Pioneers’ Driscoll overcomes adversity to take advantage of opportunities

Platteville, Wis.- Every student-athlete at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville understands that they will not go through their athletic career without a little adversity – whether it is a tough loss, lack of playing time or injury.

Peter Driscoll, a senior wrestler from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has dealt with his share of adversity, starting right out of high school.

"I wasn't recruited out of high school," Driscoll said. "I knew I wanted to do something in engineering and wrestle. UW-Platteville was the only school I applied to, because I knew it was exactly what I wanted. It was a leap of faith because I knew I needed to walk on."

The COVID-19 pandemic began his sophomore year and put a stop to any normalcy in a college athlete's life. Adversity continued after the Pioneers returned to the mat in 2021, and a concussion and neck injury forced him to miss the shortened season.

"I tried to do a back flip in practice. It was a mistake, and I learned from it," Driscoll said. "I continued to work and battle like everyone on the team does."

A coaching change followed the 2021 season, and Driscoll was working hard to improve and make an impact on the 2021-22 season. It was something that first year Head Coach Trevor Kittleson noticed early in practice and mentioned in a pre-season interview. "Driscoll just returned from an injury and is full go. I am excited to see him go," he said.

In an early season inter-squad, adversity hit Driscoll one more time. What was first diagnosed as a high ankle sprain that would keep him out minimal time, was later diagnosed as a fractured foot. It would have been easy for Driscoll to give up and focus on the last year of academics, but that wasn't his attitude. 

"It was like the summer before, I put the work in and gained the confidence and athletic ability I lacked, and the concussion and neck injury kept me out the year," Driscoll said. "I worked hard this past summer and was ready, then I broke my foot in the inter-squad. It felt like I was back at square one, but now I am the starter at 165. Things all worked out in the end. I kept my head down and kept working and new doors were opened."

Driscoll made it back on the mat right before semester break and wrestled in a pair of matches at 174. Over the semester break, Driscoll received a text from his head coach.

"Coach Kittleson texted me about the opportunity due to another injury to drop down to 165," Driscoll said. "It was a good opportunity, I am better at 165, more competitive, I feel confident. It was a lot of hard work to get down to 165 over the break."

Since dropping down to 165, Driscoll's confidence continues to soar and he noticed his nerves weren't the same as they were back in his days at Nicolet High School in Milwaukee.

"I had always been nervous before matches. When the National Anthem is played, it would start to build up," he said. "Before my match at UW-Whitewater, I just took a deep breath to take it all in and be grateful, and I had fun with it all night. The nerves were still there, but it was different. I was a lot looser, because I was so grateful to be there after missing a big chunk the last two years. There is going to be bigger things in life than wrestling, there are a lot of things that could have been worse. I am really glad to be an athlete and get out there while I can. With bigger issues in life, the position I am in is a good problem to have."

One problem Driscoll won't have to worry about when he graduates in May is employment. Driscoll, and industrial technology management major and drafting and product development minor has been offered and accepted a position at Milwaukee Tools. 

Following an internship at Briggs & Stratton, another Milwaukee based company, Driscoll used the resources UW-Platteville and the wrestling program offered to help secure employment well before graduation. 

"I've been working the past year-and-a-half to build my resume and work on my interviewing skills," Driscoll said. "I would get help from older teammates that went through the process and learned from them."

Another advantage Driscoll used was the UW-Platteville Career Fair. Normally held each semester in Williams Fieldhouse, hundreds of companies assemble to recruit UW-Platteville students. The career fairs were held virtually last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which turned out to be an advantage for Driscoll.

"The career fair was huge," Driscoll said. "I scheduled close to 15 interviews; it really helped my interviewing skills."

One of the interviews was with Milwaukee Tools. "They told me to check out their website and encouraged me to apply for a position. I had coached youth wrestling back in Milwaukee and met people who work for the company. They had nothing but positive things to say about the company, so I applied for a job and went through the interviewing process." 

His position at Milwaukee Tools will be in operations, working on the engineering side and business side of the company. At Briggs & Stratton, he helped develop a new assembly line for the company's new snow blower.

The experience he gained on the wrestling team allowed for an easy transition into his internship and he feels it will help the transition into his full-time position at Milwaukee Tools.

"I like working with my hands and solving problems when they come up," Driscoll said. "Manufacturing offers a lot of that; it is different every day. It reminds me of wrestling, where you have to respond to problems and how are you going to attack the problem or your opponent."

Before Driscoll moves on from his wrestling career and into his professional career, he has one more WIAC duel to wrestle in.

"If you have never been to a wrestling match and come to this one, you will fall in love with wrestling," Driscoll said. "There will be loud booming music; your heart rate is going to be going for two hours – it's going to be two hours of high energy." 

Driscoll is talking about the highly anticipated "Throwdown in the Theatre" match versus UW-Oshkosh on Friday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. The match will take place on the stage in the Center for the Arts building on UW-Platteville's campus. 

The duel will also serve as senior day for the Pioneer wrestlers. As Driscoll is being honored for his dedication to the wrestling program, he will also be thinking about the leap of faith that brought him here and the lessons he learned off the mat that incoming Pioneers should know. 

"Both my parents were in the Navy, I have lived all over the world and United States," Driscoll said. "I had never lived in a rural area like Southwest Wisconsin. I went hunting and fishing for the first time here. I met a lot of great people and did a lot of great things, and it all happened here. Don't be afraid to try new things. There is a lot of fun things to do at UW-Platteville, you got to take it on yourself to find them. I was able to create a circle and grow my opportunities, if you tap into the resources and take advantage you set yourself up for the future. UW-Platteville allowed me to focus on myself, sports and academics and I think that is valuable for your future, not just during college. UW-Platteville is a tremendous setting for that."