris Garber of Waynesburg University (PA). The York native proved to be too much for most of his opponents and in fact only had five of his 31 wins end in decision. He recorded 15 major decisions and 11 pins. His high school and college teammate Jerrid Hartman once joked, “He only had eight pins in high school out of his 130+ wins.”
Chris breathed a breath of fresh air into the York wrestling room this season for many reasons. From a coach’s perspective, the main thing Chris brought each day was a smile and the ability to see the sport for what it is, a sport. Make no mistake, Chris is a fierce competitor, but even when dismantling his opponents he wrestles with a look akin to a smile on his face. Maybe it’s a smirk, but that’s doubtful considering how humble of a champion he is. Chris won the 2010 King’s College Monarch Invite, the 2010 New Standard Spartan Invite, was named the American College Division Outstanding Wrestler at the prestigious Virginia Duals and punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships by winning his first Metropolitan Wrestling Conference Championship.
On the mat, Chris is as smooth as a wrestler can come, this is due to his insane level of flexibility and his preternatural ability to anticipate his opponent’s motion. Combine those pieces with Chris’ focus and smiling intensity and you have one tough competitor.
When he steps off the plane at the Wisconsin-LAX airport Chris will be all business, most likely though with a smile on his face.
