Blurry becomes the periphery as each pair of eyes fixate on the contest, and then its outcome. Upon the result of their desire, a release is both customary and necessary. Cameras flash and cheers roar from the stands. The onlookers yell and gesture in jovial unison. They bask in the shared energy that comes with being present for the moments. The loud, heart-racing moments during which the world itself disappears around them. Except, eventually, it is they who will disappear, and retreat to tunnels, concourses, parking lots, and homes. And once the arena empties, the wrestler finds himself occupied with leftover glad-handing before he showers and changes his clothes. Next is his opportunity to rest, even if only for a while. Because the one thing he knows for sure is that the reason for all of the cheers and adulation is all of the labor no one ever witnesses. They talk about it, but don’t see it, and they sure don’t live it. But he does. He understands what is required. There is a difference between preparing to participate and preparing to succeed, and he chose the latter. The expression “hard work pays off” is incorrect. “Hard work” is baseline. No, he is committed to the hardest work he can possibly endure, as it is the lone facet of his ambition that consistently makes the most sense. That’s why he is willing to do it. Pain equals progress, and pain — in nearly all of its forms — is his closest friend.
For a second consecutive time, Payton Jacobson (87 kg, NYAC/NTS) has been named Five Point Move’s Athlete of the Year.
Jacobson, 23, was one of five final candidates as determined by the open fan vote. Joining him were 2024 Olympian Kamal Bey (77 kg, Army/WCAP), Alston Nutter (67 kg, Army/WCAP), and Northern Michigan University teammates Max Black (60 kg) and fellow U23 World bronze medalist Otto Black (67 kg).
12 months ago, following his own run to the Paris Olympic Games, Jacobson was voted co-Athlete of the Year along with ’24 U23 World silver Beka Melelashvili (NYAC). Jacobson is now the fourth wrestler to win AOTY more than once.
In addition, Jacobson has also been acknowledged via the fan vote for Outstanding Individual Performance (on account of his earning U23 World bronze). 2025 is his second-straight year receiving this honor, as well.
What gets missed after another sparkling campaign for the Wisconsin native is that his ’25 season had originally been subject to a potential delay. In late’24, Jacobson had suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament and required surgery, with the subsequent rehabilitation process threatening to derail his quest to make the ’25 Senior World Team. He of course recovered in time; in fact, Jacobson acquired even more strength to bolster his punishing, pressure-infused approach to competition, which ultimately paved the way for him to record several impressive and important accomplishments at what is still such an early stage in his career.
Jacobson’s 2025 competitive highlights — aka, the “stuff” people do see — were significant, and virtually all of them were achieved due to his inspiring penchant for persevering through adversity. Here they are presented in a bulleted format.
— April: Came back from a late deficit in Match 3 of his final against Spencer Woods (Army/WCAP) by executing a four-point bodylock that gave him the lead.
— May: Lost his first match at the Pan-Am Championships to noted Venezuelan competitor Luis Avendano Rojas 7-5 before winning three bouts in a row (including one against former Russian Sosruko Kodzokov). Because it was a pooled bracket, Jacobson then had an opportunity to face Avendano again, this time in the gold-medal match, which he won by a score of 6-0.
— August: Earned gold at the Junior (U23 level) Pan-Am Games.
— September: Went 2-2 at the Senior World Championships inwith both victories coming via technical superiority.
— October: Became only the second American to earn a U23 World medal by coming away with bronze.
- Defeated Rohit Bura (IND) 8-0 and Gabriel Lupasco (MDA) ahead of downing Zaur Shangereev (UWW/RUS) in the quarterfinal. Jacobson trailed Shangereev 3-0 in the second period but received the passivity/par terre chance and converted a four-point lift and eventually triumphed 5-3.
- After falling to champ Ghlamreza Farokhisenjani (IRI) in the semifinal, Jacobson battered and bruised Lachin Valiyev of Azerbaijan to win in the bronze round 5-3.
