Wyatt Sheets faced a dilemma.
It took a current six-bout losing streak to realize it. A former All-American as a No. 33 seed as 157-pounder in the 2020-21 season — the lowest seed in NCAA history to earn a status — Sheets had broken off from his winning ways. It wasn’t ideal for a roster keen on and pinpointed by a season's worth of individual development. Fast forward, the sixth-year senior is churning out his most productive stretch of wrestling in nearly two years.
It started with an abrupt conversation at practice with his coach, John Smith, two days after a loss to West Virginia’s Baylor Fernandes — an unranked foe.