An open letter from Mount Union head wrestling coach Mark Hawald:

I know a lot of people are wondering what happened. I want to share how this experience has impacted my team and myself and I want to share some things I have learned from it.

The experience the Mount Union Wrestling Family went through Tuesday night was something I hope no other coach ever has deal with. On the way home from a dual meet, our team’s bus was involved in an accident which took the life of our trainer and friend, Dan Gorman. My assistant coach suffered a broken wrist, and thankfully there were no other injuries.

This has been a difficult and confusing time for both my team and me.  Dan was more than a trainer to us. He was like our fifth coach. He attended all of our practices and home meets, and some of our away meets. Dan was a mentor to me and my wrestlers and always had advice on how to be a better person, so I want to use this experience as Dan would, as a way to help others grow and improve their own lives. I hope I can pass on what I have learned to others and that they will not have to experience anything like this to learn such valuable lessons.

I have learned that the rewards of wrestling do not always show on the mat. Tuesday was the worst moment in my coaching career, but also my proudest. I often leave practice frustrated. If my guys don’t work as hard as they should or can’t figure something out I ask myself what am I doing wrong as a coach or what is wrong with my guys that they are not doing exactly what they should. I learned Tuesday night that I have succeeded as a coach and that my wrestlers are exactly the men that I want them to be. When faced with a crisis, these young men were true champions. The lessons they have learned from this sport were apparent on Tuesday night. We had a goal to save our dear friend. They worked together and did everything they could. Everyone played an important role. Those with “medical” experience immediately put their attention on Dan, some ventured out into the cold to set up flares, wave down vehicles, and assess the situation of the bus, some comforted the girls (our managers) who were shook up from the accident, and the rest gathered close to stay warm and started praying. I hope other coaches too will learn that although our guy does not always get his hand raised, we are playing a crucial role in developing real-world champions.

I have learned is that the brotherhood known as wrestling is the one of the strongest, most dependable and most honorable groups of individuals on this planet. The support that this team has received has been unbelievable. I have received support from across the state and across the country. From high schools and colleges. From all divisions. Our biggest competitors have become our biggest supporters. I lost count early yesterday of how many programs have extended their support. I have seen the worst situation bring out the absolute best in people. We decided to still hold our tournament we had scheduled for Sunday at the request of Dan’s wife. She said that carrying on our lives and acting no different is what Dan would have wanted. I have had multiple coaches tell me that they would be willing to run the tournament or provide other help. Words cannot express what this support means to the team and to me. Wrestlers who quit my team for whatever reason, were waiting for us when we returned to campus to offer their support. I hope that people reading this will not wait for the worst situation to bring out their best.

I hope this message can be valuable to anyone who has suffered any type of loss and that in sharing this message, others can grow from this as the members of my team have and continue to.