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Unlike most of his teammates and opponents, Southern Virginia University sophomore wrestler Igor Lakićević didn’t get an introduction to wrestling until he was in high school. However, through a positive attitude, strong work ethic and excellent coaching, Lakićević has found great success in the sport.
Following a journey that took him from Montenegro, a small country in the Balkans of Southeastern Europe, to Rockbridge County, Igor, a 2021 Rockbridge County High School graduate, is now a starter in the 285-pound/heavyweight division for SVU.
Igor and his family moved to Rockbridge County from Podgorica, the capital city of Montenegro, the second semester of his freshman year of high school. Igor said he knew English pretty well before coming to Rockbridge County, but it took a while to learn “country English.”
It wasn’t long before, as one of the bigger and stronger kids around, he was persuaded to join the RC football team. Under the direction of then-head coach Mark Poston, Igor became a valuable player as an offensive and defensive lineman on special teams. As a senior, Igor was a co-captain for the Wildcats when they won the Valley District title.
During his sophomore football season, one of Igor’s football teammates, Hayes Tomlin, asked what he was doing during the offseason, and Igor said he didn’t have any plans. Tomlin told him he should come join the wrestling team, and Igor decided to come out for a practice.
Describing the difficulty of that first practice in an interview last Thursday, Igor said, “I came to what I, at that time, believed was pretty See Lakićević, page A11
SVU SOPHOMORE wrestler Igor Lakićević (right) goes up against W&L freshman Tade Omnisore in the 285-pound/heavyweight division on Feb. 2 at SVU. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photo)
ON HIS way to a 4-3 comeback victory, Lakićević holds down Omnisore. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photo) much close to death. I’d just never felt so exhausted in my life as a wrestling practice can put you through. If I’m being honest with you, I do not know why I came to the second practice. I did not enjoy the first practice at all. It was brutal.”
Igor added that one of the main reasons he kept coming back was seeing the dedication of then-RC head wrestling coach Aaron Bruce, who coached Igor throughout his high school wrestling career. “Once I got to know Coach Bruce, even when I wanted to quit, I just knew how much that guy was putting into the team,” said Igor. “I didn’t want to disappoint him because he was a very strong figure at that time for me. That’s why I stuck with the sport, and that’s how he transformed me as a man.”
Igor said Bruce “was someone who definitely knew how to bring professionals to the room, and we trained at a higher pace than anybody else in the area, and with more discipline.”
From an early stage of working with Igor, Bruce recalled some of the wrestler’s unique strengths. “One of the greatest attributes that he brought to our program was an abundant attitude of appreciation for everything he was given,” said Bruce. “He often reminded us not to take for granted what America offers to its citizens. Many times, I was humbled by his ability to always keep a positive attitude.”
Bruce added that one of Igor’s biggest strengths is how hard a worker he is. “In both the sport of wrestling and in America’s freedom of opportunity climate, that work ethic pays dividends,” said Bruce. “I enjoy seeing young men being given the chance to ‘let it fly’ and chase their dreams. Igor has a passionate heart that will help him go far in his life’s journey.”
In both his sophomore and junior seasons, Igor placed fifth at the Region 3C tournament, one place shy of advancing to the Class 3 state tournament. As a junior in 2020, he helped the Wildcats claim the Valley District title and win their first regional championship in program history.
“Junior year was a very big year for me,” said Igor. “That’s when I realized I wanted to wrestle in college.”
During his senior year, Igor committed to continuing his wrestling career at Buena Vista University, a Division III school in Iowa. He didn’t get to wrestle as a senior at RC because the season was delayed and condensed due to COVID-19, but he prepared to wrestle in Iowa.
Igor didn’t stay in Iowa for long, opting to return to Rockbridge County for the second semester of his freshman year because he wanted to be closer to his family.
He already knew Logan Davis, then an assistant coach for the SVU wrestling team, and reached out to him. It wasn’t long before he was on the wrestling team.
After struggling with two injuries as a freshman, Igor, the only international student on SVU’s roster, came back strong for his sophomore year. In a home dual against Washington and Lee University on Feb. 2, local residents watched Igor come back from a 3-2 deficit to defeat W&L’s Tade Omisore 4-3.
Igor said the main challenges of college, compared to high school, are managing time to do schoolwork and be an athlete and competing against opponents who have been wrestling since they were 4 or 5.”That’s my biggest challenge, to try to compensate for the lack of experience,” he said.
First-year SVU head coach Brigg Hoopes said Igor has gotten “significantly better” at wrestling. “It’s pretty easy to tell if you watch wrestling from the beginning of the year and just compare it to the end of the year,” said Hoopes.
“He’s been able to progress fast, and I think that’s been a strength and will be going into future seasons,” added Hoopes.
Igor has high hopes for next year, with goals of winning an Old Dominion Athletic Conference title and qualifying for the NCAA Division III National Championships.
At SVU, he’s studying business management, with a focus on sports management, and he’d like to get into mixed martial arts after college. In his spare time, he’s been working out with the local Asylum Fight Team, practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
“I just want to be in sports my whole life,” said Igor.