All of it traces back to an unwavering attitude and work ethic. A lot has been made of Jacobson’s rearing in the sport, which is part of the story. He had ventured into Greco-Roman on a full-time basis whilst still in high school, a decision that allowed him to receive an immersive education regarding how the most popular and competitive discipline of wrestling is intended to be practiced. But this pathway only provided him with a head start when compared to other American wrestlers. To athletes from other nations, Jacobson “going Greco” as a teenager was not, and is not, anything special.
Thus, Jacobson — for all of his talent and devotion to technical refinement — has comprehended the most critical component to this entire endeavor, yet it is one that is taken for granted by far too many of his contemporaries: the only guarantee wrestling offers is the opportunity to earn success, and the only way to earn genuine success is by investment through sacrifice. And because just about everything having to do with World-level Greco-Roman wrestling is, in an understatement, incredibly hard, success in the sport unapologetically demands those who wade in its waters to work incredibly hard. It’s not complex; but for some, it is a concept that is rather limiting. One has to be willing to embrace the thankless, grueling struggle, accept the cost associated with the privilege of competition, and sustain in the silence and solitude of temporary disappointment. Not everyone is up for that kind of ride. Jacobson is. And he might have been voted Athlete of the Year based on what we see, but the real reason he won is because of what we don’t.
2025 Athlete of the Year
Payton Jacobson (87 kg, NYAC/NTS)
5PM: With some distance and reflecting back on it, how did you manage to gain even more strength, more viability throughout the course of last season considering you came back from an injury that for others can be career-altering?
Payton Jacobson: I remember getting the surgery on December 3rd. I tried to get back as soon as possible. It wasn’t like a rush or anything but I hated having my arm in a brace. And I remember that, as soon as I could, I started lifting with my legs. I was lifting early and trying to get my legs a lot stronger. I saw it as an opportunity to really strengthen my legs. I couldn’t really do cleans, so I was doing a lot of jumps and trying to stay athletic while still maintaining my explosiveness. Then I started to get in good-enough shape to wrestle lefty in the room against some smaller guys.
I just started building my way up until my arm started feeling better. It probably took until February when I began using my right arm a little bit. By late-February I was almost fully wrestling and an opportunity came up to go to Croatia for camp. It was just going to be me and Beka (Melelashvili) because he also had a little injury. I remember (Andy) Bisek and Parker (Betts) were having meetings with all of the athletes to see what their goals were for the year, just to get everyone on-track. I came into the room and wrote “World Champ 2025” and Parker was like, “Really?” And I said, “I guess. Why not? Why don’t we do this thing?”
I saw the opportunity to go to Croatia and Andy just told me to protect myself as much as possible. I made good friends with the Georgians and it was a good camp for me. I grew a lot on my own, I feel like, and Beka and I did well there. We were supporting each other a lot. It was just a chain-effect from there. I was like, Yeah, I’m definitely going to the World Team Trials. There’s no question about it. I remember telling Max and Otto (Black), and they were like, Yeah, we know. There was no way you weren’t going to go. I was able to get in shape and that was pretty much it.
5PM: But it is accurate to say that you did in fact actually gain more overall strength throughout the year despite having to recover from the arm surgery?
PJ: Yes, definitely. I was working out my legs like crazy. It was ridiculous. Before I got the surgery, I knew that there was going to be a lot of downtime so I tried to get in the best shape possible. I was running bleachers and working my legs. I was working on it five days a week. I couldn’t do much with my arms, so I was just working on becoming more powerful with my legs. I was doing my rehab, of course, but I was trying to maintain mobility in my legs while not overusing them so I could avoid getting hurt. But I definitely came out stronger, no doubt. No doubt.
5PM: How quickly into full-on training, or how advanced through the season, was it when you noticed the impact of your legs and how they influenced you from top par terre?
