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03/12/2020 12:00 AMIn his freshman season, Minsok Lee won just two matches with the Branford wrestling team as the Hornets finished in 12th place at the Class M State Championship. By the time he was a senior, Minsok had become the sixth-most winningest wrestler in Hornets’ history, while helping the team come in fourth place at states.
Minsok recorded 114 victories during his career as a member of the Branford wrestling squad. As a senior this season, he finished second in the 285-pound division at the Class M State Championship and went on to win two bouts at the State Open.
While the wins began piling up for both himself and the Hornets, Minsok’s love for wrestling grew with each passing season.
“The team really took a 180-degree turn since freshman year,” Minsok says. “Even if I didn’t do offseason wrestling all the time, I’d go to the gym, trying to get stronger and faster. That determination helped me become a better wrestler.”
Minsok weighed around 160 pounds when he first came to Branford, but bulked up to about 230 pounds for his senior year. As he became bigger and stronger, Minsok started competing in the heavyweight division. However, despite his growth, Minsok was still wrestling against opponents who weighed 40 to 50 pounds more than him.
What he lacked in weight, Minsok made up for with his speed and instincts. Minsok’s experience of competing against quicker, lighter opponents gave him an edge when he faced larger adversaries.
“I’ve always wrestled at my natural weight. When I wrestle heavyweight, my advantage is speed,” says Minsok. “The speed I got wrestling with the lower weights, having to keep up with them, helped me dominate when I was against heavyweights. I try to be unpredictable. A lot of heavyweights just act heavy and try to jump on you if you make a mistake. I use that to my advantage, using my speed to make them confused and off-balance.”
Minsok has a background in Taekwondo and is currently a third-degree back belt. Minsok started wrestling in 6th grade when he was encouraged by fellow Branford senior Cody McHenry. The two have wrestled together since the beginning of Minsok’s career, creating a bond on and off the mat throughout the past seven years.
“It’s been a journey,” Minsok says. “Having a familiar face always helped me. Every year people come and people go, but Cody has always been there.”
Minsok was named a captain for the Hornets entering his junior season. Head Coach Jesse Hurlburt says that Minsok’s determination made him a perfect choice to take on a leadership role.
“Sophomore year, Minsok really started to become more vocal. He had an ability to cheer on and help his teammates hone in their craft in the practice room,” says Hurlburt. “Minsok has a very good overall leadership style, being able to relate to underclassmen, while still being a voice of reason on the team.”
In the summer before his senior year, Minsok attended a wrestling camp hosted by the United States Marine Corps. The camp taught Minsok lessons on what it means to be a leader and a role model on a team. Minsok says that attending the camp helped him learn how to have the right attitude around his teammates in both practice and at competitions.
Minsok went on to have an outstanding senior season. He finished the campaign with 43 wins, recording his 100th career victory along the way.
“I was actually kind of surprised,” says Minsok of earning his 100th win. “I look back at myself and remember not being the best wrestler on the team or not even being a varsity wrestler for half my freshman year. I was surprised at myself for getting this far—and proud.”
As he was racking up the victories, Minsok was also excelling academically at Branford. He was recently accepted to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. Minsok asked Coach Hurlburt to write his letter of recommendation. Hurlburt says it was one of the proudest moments of his life when he found out that Minsok had been accepted.
“In the letter I stressed that, in the offseason, Minsok has gone above and beyond for his call of duty as our captain,” Hurlburt says. “He’s got a great work ethic, which I think is a driving factor in what has made him so successful on the mat.”
Minsok has grown both physically and mentally during his wrestling career. Minsok became a leader for the Hornets and developed a true passion for the sport.
“My coach once said, ‘When your wrestling season is over, you’re either going to end with a loss, you quit, or you become a world champion,’” Minsok says. “It’s a really sobering thought. That kind of mentality—not everything in your life is going to go your way—is what taught me to be a better person.”
Coach Hurlburt likes to emphasize another sentiment to his wrestlers. He often asks them what kind of legacy they want to leave behind at Branford. Hurlburt says that Minsok is leaving behind a legacy that will last a lifetime.
“Whether you wrestle for one or four years, you leave an impact on this sport. For Minsok, it doesn’t matter how good or bad your freshman year was, there’s always an opportunity to turn it around if you put in hard work,” says Hurlburt. “That overall dedication is what Minsok’s legacy will be for Branford.”