Joey Ortega’s story is still being written.

The Clark, NJ native and ALJ graduate joins Destination Talk to talk about his path from New Jersey high school wrestling to competing at Kutztown University and earning a trip to the NCAA Division II Championships.

Joey takes us inside the jump from high school to college wrestling—the moments that exposed where he needed to get better, the work people don't see, and what he learned when he finally stepped onto the national stage.

We also get Joey’s perspective on some bigger questions facing wrestling today: How important has club wrestling become? Do young wrestlers now need a club to compete at a high level? And as someone who came through a public school at ALJ, how does he view the ongoing public-versus-private debate in New Jersey wrestling?

But the most interesting part of Joey’s story may be what hasn't happened yet.

How good can he become? What is he willing to sacrifice to find out? And when wrestling eventually ends, who is Joey Ortega without the sport?

This is a conversation with a young athlete who has already gotten a glimpse of the NCAA stage—and now has to decide how far he wants to take it.

Destination Talk — Where ordinary people have the opportunity to tell extraordinary stories. Because every journey has value, every lesson deserves to be shared, and every voice deserves to be heard.

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