PJ: You saw it at the U23 Worlds, I was just lifting people up. At practice, a lot of times if I got my feet set, I was just picking them up and then making a decision like, My legs are really strong, lift him, just use the legs (laughs). That was a big component of my game. If I start scoring on top, it’s a lot of trouble for the world because on my feet I’m already dangerous. It’s my best position. If I start scoring from top, I’ll be tech’ing people out quick (laughs). It’ll be fast. But I think the injury was a blessing in disguise, for sure. It helped me. After the Olympics and placing 5th at U23’s, it was a lot of disappointment, so it really made me push myself harder because I knew that I wasn’t going to let that happen again. I mean, 3rd place isn’t the best, so I am still striving for more. But I’m on my way. It is just a matter of how much I can trust God’s plan.
5PM: I know that Senior World Championships did not end how you would have wanted, and you wrestled very tough against very tough opponents, including Alexandar Komarov. And then you get back and there was a short turnaround before the U23 Worlds. How were you able to go from one peak tournament, the Senior Worlds, and then regenerate for basically another peak at U23’s?
Payton Jacobson: Well, we had five guys on the U23 World Team from Northern and you could see Kenny (Crosby), Kaden (Ercanbrack), and Otto working really hard, so it didn’t take Max and I too long to get back in there because we knew what the next goal was. My teammates helped me out a lot because there are definitely times when you don’t want to go in the room, and you don’t want to do the extra work. But then you see that Max is doing extra core work and you’re like, Okay, fine, I’ve gotta go do this, too. We knew that after U23’s we would have a little break time, so it was just a little more hard work, a little more pain. We did a good job preparing. Andy helped us recover and maintain our shape without killing us. He is really good at peaking athletes. But if you look back in history at the gladiators, they weren’t chilling before going to war. They were training — hard. There might have been a peaking phase… Maybe they relaxed for one night or something, though I’m not saying I relaxed for one night… But they were working hard up to the fight. It is not like they were going to take one week off, or two weeks off. You have to be ready to fight because that is what it’s going to be.
When I go out there, I have Andy and Herb (House) with me, and they’re going to war. It is the same with all of the Northern boys. You saw it at Seniors this year, too, because we got more wins than we have in the past. It was because we were a team and ready to go to war for each other. That is how it has to be in the US. We have to prepare for war because that is what it’s going to be out on that mat. You’re going to have to fight. You have to fight for everything. Joe Warren does a good job of explaining how “you have to be the toughest dude out there.” You’re going to have to fight for six minutes, as hard as possible. And try to enjoy it because you get to beat up some dude from another country for free. It’s awesome. It is one of the best sports in the world because of that.
Jacobson between periods at the 2025 U23 World Championships flanked left to right by US National Team head coach Herb House and NMU/NTS head coach Andy Bisek. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)
5PM: I take it you grasped how special of a thing it was to go to a World tournament where half the roster is comprised of your teammates from the room.
PJ: Oh, yeah. Definitely. I mean, it was half the Team. Five guys. We knew that it was a thing we were looking forward to all summer, trying to get everyone ready. We knew that Kenny was going, too, and we knew that it was going to be a really good time. It created a lot of good memories for us. Dan Russell had Wrestling for Peace set up and we met with recovering addicts from Serbia. That was a cool thing we did. Doing that together really makes a difference. During the lead-up to the tournament, it was just a lot of fun. We’ve all known each other for years and to be there together at the World Championships is a pretty special thing. I remember when Kaden made the Team, he was so excited. His mom gave me a big hug. That was pretty special. And for Kenny to get an opportunity, that was huge for him, too. He also went to Georgia with us and so now I think that he is hooked on the culture of what he is going to have to do in order to become a World and Olympic Champion. It is going to take a lot of hard work.
Max, Otto, and I were saying that we were going to go 3-for-3 together, that we were going to go and win this thing. It’s a shame that Max didn’t come out with a medal. That was a really tough moment because the three of us all thought that we were going to medal together. I felt like it was meant to happen. One of the calls didn’t go his way and it spiraled so fast, but that’s how wrestling is. But I think it is motivating him even more. It has lit a fire under his belly. I told him after it happened that I think he is going to have the most success out of everyone because of how hard he works. It might not happen now, but I told him that I see God’s plan in him and he is going to exceed the most. I really believe that.
