Three-time All-American Thompson bridged NCWA transition
4/9/2021 12:00:00 AM | Men's Wrestling, Varsity Club
Former Liberty University 197-pound wrestler Aaron Thompson ('12, '14), who will be inducted into the seventh class of the Club Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon at The Virginian in Downtown Lynchburg, was a three-year captain and emerged as a three-time NCWA All-American after competing at the NCAA Division I level for his first two seasons with the Flames.
Thompson was one of only a handful of team members who stayed with the program after the declassification, and he was rewarded for it. He became Liberty's second NCWA Grand National champion in 2012 in Daytona Beach, Fla., on the same day, but seven matches after 2017 Club Sports Hall of Fame inductee Scott Clymer captured the first at 133 pounds.
A native of nearby Vinton, Va., Thompson played baseball and football growing up before discovering wrestling, his true passion which he competed in all four years at William Byrd High School. He was positively influenced by his six years spent in Lynchburg, Va., where he earned his B.S. in Sport Management in 2012 and M.S. in Athletic Administration in 2014.
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| Thompson earned his B.S. in Sport Management in 2012 and his M.S. in Athletic Administration in 2014. |
"I really enjoyed my time at Liberty," Thompson said. "It allowed me to grow spiritually and built a strong foundation. I had access to everything I needed as a student and an athlete, and I am thankful for the opportunities that were provided there, which have paid dividends spiritually later in life."
Thompson was influenced greatly by Flames Head Coach Jesse Castro, a four-time NCCAA national champion at Liberty from 1977-81, who will be his presenter at Saturday's induction ceremony.
"I really looked to Coach Castro for a lot of things," Thompson said. "Aside from athletics and wrestling, he cared more about my spiritual growth than my athletic growth, and that spoke volumes."
Castro convinced Thompson to wrestle for Liberty instead of walking on at Virginia Tech under Kevin Dresser, now the head coach at Iowa State.
"He has definitely shown himself to be a standout, maybe not necessarily athletically right off the bat, but in every other way, including academically, he was exceptional," Castro said. "Even when we were NCAA, he was very influential on the team. He was always consistent in his work ethic and his faith and is just a good example of what Liberty's all about. In everything, whatever he's done turns to gold."
As a sophomore in 2011, the Flames' final season competing as an NCAA DI program, Thompson defeated a nationally ranked 197-pound opponent to help Liberty edge Maryland, the eventual ACC champion.
"That was a huge upset and a pivotal moment for the NCAA Division I team," Castro said. "One thing that stands out about (Thompson) is he doesn't get rattled. He's pretty even-keeled, and that mindset of a Division I athlete and spirit behind him is really what set him apart. He set a good example for others who followed in our transition to the NCWA level, and he contributed to our success."
He did go from gold to silver to pewter at the NCWA nationals, finishing runner-up in 2013 and fourth in 2014, while working as an associate under former Flames Club Director and Liberty wrestling announcer Bob Good, now a United States representative for Virginia's 5th congressional district.
But the work ethic and spiritual integrity he refined as a member of the Flames' wrestling program has served him well since graduation. He became the director of development overseeing fundraising for the athletics program and the business school at Purdue University for two years before moving to Fredericksburg, Va., in 2016. He has thrived in the field of medical device sales ever since, with a servant's heart and positive Christian witness.
He also met his wife, Sara, at Liberty before she graduated with a B.S. in Nursing in 2013. She servess as a night-shift registered nurse on the Med-Surg Unit at Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center. The couple has two daughters, Juliet, 3, and Josie, who was born in August.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer