Alec Ortiz dabbled with team sports as a kid, but, at least by his account, athleticism was never really his strong suit. He promptly proved to be uncoordinated with virtually any sport involving a ball. With hard work and a love of sports, Ortiz, by the age of about eight or nine, was able to identify where his athleticism could finally shine through: wrestling. The independence of wrestling also appealed to Ortiz, as he found it to be highly motivating to rely solely on himself for his success.
Four high school state titles in the state of Oregon later, Ortiz found himself at the University of Minnesota. It was there his view of wrestling shifted, from thinking of it as a primarily individual pursuit to a team effort. “You definitely need your teammates more than I thought when I first started wrestling. You need your coaches, your teammates, your athletic trainers. It’s not something you can do on your own. It’s definitely something I’m embracing a lot more now,” says Ortiz. Learning the value of camaraderie and teamwork at the U of M is now pushing Ortiz to keep improving as an official member of the Minnesota Training Center.
Ortiz, along with his Minnesota Storm teammates, cites making the U.S. World Team a primary goal. As the team rallies around this common goal, the Minnesota Storm is excited to have Ortiz on its roster. Ortiz and his wife, Deanna, a certified athletic trainer, were married in July 2014. Ortiz splits his time training and working in graphic design, most recently as a screenprinting assistant.
High school wrestling highlight:
- 4x Oregon State Champion
College wrestling highlight:
- 4 time letter winner
Greco Roman wrestling highlight:
- 2022 US Open Runner Up
- 2021 Senior National Champion
- 2018 US Open 4th Place
- 2017 US Open 4th Place
- 2016 Olympic Trials Qualifier
- 2010 Junior World Team Member (Hungary)
