INDIANAPOLIS — When you think of Bishop Chatard athletics, you most likely think about football. Who doesn't?
Wrestling would most likely sit far down the list of that thought bubble—oftentimes an afterthought. Or at least it was.
The turnaround of this Trojans program over the past four years has been remarkable. A new coach, a new vision and new buy-in are leading the way.
"The number one thing that I said to these parents at the first parent meeting was, 'If your son commits to us for four years and all we do at the end is make a good wrestler, we failed you,'" Chatard head wrestling coach Nate Spangle said. "It's all about developing strong young men. Wrestling is just the vehicle to do that."
Easy to say, much harder to put into practice. From 2015 to 2020, Chatard wrestling won 21 matches and lost 60. Not the marks of a program that many would jump to take over, but Spangle saw an opportunity.
"There is a rich tradition of winning at Chatard," Spangle said. "The opportunity was there to build something in the wrestling program that, at the time, wasn't matching the success of the other areas the school had."
In the four years since Spangle took over, the Trojans now have 70 wins and 33 losses—an improvement that others attribute to Spangle's personality.
"Every day the enthusiasm, his love, his passion," said Mike Harmon, assistant athletic director at Bishop Chatard. "Great assistant coaches, too. I mean, the knowledge that's in that room every day is terrific. I think the community buy in and the energy level that Nate brings is contagious."
"His youthfulness and his energy that he brings," Chatard assistant wrestling coach Cheyne Reiter said. "You know, he looked at the program—he was basically given a blank slate. Expectations for this school and this program were pretty low. He came in with the mindset that we can turn this thing around and let's do it sooner rather than later, and we're seeing it come to life."
In the past four years, Chatard has had 21 regional qualifiers, 14 semi-state qualifiers, and two state qualifiers, including the school's first female wrestler making state this year. On pace to improve those numbers this season, Spangle says this program still wants more.
"We're very proud of what we've built so far—and I say 'we' very intentionally. It takes a village, from the parents to the kids to the coaches and the administration," Spangle said. "But are we satisfied? No. These guys aren't satisfied because we want state champions. We want Chatard in the conversation for the best in the state. We want to be the best."
Spangle and the Trojans look to do just that. It starts with sectionals this weekend.