Whether you and your family celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or just the ability to sleep-in for a few days, winter vacation is a special time.

But this winter break was a bit more special for the Notre Dame College wrestling program.

First, Adam Koballa, a two-time state champion at St. Peter Chanel High School in Bedford, transferred in from Old Dominion University. Soon after, Thomas Straughn, a two-time state champion from Perry High School in Massillon, transferred in from Edinboro University.

Apparently the Falcons were on Santa’s “good” list.

In only their second season of existence, the Falcons’ coaches are quickly laying the groundwork for a program that will be in the hunt for - if not winning - an NAIA national championship every year.

In the fall of 2006, Koballa had a dynamic start to his true freshman season at Old Dominion, breaking into the Division 1 national rankings. He was then sidelined with a serious injury that kept him off the mats much longer than expected. No matter what Koballa did to tell and prove to the training staff at Old Dominion that he was able to wrestle, they would not clear him. By winter break in 2007, he’d had enough.

“Not wrestling was frustrating, especially when I knew I should be. The only thing stopping me was the trainer at Old Dominion. He just wouldn’t clear me,” said Koballa. When asked about his experience at Old Dominion, Koballa was very positive. “The coaches and everyone were great there but I would never wrestle if I had stayed. Now I’m back home and I get to wrestle.”

The transition back was easy. Well, for the most part. “The only thing that I really had to get used to again was this cold weather.” Other than the winter chills, Koballa found that his homecoming is a fun experiece. “Now I get to go back in the Chanel room and work out with the young kids and mentor them like Anthony [Ralph, a former coach at Chanel and current coach at Notre Dame] did for me.”

Koballa is eligible and is currently competing for the Falcons. On Monday night’s dual against Seton Hill, he dominated Buck Watkins via a technical fall in the first period. Straughn, on the other hand, will continue to redshirt this season (he started his redshirt year at Edinboro) and will be eligible to compete in the fall as a redshirt freshman.

When Ohio wrestling fans last saw Straughn, he ended the 2006-2007 high school season with his second consecutive state title, his fourth placement at the state tournament, and after a double overtime victory over Illinois’ Albert White at the Dream Team all-star dual, a national #1 ranking at 152 pounds.

Edinboro is coming off another top ten finish at the NCAA tournament and Straughn was having his own success. He won the Michigan State Open’s 20-and-under division at 149 pounds. That said, I asked the obvious question: what prompted him to transfer to Notre Dame?

Location was the first thing he mentioned. “I wanted to be closer to home. Notre Dame is right outside of Cleveland. I know the people here and I know the area. Nothing against Edinboro but it’s out in the middle of nowhere.” Another factor that contributed to the transfer was the expectation of Straughn to continue a steep weight cut to 149 pounds. “I’ve never been a fan of weight cutting. I had to cut a ton to get to 149 and I didn’t want to do it anymore.” Logically speaking, it seems that the rationale behind the expectation of Straughn to stay at 149 pounds was because of Edinboro’s success recruiting talent at the middleweights. The Scots have NCAA champion Gregor Gillespie at 157 pounds. At 165 pounds they had nationally-ranked Jarrod King transfer in, and they have Paul Paddock, an NHSCA senior national finalist, waiting in the wings.

At Notre Dame, Straughn said he’s prepared to wrestle at either 157 or 165 pounds. Nationally-ranked teammate Vic Crenshaw (who will be a senior next year) will start at the opposite weight class and another nationally-ranked teammate, Nate Spencer, will likely be back at 157 pounds. Because of NAIA regulations, Notre Dame is eligible to send twelve wrestlers in ten weight classes to the national tournament. That means Straughn, Crenshaw, and Spencer will all be able to go to the national tournament and win or place and score big points for the Falcons.

Like Koballa, Straughn had only positive things to say about his experience at his former school. “The coaches and the team there are great. I wish them all the success in the world. It just wasn’t the right place for me.”

Speaking of former coaches, when I mentioned his alma mater, Straughn had lavish praise for his former coaches at Massillon Perry, especially Dave Riggs. “Coach Riggs the best tool a wrestling program could ever have. He has his wrestlers peak at exactly the right time and he develops them very well. He turns average kids - like me - into wrestlers that place in the top four at the state tournament. Coach Riggs was great; Coach McBurney was great. Perry is going to be up there [in the team race for the state championship] like they always are. We aim to beat St. Edward every year. Eventually we will.”

Adam Koballa and Thomas Straughn are at home at Notre Dame College. Now they’ll work on leading the Falcons to their first national championship.