5PM: Two of the biggest moments for the US this year were from two of your matches at the U23 Worlds. The first was your lift against Zaur Shangereev. Do you remember this as if it happened yesterday?
Payton Jacobson: Yeah. Definitely.
5PM: How soon into you locking and loading did you know that this was going to be four?
PJ: Not until the end (laughs). I knew that I was going to get at least two on it, but when I picked him up… Well, I had been practicing that lift a few days before on Beka and he was doing the thing, trying to break my lock and I just popped. I was able to score two on him. But then when I picked him (Shangereev) up in the match, I was like, Okay, this is it, I have to explode as much as I can. I screamed out and he just kind of flew (laughs). I was really surprised. And I could see, Oh, now he’s done. Just push the pace a little more, he’s going to give you a little bit of a fight here, and it’s a wrap. But yeah, it was good to beat a Russian. I just wish he had a Russian singlet on, though. As a kid, you would always think about beating the Russian with the Russian singlet on. It’s the Rocky story, you know? You don’t dream of beating AIN (Individual Neutral Athlete). It’s not as good, I feel like. You beat a Russian, it’s like, Heck yeah, I just beat a Russian. Because, growing up, they were always the team to beat. Always. It’s like, Oh, he’s got the Russian, oh no… But then you take a Russian out, and everyone is like, Okay, he’s good. I actually want to go train there. But yes, getting that lift was definitely a huge moment.
And I kind of messed up in the beginning of the match. I hit that arm spin and fell on my back, so I was behind right away. But, I don’t know. I don’t even know how I lifted him. I just kind of popped up.
5PM: Did you know who Shangereev was before you wrestled him?
PJ: No. I don’t really care.
5PM: You’ve competed against a lot of the top guys in your weight class, guys who have been around for a while. Do you know who these people are? Not like you scout them, but you are familiar. You know what I’m saying?
PJ: No, not really. I know what you’re saying, but not really. Guys at Seniors, I wrestle them in practice for the most part, and some U23’s. I like just working on my strengths. Momir (Petkovic) talked to me before Seniors this year, when I had to wrestle Komarov. He asked me, “We never had a chance to talk last year, what happened?” I told him how I had been worried about Komarov’s arm drag and his low gut, and then I wound up giving up both of them, I guess. And Momir said, “You just wrestle like you. Don’t worry about what the other guy has because you have to wrestle to your strengths, and then he has to adjust to you.” So, maybe keep things in mind a little bit, but don’t slow down to wrestle someone else’s style. Just bring the pace to him. The other guy still has to do it. He still has to get there, still has to hit whatever technique he has. That helped me a lot. It has helped my own match more, my own game plan, and my own strengths. I was just practicing with Benji (Peak) the other day and I was telling him, “Pound for pound, #1 strongest in the world”. That’s what I try telling myself.
5PM: Then was the takedown in Period 2 against Lachin Valiyev in the bronze round. Did you feel Valiyev fading prior to that?
PJ: Maybe not feel it, but I could see it. When they start taking these injury times and start untying their shoe laces, it’s like, Oh yeah, I got him. This is when he is going to start pulling out the tricks, this is when I have my opportunity, because he is starting to break. And once he starts to break, it’s a tumbling effect.
I remember chasing him down. I could see him tumbling. Andy was shouting to “Score! Score! Score!” and to stay on him. Then I saw him drop to a knee and I bum-rushed him. My mom thought I hit a flying knee on him (laughs). She goes, “You knocked him out!” I was like, No, he was just exhausted, like absolutely gassed. He gave up right there. I wish I kept trying to score on him because he was broken after that. I probably would have been able to tech him if I just kept trying to score. But I definitely saw that he was starting to break as I was chasing him down trying to earn the victory.
Jacobson on the podium at the 2025 U23 World Championships in Novi Sad, SRB. (Photo: Tony Rotundo)
5PM: I noticed how the theme that sort of sums up 2025 for you was perseverance. From Match 3 of the Trials to the Senior Pan-Ams and the manner in which you earned U23 World bronze, comebacks and clutch moments were a common denominator. I don’t know if you see it that way, but I do.
