Sterling, Va. — In March, Jack Creamer was planning on continuing his wrestling career in his home state. Creamer is a two-time VHSL State champion with his roots in Virginia, and at the time, he felt Old Dominion University would be a good fit for him athletically, academically, and geographically.
On March 19, Creamer announced via Instagram he’d be continuing his wrestling career at ODU, about 200 miles south of Sterling. Just 14 days later, Old Dominion announced it would be discontinuing its varsity wrestling program effective immediately, citing the “long-term best interest of the athletics program.”
“When ODU disbanded their program it was a shock to me, and I didn’t know what was going to happen or where I would end up, but I actually had a lot of schools reach out and ask if I would join their programs,” Creamer said. “The tough part was making a very educated decision with not being able to visit the campuses due to COVID.”
With the resiliency he had built on the mat and in the middle of an unprecedented global pandemic, Creamer bounced back and decided a school 1,400 miles west of Loudoun County would do the trick, so on June 16—three months after his initial commitment—Creamer announced he’d officially be heading to Norman, Oklahoma where he plans to wrestle for the Division I Sooners at the University of Oklahoma.
“It feels as great, if not better, to commit to such a well known and respected university such as Oklahoma,” the relieved Creamer said. “Although it does feel great, I know I can’t get complacent now. I want to bring something special to the table, so that I can succeed at the highest level.”
[adrotate group=”6″]The highest level is nothing new for Creamer. After winning the VHSL 4A State 106-pound title in 2018, Creamer moved up a weight class and dominated the 113-pound state title bout in 2019. His campaign to win his third straight state title—this one in the 120-pound weight class—fell just short in the 2020 VHSL 4A State championship match. His dominance throughout his high school career earned him All-LoCo honors in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
“The Dominion wrestling team always had a brotherhood aspect to it where we all wanted each other to be their best on and off the mat,” Creamer said. “Coach [Billy] Young was a mentor to me and always did what was in my best interest. He looked after everyone on the team as if they were one of his own kids, and I can’t thank the Dominion wrestling program enough for what it has done for me.”
At Oklahoma, Creamer will wrestle in the 125-pound weight class for a Sooners team which has posted seven 10+ win seasons since 2010. Led by fifth-year head coach Lou Rosselli, the Sooners will look to bounce back from a 5-7 finish in 2019-2020 with a big season in 2020-2021.
“I chose to go to Oklahoma, because it stood out to me both academically and athletically,” Creamer said. “When I talked to Coach Roselli I knew Oklahoma was a special place and to wrestle under a coach as accomplished as he is would be a once in a lifetime opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.”