Tyson Johnson knows the wrestling mat like the back of his hand. The Dakota Wesleyan University standout has built a career defined by grit, resilience, and a knack for turning matches around when it matters most. Competing primarily at 149 and 157 pounds, Johnson earned a 2024 NAIA National Championship qualification, a GPAC All-Conference Honorable Mention, and a true-second place finish at the GPAC Championships. He's known for his comeback ability and major decision wins in duals—the kind of athlete who thrives under pressure.

But for Johnson, wrestling has offered more than just victories and accolades. It's taught him an unexpected lesson: that the same competitive fire that drives him on the mat can also fuel a career in teaching. "A lot of it had to do with my coaches in high school, the impact that they made on me growing up," Johnson told the Mitchell Republic. "They made me a better person, and I realized how powerful those relationships are. I wanted to be that for somebody else."

Now, he's about to get his chance. Johnson graduates this Sunday, May 10, at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, and he's headed back to his hometown of Pierre to become a teacher. It's a full-circle moment for the 2021 T.F. Riggs High School graduate, who grew up surrounded by the tight-knit community of rural South Dakota. There, teachers, coaches, and students all shared a familiar bond—one he's eager to recreate.

Johnson's path to teaching started with a mentor. During his freshman year of high school, he connected with Dusty Paulsen, a volunteer coach who had wrestled at Dakota Wesleyan. Paulsen took Johnson under his wing, training with him through high school and planting a seed: Had he ever thought about wrestling in college? "He asked me if I'd ever want to wrestle in college, and he knew the coach at DWU," Johnson recalled. "I told him I'd probably be interested."

For Johnson, Dakota Wesleyan offered the perfect blend of athletic opportunity and academic direction. A college program could elevate his wrestling, but it could also open doors to a future career. With his passion for the sport, becoming a coach made sense—and that led him to choose education as his major. "Between all my other options, it was pretty much either go to South Dakota State and be a number, or come wrestle at DWU and have those relationships with your professors," he said.

He chose Mitchell. And now, as he prepares to trade the wrestling mat for the classroom, Johnson is ready to inspire the next generation—one lesson, and one takedown, at a time.