Josh Wooton has grown accustomed to success in his career.

As a wrestler at St. Paris Graham High School in Urbana, Wooton was a two-time state champion for one of the top-ranked programs in the country.

Last year as a sophomore, he enjoyed a successful season wrestling at 149 pounds. He finished with a 22-11 record, reached No. 17 in the country in his weight class and participated in the 2004 NCAA Championships.

But entering this season, Wooton was at a crossroad in his collegiate career. Despite being the preseason favorite to win the MAC title at 149 pounds, he was contemplating a weight class change.

With the emergence of sophomore Mike Grimes, who beat Wooton in a closely-contested preseason wrestle-off, the junior decided to switch back to 141 after the preseason Michigan State Open. Wooton had wrestled at that weight his freshman year and racked up 28 wins along with a second-place finish at the MAC Championships.

“I was at 141 two years ago, and I won some matches,” Wooton said. “At 149 last year, the guys were bigger and stronger and it was definitely tougher. But I’m bigger and stronger than a lot of the guys at 141, so I thought I could be an All-American at 141.”

The transition did not start as smoothly as Wooton would have liked, as he dropped a 15-3 decision to Northwestern’s Ryan Lang in his regular-season debut Dec. 3.

But Wooton has rebounded from his early season difficulties with three straight wins. Wooton won with a pin against Kent State, and he also scored an injury default victory over Ohio in a match he was leading by an 8-1 score.

“I’m getting my weight under control now,” Wooton said. “Moving down to 141 at the beginning of the year was kind of tough, and I was getting dehydrated as the matches went on. But now that I got my weight down, I can go harder for longer.”

With a 3-0 MAC record, NIU coach Dave Grant has noticed the junior’s contributions as an upperclassman on a young team.

“The way I look at Josh right now is he’s just coming into his own,” Grant said. “He’s really starting to turn the corner. His intensity is picking up and we’re expecting big things from him this year.”

Now that his weight has stabilized, Wooton’s confidence and ambitions are high.

“Obviously my ultimate goal is to be a national champion,” Wooton said, “and I think I can achieve that. If not this year, definitely next year. I’ll go for All-American right now and go from there.”