By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- His wrestling career was put on hold during the 2022-23 season while at Northern Illinois University.

Malcolm Chrispin (Hyde Park, Mass.) was hoping to walk on to the Division 1 Huskies' roster after being a standout wrestler at Boston Latin Academy, but that plan didn't materialize.

So Chrispin spent his freshman year at Northern Illinois while deciding to transfer elsewhere to resume wrestling.

It made for a long year as Chrispin was away from the sport he began participating in at the age of 10.

"I missed it every day," said Chrispin. "It was a battle. The first few days, it's nice because you get a little break. Then a month in, you get a little antsy, a little jumpy.

"You miss the mat, you miss your teammates, you miss that team aspect. You miss winning. You miss kind of the grind of it. You miss the hard times."

Chrispin looked at several colleges and their wrestling programs before landing back in Massachusetts at Bridgewater State University this semester.

Four meets into his sophomore year, Chrispin has already made a favorable impression.

Chrispin, wrestling at 133 pounds, placed third last Saturday at the 52nd annual Messiah Petrofes Invitational, a prestigious 13-team tournament held in Pennsylvania.

After dropping his opening match, Chrispin put together six consecutive victories to become one of a few BSU wrestlers to ever place that high at the tourney. He was also the lone Bears' wrestler to advance this year.

"That's a pretty tough tournament," said BSU head coach Frank Cammisa. "Not many people (from BSU) place in it. Every member of our coaching staff (Cammisa, Fox Maxwell and Edwin Morales) has placed in it, but it's definitely not an easy tournament."

The strong showing is a boost for Chrispin as he works his way back following that full year away from wrestling.

"Placing third in a big tournament like that, to be with such good competition, I was able to prove I'm better than some of these guys and my name deserves to be up there," said Chrispin, a health services major with a concentration on physical therapy. "It was so mind blowing to really see all my hard work pay off and see I'm just as good as guys who are nationally ranked and seeded. Numbers are just numbers.

"I felt like I was in a zone that day. It felt like a movie. Everything felt perfect. I felt at the top of my game that day. It was just a really good day."

Chrispin was one of the top wrestlers in the state while at Boston Latin before graduating in 2022.

He is the school's only wrestler with more than 100 career wins, compiling 121, and is the first to reach the All-State (placing third) and New England championships (2-2) while finishing fourth in the state's Division 2 meet.

Chrispin had known Maxwell, so when he was looking for a new school, he contacted the BSU assistant and found a new home.

There are high hopes for Chrispin, who was 3-2 at the Doug Parker Invitational in Springfield in his third meet of the season.

"There was definitely some rust, but he's definitely on track to do well this season if he continues to progress in the manner he is," said Cammisa. "I think the sky's the limit. I wouldn't be surprised if he's representing us at nationals in the next few years.

"He's a really good role model. He's not a captain, but he's leading by example on the mat and off the mat."

Chrispin, off to an 11-6 start, is happy to be back involved with the sport he's competed in for a decade.

"Coming back in the room was definitely a big step," he said. "I was a little nervous. I thought I might be a little rusty. But all the coaches are really welcoming. It's a great, great team here. All the guys are really nice and welcomed me with open arms.

"They get you right back into it here. They set the expectations. It took me a week to get back to two workouts a day, practicing every day, getting back into the groove of things."

Chrispin, who returns to action Saturday when BSU takes part in the Scott Viera Open at Roger Williams University, missed being involved with wrestling during that one year at Northern Illinois.

"I tell the guys all the time, I truly thought last year that I wasn't sure I was coming back to wrestle," said Chrispin. "I tell the guy every day you're in this sport, it's a blessing. You don't know if you'll be done one day and see it again.

"I take every day on this team as a blessing. It's something I never, ever take for granted. I work really hard every day. You might as well work hard while you can.

"I'm really glad to have it in my life. I wish it worked out there (at Northern Illinois), but I'm not disappointed. I'm grateful to have the coaches and teammates I have here now. It was for the best I ended here."

Now, Chrispin will look to build on what he did at the Messiah Petrofes Invitational with one last meet before the semester break.

"That (tournament) was something I really needed to see what my good positions are, my bad positions are, what I need to work on," he said. "It was a really good day for me to see what I need to work on for me to take that next step to maybe be third in the country or for the next big tournament."