PJ: You just have to find a way to win. You can’t let the outside things distract you. You have to be present in it. You’re not going to be given anything. No way. You’re not going to just be given a medal. Working as hard as we do, you might as well go fight to win. Joe Warren says not to care about what country we’re facing because that is just another man on the opposite side of the mat and he breaks. He breaks. He says “you’re not going to lose to a dude who can’t read or write” — that’s what he tells me (laughs). So it is, I’m not losing to this guy. No way. I just think that kind of helps (laughs). I don’t know why, but I think of that sometimes. I’m tougher than this guy and I am going to have to earn it. Because, obviously, they are used to winning more. But the more you win, the more you become used to winning.
That is what killed me in the match versus the Iranian (Gholamreza Farokhisenjani at U23 Worlds). I don’t know, but I didn’t trust my own instincts. I didn’t wrestle how I would have liked to in the beginning of the match. I got into my head a little bit thinking, Oh, he’s a World Champion at 82 kilos, he’s got a great underhook, this and that… It instead should have been, Who cares? He’s going to have to get there on me. I really wish that I would have wrestled that match differently, but I can’t take it back now. I just hope to wrestle him again because I can guarantee you that it is going to go differently.
Funny story, but after the match with Russia, I was walking back with Parker and saw this Iranian cameraman. I didn’t know who I had next, but I yelled “I’m smoking Iran!” Parker and I were geeking-out laughing about it. But then I wrestled Iran and got tech’ed and I was like, Oh crap. Oh well… That was funny. But I was coming after everyone’s head in that tournament. I really liked my mindset going into it. Andy, Joe, and Herb really helped out. Parker, too. Parker is awesome. He doesn’t sweat anything.
5PM: Everyone in the country understands what your results were from 2025. As a summary, what area or areas do you feel like you stepped-up and grew the most throughout the year?
Payton Jacobson: I would just say finding a way to win and doing anything I can to make that happen, and not settling for a loss. That is a choice, I feel like. Before the Senior Worlds, I was surrendering my performance to God, just asking, Allow me to perform. It’s in your hands, but allow me to have an inspiring performance. I thought that I kind of did at Seniors, and I hope that the people who have their own hopes and dreams in Greco felt that I was trying to do so. And then for U23’s I was praying the same thing and I ended up medaling, obviously. Then the next day, Otto medals and he had to fight for it. And then the next day, Max had a match against this Polish guy (Olivier Skrzypczak) and was down 1-1 with :30 left. You could just see in his eyes that he was not going to lose. There was a point when he could have just looked at the scoreboard and fought, but not fought. Like, he was really willing to win and made the decision that he was going to win. He ended up finding the score by going from one attack to another to another. He remained relentless in there and found a way to beat that guy, who apparently was very tough because the Polish guys were saying that was a good win.
I thought that was a really big win for Max and that is what we are trying to do up at Northern right now. I grew up in very competitive environment. I told you how yesterday I was playing tennis with my uncle. The day before that I played in an indoor soccer tournament. Doing other sports helps you gain that competitive advantage where you are always trying to win things and practice different mindset tricks, and seeing what works and what doesn’t work. I feel like my own upbringing was just being as competitive as possible, and now I am trying to find a way to win in wrestling. It has kind of been like this my whole life, and I feel like I am developing into finding a way now without letting anyone beat me. That is my mindset right now. Hyper-competitive. I like a good, competitive environment because that is what makes us thrive.
5PM Athlete of the Year
2024: Payton Jacobson & Beka Melelashvili
2023: Kamal Bey
2022: Max Nowry
2021: G’Angelo Hancock
2020: G’Angelo Hancock
2019: G’Angelo Hancock & Max Nowry
2018: Adam Coon
2017: Kamal Bey
2016: Jesse Thielke
5PM Outstanding Individual Performance
2024: Payton Jacobson
2023: Kamal Bey
2022: Benji Peak
2021: Braxton Amos
2020: Benji Peak
2019: Nolan Baker
2018: Dalton Roberts
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