Photo by Eric R. Flores Former Mean Moose standout Dalton Kelley is joined by Alamosa head coach Gary Ramstetter, Assistant coach Rusty Johnson, Athletic Director Jerry Green and his parents Mike and Nikol Kelley, as he signs to wrestle for Cal-State Bakersfield.

Kelley to

Cal-State Barksdale



By CHRISTA BAIRD

ALAMOSA — Eleanor Roosevelt said it best, “The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams.” And dreams and opportunities are what Alamosa High School graduate Dalton Kelley has; opportunities for wrestling, school, and his dreams of becoming a lawyer.

Kelley graduated with honors this past weekend from Alamosa High School, and has signed a letter of intent to wrestle at California State University Bakersfield.

Bakersfield has a long-standing tradition of being one of the better Division I programs in the nation. At the 2009 NCAA Division I National Championships, Cal-State Bakersfield had a good representation. The Roadrunners have had 42 All-Americans, nine Division I national champions, 12 USA national champions, 16 placers at the world championships, and 10 Olympic team members. Along with these amazing feats, they have won two PAC-10 titles and finally 10 NCAA Division I top ten team-finalists.

Adams State Grizzly fans may know that wrestling head coach, Jason Ramstetter attended Cal-State Bakersfield. Jason Ramstetter is the son of Alamosa High School wrestling coach Gary Ramstetter.

Bakersfield has a history of greatness with their program, and when Kelley continues to train and compete with the Roadrunners, he will have numerous people pushing him and encouraging him to do his best.

Kelley, who finished his high school career with a 118-39 record, was one of the top wrestlers in the state of Colorado.

He entered the state tournament and wasn’t expected to be in the title match. However, Kelley defeated the No. 1 seed in a nail-biting semi-final match and won the opportunity to wrestle for the title.

Kelley faced a foe he had beaten numerous times in his career but was upset by a 6-3 decision to end his senior year with a 34-6 record.

After his heartbreaking second place finish at state, he has not lost his desire to be great and to accomplish his goals, and when Kelley attends Bakersfield that’s what he’s aiming for.

“Getting second at State and Reno made me want to improve,” said Kelley.

“They have a good Division I wrestling program,” he said, “I want to wrestle at the highest level possible and they can give me a good education.”

Before deciding that Cal-State Bakersfield was the place for him, Kelley was considering going to Adams State College, but after weighing out his options he realized that Cal-State Bakersfield could offer him a better education.

Kelley worked hard while he was in high school to get where he is today, not only as a wrestler but he was also a top student, who participated in cross country, received numerous awards while in 4H, and was also on student council as the senior class representative. Kelley finished out his high school career with a grade point average of 4.26. He earned such a high GPA because of his numerous AP classes he took while in high school.

Also while in high school Kelley competed in cross country. “I ran cross country because it helped me get in shape, but it also helped me get mentally tough.” Since cross country is such a tough sport, “It helped me do a lot of things I didn’t think I could do.” So Kelley agrees that cross-country has had a lot to do with his success in wrestling and also in school.

“He was such a hard-working athlete and he surprised me, being a wrestler and sticking with it,” said Alamosa High School cross country coach Larry Zaragoza. “He always made out varsity squad, if he slipped out he always fought back just to make it in.”

Kelley gives credit to both his coaches who are two of the top coaches in the state; both of which are in the Colorado High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

“College is definitely going to be harder than high school, it’s a Division I school,” he said. But having the coaches he had in high school has helped him prepare for what the future holds in wrestling. “It’s always going to be harder at the college level. Training will be harder, as well as school.”

Kelley plans on red shirting for his first year at Cal-State Bakersfield so that he can acclimate to his freshman year living in a new city and a new school. The following year he will be competing at the 141-pound weight class, which means putting on some weight since he wrestled at the 125-pound weight class in high school.

Kelley has set his goals high for wrestling at the college level, “I want to be a Division I All-American,” he said, and with his drive and ambition he is very likely to reach these goals.

Going to a school like Cal-State Bakersfield is going to be a big change from school in Alamosa. Cal-State Bakersfield has a large student population, but is somewhat similar to the Valley. “Bakersfield is not too different from here, but there is big enough differences,”

Although Kelley will be heading to a bigger city in the fall, farming communities, something Kelley has always lived around, surround it.

Kelley will be heading to Cal-State Bakersfield in July to help work at a wrestling camp that the college team puts on, and also to attend an orientation. After camp, Kelley plans on coming back to Alamosa before returning to start school in September.

“I am definitely going to miss my family and friends; those that are staying around here,” said Kelley, since the school is a good sixteen-hour drive from Alamosa.

Kelley grew up living on a farm, so when he came home from school there were always chores for him to do. Moving away from his home means not having those things to keep him busy, “I don’t know what I’m going to do when I go home won’t have chores to do,” he said.

However, he does know that being a student-athlete, he will probably have many things to occupy his time with, like studying, wrestling practice and competitions.

As with high school Kelley will be getting ahead with his education because he is entering college with about 30 credits he has acquired during high school. “They are putting me in honors programs, so I’ll also have an opportunity to do well in school,” he said.

With Kelley’s high GPA and talent in wrestling, he has received many scholarships to pay for his school. “I get to go to school at a lower cost,” said Kelley. Kelley plans on majoring in political science so he can pursue his plans on being a lawyer.

Kelley has received all the tools he needs to succeed as he heads to the next phase in his life. He had great coaches helping him along the way, as well as a good support system. Kelley has been set up for success at Bakersfield and as long as he continues heading down the right path he will succeed.