Daily Chronicle 2025 Boys Wrestler of the Year: Sycamore’s Cooper Bode

For Cooper Bode, a new attitude on the mat started with a new attitude off it.

After not getting past the regional round last season, the Sycamore junior 175-pound wrestler went 40-13 this season and took sixth in Class 2A at the state tournament.

He said there was a big mental block in place last season, something he worked on this season.

“A big part of it is just living my life that way,” said Bode, the 2025 Daily Chronicle Boys Wrestler of the Year. “I just focused on living my life with confidence in the way I wanted to think on the mat. You can’t really just flip a switch. So implementing those concepts into my daily life really helped me stay calm on the mat.”

Sycamore coach Randy Culton said it was a slow start for Bode entering the year. He plays football for the Spartans in the fall and was a Daily Chronicle All-Area first-team selection.

Culton said he came up with an all-encompassing plan for Bode to follow: Keep his weight at 175, work on some technical issues and cut down on other extracurriculars.

“He was rusty and I got on his butt pretty heavily. I gave him a talking-to. How’s that?” Culton said. “We discussed things and set up a game plan for the whole season. I asked to put his faith in me and listen to what I have to tell him. He followed the game plan we set forth for him.”

Bode had been participating in orchesis but took a break from the school-sponsored dance company during wrestling season.

Culton said he showed an amazing commitment to the mat, which showed with him earning his first state medal.

“He’s young, but whether he knew it or not he was getting tired,” Culton said. “It’s hard to focus on multiple things at the same time. He loved orchesis, but this year he wanted to put 100% of his time into wrestling. You can be focused on both things, but it’s tough to accomplish your goal when you have 50% or 30% on another sport or extracurricular activity.”

Bode said the mental aspect focused mainly on becoming more confident on the mat.

“That was a big thing, especially because a lot of it was mental last year,” Bode said. “I struggled having confidence in myself and my training. So I wanted to make sure I was prepared not just physically but also mentally. I wanted to show from last year to this year how much having confidence in myself, how much that can change the outcome.”

Culton also said Bode took on more of a leadership role this season. That also helped him focus, Culton said.

The coach also said Bode’s success on the football field translated onto the mat.

“We wanted me to get more in wrestling shape because coming out of football it’s a lot different, obviously,” Bode said. “Working hard every day was really important, getting in the extra work outside of practice too. I had to make sure I was peaking at the right time of the year, which is right at the end.”

Bode said he’s excited for next season. Not only does he he hope to get into the individual state championship match, but he hopes the team can make a run in the dual state tournament.

The Spartans lost to Geneseo in a team sectional this year.

“I want to win an individual state championship. That’s what I’m going to be striving for,” Bode said. “But I also want to win a team state championship next year. We have a really strong group of guys next year, and I think we can go big places as a team.”