The old saying of “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” does not seem to apply to Daniel Allen.
Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Allen was a young Green Valley High School phenom who qualified for multiple state championships, twice won Regionals, and became a State finalist his senior year.
Evidently, he had more than enough talent to take him places, but unfortunately, Allen did not see a future in wrestling for a college in his home state of Nevada.
Luckily, he discovered that Rio Hondo College offered him the best opportunity to showcase his tremendous skills and talents. He eventually decided that it was best to come live in California on his own, and become a Roadrunner.
Allen admits that it was somewhat difficult to leave his family in order to pursue his athletic and academic endeavors.
However, he has made himself at home at Rio Hondo as he strives to be the best wrestler he can be.
Although he misses his family, Allen does not let that get in the way of reaching his goals and staying focused.
“Yea I miss them (family) but I’m out on a mission right now so it’s what I got to do,” said Allen.
Being that wrestling is predominately an individual sport, Allen enjoys the pressure of having the spotlight on him instead of performing with an actual team.
He feels this way because in wrestling, an individual’s skill is more noticeable rather than playing on an entire team where other factors are taken into consideration.
All the more, this philosophy motivates Allen to train even harder.
During his first season at the college level, Allen managed to be an All-American which shot his confidence through the roof. Alas, despite this initial success, he suffered a severe injury when he tore his ACL muscle causing him to miss his entire second season.
Ironically, this setback benefited Allen by helping him to be patient and mentally stronger.
Now that his third year is already underway, the 22-year-old Allen has picked up where he left off before suffering his ACL injury.
Using his 6’0 and 174 lbs. frame, he has comeback with a vengeance winning all 12 matches he has competed in and also earned the honor of being named captain of the Rio Hondo’s wrestling team.
Allen believes that his work ethic, experience, and firm leadership set an example for his teammates. According to him, he can sense that his presence is able to lift the spirits of his fellow wrestlers giving them much more confidence than usual.
Head Coach Mike Tellez spoke very highly of Allen confirming that his determination and hard work lead him to be an all-around wrestler.
“When you have your best guy working hard, everyone follows. There are times where your best player is lazy so it negatively affects the rest of the team,” Tellez explained.
The relationship that Allen has with Coach Tellez is very clear as they are able to see eye-to-eye on almost everything.
When asked about who’s had the biggest influence on him, Allen feels that Tellez has opened his mind to different aspects of the game. He admires how Tellez was able to help him see the keys of being patient and taking things one step at a time.
As of now, Allen assures to make most of this chance he has now because he understands that this opportunity is not going to last forever.
The good thing is that this also drives him to push himself even harder in order to have his body running on all cylinders.
Like most student athletes, Allen always remembers to stay diligent so that he can reach his goals. Just like his first year, he strives to win the All-American award once more and also hopes to capture that elusive State Championship.
Allen’s long-term goals include transferring to a four-year University so that he can compete for a National Championship. If everything goes as planned, he also believes there is a strong possibility of being an MMA fighter one day.
Academically, he is currently majoring in Fire Technology but also wishes to get a degree in Business. For his career, Allen aspires to be a firefighter so that he can eventually progress his way to become a Fire Chief or an Arson Investigator.
Although Allen is a fierce competitor on the mat, he also remembers to have a friendly side as well. During his down time, one of his favorite hobbies is to eat as much as possible. His favorite foods are seafood, sushi, and orange chicken.
Allen is off to great start and plans to keep the momentum going. As long as his passion for wresting continues to burn bright, the road to the promise land will shorten with each passing day.
Rio Hondo wrestling sensation, Allen will continue his quest for a State Championship by further lengthening his undefeated streak of 12-0 in upcoming meets.
