Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/279748
From a large extended family of successful high school wrestlers, Andrae Hernandez proved his mettle on the mat at Griffith High School in Indiana, earning a chance to wrestle in the Big Ten Conference at the University of Indiana. Hernandez finished fourth at state as a high school freshman and third as a sophomore before winning two state championships his junior and senior years at Griffith. Like his cousin and teammate at Griffith, Angel Escobedo, Andrae chose to stay in state and wrestle for the Hoosiers. After a redshirt year, Hernandez earned the starting spot at 141 pounds, and fashioned a regular season record of 27-10, qualifying for the 2006 NCAA Championships. The following year was even more successful as Andrae put together a regular season record of 30-16, finished eighth at the NCAA tournament and achieved All-America status. In all, Hernandez qualified three times for the NCAA Championships and ended his career with 92 victories as a Hoosier. Andrae was someone his coach and teammates could always count on. Said his coach after watching Alex's last regular home match as a senior, "He's been a good leader on the team and (has) a great attitude." Never was that attitude more on display than when Alex faced off in his last home dual against one of his career rivals, the University of Iowa's Alex Tsirtis, ranked second in the nation. Hernandez and the Hawkeye, a former teammate at Griffith High School, put on a great wrestling show for appreciative Hoosier fans, a match which was only decided after six grueling overtimes. Hernandez walked off the winner. He said a few months later about his first visit to the NCAA when he went 0-2, "You don't want to have that same feeling again. You just got to build up your mentality a little." That is exactly what he did. Hernandez, who was a Volunteer Assistant Coach for his alma mater, had this further advice to high school wrestlers about to take their first step onto the university mat. "The biggest thing is just…never stop wrestling until the refs pull you off. That and all my coaches advice is what helped me…get on the podium (at the NCAA)." Wrestled 2004-2009 Indiana University 133lbs ANDRAE HERNANDEZ 26 | NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM LATINO WRESTLING EXPERIENCE