A Conversation with Bellevue East Senior Garrett Grice

Bellevue East wrestler Garrett Grice just completed one of the most accomplished wrestling careers in Nebraska high school history. Last weekend, he became a four-time state champion – a feat only a small handful of wrestlers in the country ever come close to achieving. A lot has been written about Grice over the last four years, so when we caught up with him earlier this week and informed him that some of our questions were not related to wrestling, he appeared genuinely excited to get started.

Our conversation began by discussing things Grice enjoys beyond wrestling.

When he is not competing, training or coaching wrestling Grice enjoys playing basketball. At 5′ 5″, he joked that if he were a foot taller he would have his sights set on playing in the NBA. He enjoys watching basketball as well and, although he doesn’t have a favorite team, he follows NBA great LeBron James and said that his favorite team “is whatever team LeBron is on. So right now, the Lakers.”

A few of Grices’ other favorites include:

Favorite Movie: He doesn’t have a favorite, but he recently saw Spider-Man: No Way Home and really enjoyed it. He was especially glad no one spoiled it for him
Favorite Singer/Song: “Candles” by Juice Wrld.
Favorite Class: Business Communications and Psychology
Favorite Book: Win in the Dark by Joshua Medcalf and Lucas Jadin

Grice also has a large collection of shoes. Although he didn’t specify how many, he mentioned he once bought ten pairs in a month.

The conversation turned back to wrestling and Grice shared how his family has shaped his success. “They are Everything”, Grice said. “My Dad was the one who got me into wrestling. My brother, Gabe, was my practice partner for years. And my Mom has always been my biggest supporter.”

Grice discussed his decision to compete in college at the University of Virginia: “The coaches are great and they really believe in me and what I can do. They have bigger dreams for me than I had for myself. That meant a lot to me. Virginia also has a five-year Master’s program. They are planning on redshirting me – so I’m hoping when I’m done that I will leave with a Master’s degree.”

Although he’s not certain yet, Grice is considering majoring in Business. He mentioned if he one day owned a business it might be a wrestling clinic or a shop that sells custom shoes.

University of Virginia Wrestling Head Coach Steve Garland had great things to say about what they saw in Grice when recruiting him: “Garrett is the complete package. He is a wonderfully gifted wrestler. I think God has gifted him with skills and tools that most folks can only dream about. Garrett also possesses mental toughness. He has proven he can push through pain. He has shown he can handle the bright lights. He loves to compete. He values academics and wants to succeed there moving forward. Most of all we believe he’s a great person. We think he is one of the most personable and ‘fun to be around’ wrestlers we have ever recruited. We know he values relationships and that is important to us. So for us, he hits on every aspect of what we are looking for.”

At one point, Grice was asked to share something that most people might not know about him. “I tried to stop wrestling in Middle School”, Grice said after some thoughtful contemplation. “I won Tulsa Nationals in 6th grade and I remember telling my Dad that I couldn’t do this anymore. I was burnt out. I was done. But after taking it easy those two years, I started training harder again before high school and got it going again.”

We ended our talk with Grice offering advice for younger wrestlers: “Pay Attention to the details. Details are very important in wrestling. That can change a one-point loss into a one-point win. Push yourself through that wall every day. Working hard is more than just about being in great shape. It can give you confidence and a mindset of ‘There’s no way I can lose, I’ve worked too hard.'”

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A Few of Grice’s Accomplishments
● 2018 Preseason Nationals Champion
● 2019 Cadet Freestyle Nationals All-American
● 2021 Junior Freestyle Nationals All-American
● 2021 Nominated for the Boys Wrestling Athlete of the Year Award for the Inaugural USA TODAY High School Sports Awards Show
● December 2021 Set the All-Class State Takedown Record
● 4x Nebraska State Champ
● Nationally Ranked in the Top 20 for his last 3 years of high school (top 10 the last years, all-time high was #3)

Pictures provided by Jodi Grice