Only at Princeton could the senior captain of the wrestling team be both a mechanical engineering major and an experienced weatherman. While the wrestling team has always been known for its intensity and fierce style, over the past few years, the program is gaining a new reputation, and senior Jon Bunt is a perfect example of the modern Princeton wrestler.
While Princeton has been unable to capture the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association crown, the Tigers do possess one prestigious award — GPA National Champion. As a mechanical engineer who has already secured a job next year with Goldman Sachs, Bunt is a major component of his team's national title.
Now wrestling at his third weight class in four years, this season Bunt wrestles at 165 lbs., after wrestling at 141 lbs. his freshman year and then 157 lbs. during his sophomore and junior years.
Wrestling was the default sport for Bunt, as he joined the team at his middle school in Pittsburgh after he was cut from the seventh grade basketball team. It turned out that wrestling was the perfect sport for him.
A fan of high endurance sports, Bunt ran on the cross country and track teams in high school in addition to wrestling.
But Bunt focused on far more than just athletics in high school. With a strong interest in math and science, Bunt finished first in his class and was named valedictorian. He also worked as the weatherman on his high school's news show.
Wrestling was not always a major plan of his at Princeton. The program was still being rebuilt when he entered the school, and the team was sharing practice space with the volleyball team during his freshman year. But as a member of the second recruiting class in the modern Princeton wrestling era, he has been a major factor in the Tigers' reconstruction.
Bunt did not have much time to adjust to his tough academic schedule along with the demanding wrestling program, as he was the Tigers' top wrestler at 141 lbs. his freshman season. Since then, though, he has been given new challenges.
He has been involved in all of Princeton's recent success. Wrestling at 157 lbs. last year, Bunt finished in the top eight at Easterns, which is the Tigers' most important tournament of the season, and this year he is competing at one of the most competitive weight classes.
Trying to add more speed and endurance to the team this year, Bunt decided to increase the preseason running and weight training for his team. Drawing on his high school track and cross country experiences, Bunt is always the first person to finish any team run.
The 2001-02 season has been trying for the entire team. Beginning the schedule with seven top ranked teams had both its positives and negatives.
"We have had a great experience wrestling these teams, but unfortunately we have not been able to beat any of them," Bunt said.
"If we had been wrestling teams like Franklin and Marshall all season, we'd have a great record right now, but I don't think it would have made us much better."
Bunt has high expectations for this season, but he is focused on the task at hand, which is beating Harvard and Brown this weekend.
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