| COM E T SP O RTS
KING OF THE MAT:
WRESTLER DONOVAN KING EARNS ALL-AMERICAN HONORS Olivet College’s Donovan King finished second in the 285-pound bracket to earn All-American honors at the 2022 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship. But his journey to get to this point in his Comet career has been remarkable. As a senior at Farmington High School, Donovan won the heavyweight title at the 2019 Michigan High School Athletic Association Division II Championship. He was unsure of his plans after graduation, but he knew they would include wrestling. Olivet College head coach Brandon Brissette reached out to Donovan to see if he would be interested in becoming a Comet. After a visit to campus a month later, Donovan knew Olivet would be the right place for him to continue his education and wrestling journey. “We knew Donovan was going to bring some skills that were above and beyond our normal recruit,” said Brissette. “He had the mentality of a champion already, and the experience at the national level usually reserved only for wrestlers at higher NCAA levels.” In his first collegiate tournament, the Muskegon Community College Open, Donovan won his weight class with a 4-0 record at 285 pounds with three pins. Shortly after, he was side-lined when he needed surgery to repair a torn ACL and received a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA.
6
SHIPHERD’S RECORD
Donovan worked hard to build his strength back up and get into shape during the off-season. The pandemic made Donovan’s recovery much harder. Since the students returned home, Donovan did not have the in-person support of the OC athletic department or his team. The Comets returned to competition in the spring of 2021. Donovan finished the season with an 8-1 record, his only loss being a season-opening dual match against NCAA Division I Central Michigan University. Donovan also lost the opportunity to compete for an NCAA title when the 2021 NCAA Division III Championships were canceled due to the pandemic. On a high note, Donovan began the 2021-22 season by winning the 285-pound title at the season-opening Trine (Indiana) University Invitational. He started the year with seven straight falls to climb up to the No. 3 spot in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) rankings. One of the biggest wins of Donovan’s season came at the end of January when Olivet faced Adrian College at the MIAA Dual Meet Championships. With the Comets clinging to a narrow one-point lead entering his match, Donovan faced Isaiah Espinosa, the No. 11 ranked wrestler and returning NCAA All-American. The outcome would decide the winner of the dual match and which school would win the 2022 MIAA Championship. Donovan was on top to start the second period and, with five seconds left,
