No. 9 Wrestling heads to state of Oklahoma for pair of duals with top-12 squads
2010-11: In his first collegiate season, wrestling at 165 pounds, Prazma posted an 11-7 record and won three of his matches by fall. In his first career tournament, Prazma pinned Gian Traverso of Missouri Valley in 4:52 for his second victory of the weekend. He went 3-2 a few weeks later at the UCM Open, rallying off three straight decisions after dropping his opening contest to teammate Jacob Guerrant. The next weekend at the Kaufman/Brand Open, Prazma went 3-2 again. He opened with a 15-0 technical fall win, and then scored a 12-6 decision. Later in the tournament he picked up a 4-2 win over Ben Cox of Wisconsin. In his last tournament of the year, Prazma recorded a second place finish after going 3-1. He pinned his first two opponents, one in 3:58 and the other in 2:27, and then defeated Clayton MacFarlane of Lindenwood by a 5-2 decision. He fell in the finals to fellow Tiger Jordan Gagliano.
High School: Prazma wrestled for Granite City High School, helping the Warriors to an eighth place finish at state in 2008 during his sophomore season. During his four year career, Prazma recorded 78 wins by fall, with 54 of those coming in his last two seasons. He capped off his high school career with an impressive 50-win season in 2010, giving him 140 for his career. Competing in the 2009 Southeastern Regional, Prazma earned a runner-up finish in the freestyle event. He also lettered three times in soccer and was named Academic All-State.
Personal: Tyler Prazma was born to Kenneth and Jill Prazma in Granite City, Ill., on Jan. 22, 1992. His father is a paramedic and a firefighter, while his mother, who attended SIU-Edwardsville, is a credit analyst. Has an older sister, Erika (20), who plays soccer at Eastern Illinois University. Prazma is majoring in health professions and hopes to find a job in sports medicine after college.
