Pin for the Win

Abdi Unle  |  Senior  |  Omaha Bryan High School

Omaha Bryan High School senior Abdirahman Unle (Abdi) is a Nebraska Class A 113-pound state wrestling champion with Olympic dreams, yet Unle never intended to be a wrestler. In seventh grade he had planned to join cross country, but his cousin, a wrestling coach, asked him if he’d be interested in joining wrestling. “At first I was iffy because the only wrestling I knew was WWE, and I stopped watching that after I figured out it was fake,” he said. “But when the season started, I came up. I still was iffy about it, but I was promised McDonald’s if I came back the next day, so I came back. After that wrestling became something I enjoyed and an excuse to get off my bed.” 

Unle broke Bryan’s 24-year drought to become the school’s first state wrestling champion since 2000. According to Jason Susnjar, Omaha Bryan head wrestling coach, “Abdi is a 3-time state medalist for us. He finished fifth, second, and first. What is truly unbelievable is he started in the 7th grade. He is ranked nationally in the top 10 from two different publications. Abdi helped our team qualify for the State Duals which was a first in our school’s history. Our team finished eighth this year, which was the first time we finished in the top 10 since 1985. It was a very special year for our team, and Abdi was a huge part of it.” 

Although he was recruited by many Division 1 teams, such as Oregon State University, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, Northwestern University, and University of Virginia, he chose to commit to Nebraska. “They were all exciting places to be, but unfortunately, I couldn’t choose them all,” Unle said. “It felt like every school thought I was going there, and the decision was nagging at me every single day. But in the end, I decided to stay home. It was a fun, yet stressful experience.”

His path to the state championship hasn’t been easy. Unle gets his motivation and drive from his losses. “I don’t care for revenge, but making up those losses would be nice. The fact that I’ve lost before forces me to get better. Learning new things is fun for me.”

Unle’s parents are from Somalia, and he has 11 siblings. Undoubtedly, being the third child out of twelve has made it difficult to access the same resources other wrestlers receive. “An obstacle I deal with every day is that I can’t afford to buy all the gear I want or to go to every tournament. I can’t go to a nutritionist or have a wrestling room in my basement because it’s too expensive. But I overcome it by working with what I have.” 

Wrestling for Omaha Bryan has been a joyful experience and even a family affair. “Most of them are related to me,” Unle said. “The coaches work with everybody on and off the mat. This team is probably one of the most diverse teams in the state. But by the end of their careers, they are on the winner’s podium.”

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