Luke Fernandez did not start for the Elizabethtown College Men’s Wrestling Team his freshman year in 2013. However, he soon became one of the best players on the team, finishing his senior year with 27 wins to make the Etown program’s top 10 career wins list. Fernandez also earned himself a National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American honor, as well as became the second Mideast Region Champion in Etown wrestling history in his junior year. All throughout his time playing, Fernandez worked hard and kept up his work ethic. 

“Wrestling taught me sacrifice, and also how to stay humble and hungry for growth,” Fernandez mentioned when asked about what wrestling had taught him. “In order to reach your goals in a sport like wrestling or MMA, you must separate yourself from distractions and stay regimented with your time, training, diet and mind.”

Since his graduation, Fernandez has worked on learning martial arts and will soon participate in the Cage Fury Fighting Championships event in Philadelphia, a regional mixed martial arts development program that promotes world-class country-wide sports. The event will be his first major fight.

“I’m excited,” Fernandez said of his upcoming fight, “I’ve been training hard so it’s exciting knowing that it’s almost time to finally get in the cage and execute on the techniques I’ve been training.”

When asked about what advice Fernandez would give to student athletes at Etown currently, he said to savor the moment.

“Take it seriously,” Fernandez said, “and enjoy it because it goes by very fast.”