Written by Ron Stapp for CSUB Athletics --

With a year of eligibility remaining in his college wrestling career, some may have been surprised Devyn Flores-Che opted for a different path. But in many ways, Cal State Bakersfield’s redshirt junior started on this path long before setting foot in the Icardo Center when his future career goals began to take shape

The Roadrunners’ 157-pounder has decided to forgo his senior year to focus on a future law career,  even as he prepares for the Pac-12 Wrestling Championships at Cal Poly that starts Friday

“It’s been a goal since high school,” said Flores-Che, who grew up in Long Beach and attended Calgary Chapel High School. “My mom’s a paralegal and we’re friends with a lot of attorneys back home in SoCal, and she kept telling me I should become an attorney.”

Four years later, the two paths are converging one last time.

“It’s pretty surreal knowing that it could be my last time, but hopefully it won’t be,” said Flores-Che of this week’s Pac-12 Championships, who placed fifth at the CIF State Championships at 152 pounds as a high school senior in 2022. “I don’t want it to be, but if it is I can say I definitely gave it all I got.”

It’s been an up-and-down season on the mat for Flores Che, who split time as the regular 157-pounder the past two seasons, before earning more of a primary role at that weight this year.

The Long Beach native, who lost his opening two matches of the year and then placed third at the Roadrunner Open, followed with five wins in his next six matches. But he has just two victories since.

Flores-Che still has plenty of confidence heading into this weekend’s conference championships.

“I feel like I’m not far off from the competition,” he said. “There’s just little tweaks I have to make in my game. I’m pretty excited for it, as an individual and as a whole for our team. We have a mix of young guys and older guys, and with that blend of camaraderie, I feel like as a team we can do something special, and get a lot of guys to the national tournament.”

Although it may be somewhat unexpected for Flores-Che to advance, it wouldn’t be a surprise to Head Coach Luke Smith.

“He’s a great technician, he’s a great athlete, and he’s a hard worker,” Smith said. “If he can get to the point where he can believe in himself as much as we do – and I think he has started to – then he can wrestle with anybody. He’s shown that in glimpses.
 
“We all kind of battle those inner-doubt demons and that’s been his obstacle. This year we’ve told him to just open up, score points, and have fun. You’ve been doing this for a long time, and you have nothing to protect. Just let it go. And I think if he does that, he’s not going to surprise us, because we’ve seen what he can do in the room, but I think he can definitely surprise some other people. He has all of the ability.”

That ability extends to his future goal of being an attorney, which was first fostered by his mother, Bernice, who works at a small law firm in North Hollywood, and later by watching television shows such as “Suits,” a legal drama centered on Harvey Specter, a top Manhattan corporate lawyer.

“My mom definitely has played a big role in my (career path), and it probably sounds crazy, but definitely watching that show had an impact,” said Flores-Che, a political science major who is on pace to graduate with his bachelor’s degree in May. “It was really cool, seeing Harvey, I was like wow, ‘I really want to be that guy.’"

Flores-Che got a head start on his goals this past summer when he interned at his mom’s law firm, and he has been working part-time remotely since August.

“At the end of the day, we’re trying to be successful at wrestling, but we are trying to instill the right values and habits within these guys to help them be successful after they are done,” Smith said. 

“And this is something they get to do for a short time. And the same things that are going to help them be the best people they can be are the same things that will make them be the best wrestler they can be.”

The wrestling program is guiding Flores-Che and his teammates toward the CSUB Athletics Department Mission: Pursuing Championships and Graduating Leaders.

Flore-Che plans to start studying for the Law School Admission Test (LSat) in June and has a list of law schools he has until September to apply for.

“So, in high school, wrestling was a goal to get my college education,” Flores-Che said. “and now I’ve got that goal I feel like it’s time to get to that next chapter in life.”

~GoRunners.com~