WESTLAKE — Nick Lawrence has added one great accomplishment after another to his high school wrestling resume. So it’s not too surprising that his plans after graduation are also on a grand scale.

“He’s gotten some really nice offers,” Demons coach Mike Antonyzyn said of the college scholarship offers that have come rolling in.

“But Nick’s always said he wanted to wrestle for a Division I program, and he’s always said he’s wanted that program to be in the Big Ten.”

Scroll down for more wrestling photos of Nick Lawrence.

Lawrence signed with the Purdue Boilermakers on Wednesday afternoon after the program impressed the senior on all counts.

“I really see myself as a Big Ten wrestler,” he said. “I made a great connection with (Purdue) Coach (Scott) Hinkel and his staff, and then I visited the campus and liked everything about that trip.”

The Boilermakers will be getting one of the area’s most successful wrestlers over the past three years.

Lawrence mowed down the competition during his freshman season, going unbeaten into the postseason and finishing fifth at 103 pounds in the Division I state tournament. Things only got better as he finished as the state runner-up at 119 pounds during his sophomore season, and repeated the feat last season at 125 pounds.

“We’ve done a lot for Nick, but Nick’s done so much more for himself,” Antonyzyn said. “A few years ago at the banquet I handed out diaries to all the guys and told them to write down something they were going to do to improve themselves. Nick had something written down for every day of the year except two — his birthday and the day he went down to meet (state) Rep. (Jim) Jordan.”

Lawrence, who said he might major in business law at Purdue, has compiled a 135-9 record during his first three seasons, has won three Southwestern Conference championships and is ranked No. 6 in the nation among 130-pound seniors.

It wasn’t any of these accomplishments that caught Hinkel’s eye. Antonyzyn said the Purdue coach, who won a state title in 1982 at Fairfield High before wrestling for four years at Purdue, first noticed Lawrence during a visit to a Westlake wrestling clinic.

“We were able to get several big names to come to our clinic last summer,” Antonyzyn said. “When Hinkel saw Nick out on the mats, he said, ‘This kid is really talented.’ He was pretty serious about recruiting Nick after that.”

Both Lawrence and Antonyzyn agreed that getting his college plans out of the way will help the wrestler maintain his focus during his senior season. After losing in the finals by one point to Garrett Henry in 2008 and Sam White in 2009, Lawrence has put winning a state championship at the top of his to-do list this year.

“I think it would be beneficial to peak twice this season,” said Lawrence, who plans on participating in his first Walsh Jesuit Ironman tournament in December. “It’ll be important to peak early for the Ironman, and that’s what I’ve been training for, and then again for the state tournament.”

But he managed to enjoy at least a few hours of celebration at the Westlake Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, as his parents, coaches, athletic director Dennis Bartlett and many other school staff members, family members and friends were on hand for the signing.

Even his future coach offered congratulations, as Hinkel called Antonyzyn’s cell phone and talked via speakerphone to the small crowd.

“I plan on coaching here for a long time and want to build this program into a national power with wrestlers like Nick,” Hinkel said in a release. “We felt he was a great fit for us, and Nick felt the same about Purdue. We’re excited to have him on this team.”

Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com.

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