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Injuries Mar Tomaev’s Career

Marat Tomaev came to America from his homeland of Russia with just a duffel bag.

As Tomaev met his high school wrestling coach Jeff Buxton at John F. Kennedy Airport, Buxton asked the 16-year old if he was ready to get the rest of his luggage.

Through the little English that he knew, Tomaev explained to Buxton that the duffel bag was all that he had.

"At the time, I didn’t think about it too deeply," Tomaev said about the decision to come to America. "I thought it would just be cool to [come to America] and check things out. I didn’t think I’d stay long."

That was September of 1996. Nearly eight years later, Tomaev is still here, preparing to graduate with an MSIS degree in May. After attempting to wrestle with a torn ACL and a torn MCL all season, Tomaev’s wrestling career at Penn State came to an end last month when he lost a wrestle-off to DeWitt Driscoll.

Tomaev’s career at Penn State has been characterized by ’what-ifs,’ as injuries have hampered what most agree could have been a stellar career. However, as Tomaev prepares for the next chapter in his life, he is thankful for the relationships and opportunities that Penn State and America have provided him with.

The journey to America began when Tomaev’s wrestling coach in Russia, Slavik Bagaev, met with Buxton at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Bagaev told Buxton about Tomaev and the two coaches began the paperwork to get Tomaev into Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J.

When Bagaev arrived back in Russia, he told Tomaev about the opportunity to go to America. Tomaev and his parents, who had never been to America, put their faith in Bagaev and decided to take advantage of the opportunity. Within a week of speaking to Bagaev, Tomaev was on the plane, a 16-year-old having left his friends and family back in the only country he had ever known.

"A lot of what I knew about America was from violent movies, like Rambo," Tomaev said with a laugh. "I was kind of expecting a hostile environment and didn’t think the people would be too friendly."

The adjusting began immediately as Tomaev spoke very little English, which made getting acclimated to a new country even more difficult than usual. One day, Buxton and his family tried to teach Tomaev the game of baseball. Tomaev began in the field and gathered the ground balls hit by Buxton’s 6-year-old son. That was when Tomaev got confused. "

I thought you were supposed to throw the ball at the batter," Tomaev said. "I didn’t realize how hard the ball was. I’m glad I’m not a good thrower. I looked at his mom’s face and was glad that I missed."

Tomaev had to make adjustments on the mat also. He was used to competing in freestyle events in Russia, but the rules were different in America. Tomaev said he would sometimes throw his opponents or drive them out of bounds only to look at the scoreboard and find out he was penalized points.

It didn’t take long for Tomaev to learn however. He won National Prep Championships in his sophomore and junior years in high school and was the No. 6 recruit in his weight class by the time he graduated, despite having broken his right leg during his senior year.

In the classroom, things weren’t as easy for Tomaev, who was still learning a new language and a new culture.

"So many different things were thrown at him," Buxton said. "He is a very competitive kid and worked three times as hard as any American student would have to."

Tomaev said he became frustrated at times, but Buxton and his teammates were always there to support and assist him.

"It was frustrating that I had nobody to speak Russian with," he said. "I always had the option to go back [to Russia], but when I start something I like to finish it and see the end result."

And finish it he did.

The 16-year-old kid, who didn’t think he would be in America long, had turned into a 19-year-old man who was being recruited by schools like Lehigh, Pittsburgh and Penn State. He arrived at Penn State in 1999 but tore the PCL in his right leg, the same leg he had broken the previous year.

Despite winning wrestle-offs before the postseason, Tomaev decided to redshirt his freshman year because he had missed about 12 weeks. The injuries continued the following year as Tomaev suffered a second-degree tear of his MCL. After having missed the first two months of the season, Tomaev finished sixth at Big Ten championships and went 2-2 at NCAA championships.

His sophomore year of eligibility would be the last time Tomaev competed in the postseason as he again finished sixth at Big Ten championships and went 3-2 at NCAAs. Last year, he battled teammate Josh Moore for the starting spot at 133 pounds. Tomaev went 31-4 on the season, but it was Moore, who represented the Nittany Lions in the postseason.

"We went back and forth all season and only made each other better," Tomaev said. "We were good friends outside of wrestling, but there’s no such things as liking each other on the mat."

And then there was this season, as Tomaev, one of the team’s co-captains, was given one more shot to pursue his dream. However, the injuries continued as he tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee at the end of October. Doctors told Tomaev that he needed surgery and that he shouldn’t wrestle, but that was not an option for the fifth-year senior. As he repeatedly said, his knee hurt when he wrestled, but his heart hurt when he didn’t.

"I just thought, ’What else can happen?’ " he said. "My leg wasn’t going to fall off. I would be walking again. It wasn’t a big deal."

Only in Tomaev’s eyes could two torn ligaments not be a big deal. Teammate Pat Cummins said he had seen Tomaev wrestle in high school and realized his toughness first-hand when the two arrived together at Penn State.

"Not being able to wrestle caused more pain than the knee for him," Cummins said. "For 99 percent of people, their careers would be done, but he wanted it so bad. I know Marat and not much can hold him down."

When Tomaev has talked about his knee injury throughout the season, he has referred to it as a limitation that has prevented him from accomplishing his goals, but never has he talked about the actual pain of wrestling with two torn ligaments. Eric Bradley, who roomed with Tomaev his freshman year, said that’s just the way Tomaev is.

"I’ve watched him train and it’s so hard to see him struggle," Bradley said. "I think he keeps a lot of his frustrations inside. He’s not the type of guy to complain about pain. You see him grimace but he’d do anything to be out there."

And so the time has come for Tomaev to move on from the sport that brought him to America almost eight years ago. While he has been frustrated at not seeing the results he had hoped for on the mat, Tomaev is thankful for the many relationships he has forged along the way. Both Buxton and Cummins said they consider Tomaev a part of their families. After leaving one family in Russia, Tomaev has been adopted by at least two more in America.

"I consider him one of my own," Buxton said. "He’s become a member of my family and a big brother to my kids. He’s a remarkable guy and there’s no question in my mind he’ll be successful in life." Tomaev has spent every Christmas with the Buxtons and usually talks to his former coach weekly. After barely being able to speak English, Cummins said Tomaev is now one of the most popular guys he knows.

"At first, he was quiet and couldn’t speak as well," Cummins said. "Now, he has the most friends of anyone I know. When we’re walking downtown, he gets stopped every five minutes."

Tomaev said he doesn’t know what his future holds. He has gone back to Russia every summer, but is currently pursuing job opportunities in America after he graduates. If the kid who came to America eight years ago does decide to go back to Russia, there is no question he will be leaving with much more than a duffel bag.