Saints Beyond the Game: Ethan Martel '29

Posted On

May 5, 2026

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Athletics

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Men's Wrestling

This school year has been full of firsts for Ethan Martel ’29. It’s his first year in college, his first year living in a big city, and he and his teammates kicked off the first year of Emmanuel’s new Men’s Wrestling program.

After opening plenty of new chapters at Emmanuel, Ethan looks back on “a year of insane growth,” as both a wrestler and as a college student.

Coming from a small town in Rhode Island, Ethan knew he wanted to explore Boston, and he already knew Emmanuel’s Head Men’s Wrestling Coach Nick Avery from club wrestling in high school. It was that connection that confirmed Emmanuel for Ethan.

“He sold Emmanuel to me,” Ethan said, “and it turned out to be even better than I had anticipated. I love it here.”

The first-ever Emmanuel Men's Wrestling season kicked off in November 2025: and Ethan and his teammates are eager to build on their success next fall.

Beyond the Game: Saints student-athletes get the best of both worlds, building their future on and off the mat.

With a mindset centered around holding himself accountable, Ethan aimed to get the most he could out of his first-year at Emmanuel: leaving himself a blueprint for how he spends his next three years as an undergraduate.

Ethan knew from the moment he began his college journey, being a student-athlete would be a big commitment.

“At Emmanuel, there’s always a new connection to make the next day, so if I have a wrestling meet one weekend, I know that there are people around – coaches, professors, tutors – who help keep you on pace and won’t let you fall behind,” Ethan said.

He’s appreciated how helpful those resources have been so far, including every single professor wanting to help and support him, as well as the accessibility of the College’s Academic Resource Center (ARC).

Emmanuel students don’t declare their major until sophomore year, which has allowed Ethan to explore a few different avenues academically, like biology and accounting.

He’s leaning toward the School of Business & Management, and still has another full semester in the fall before he has to make the decision. He said he’s appreciated the opportunity to discover what he wants to pursue and follow what he has enjoyed in his early coursework.

To put his best foot forward in academically and athletically, he made a shift in his own mindset and holds himself accountable for getting the best out of his experience.

In the first year of Emmanuel’s Men’s Wrestling program, togetherness has been key, helping Ethan and his teammates navigate a “crazy learning curve,” both in competing and in getting a handle on how to balance academics and other commitments.

“It’s about committing yourself to being successful – for you personally and for the good of your team. That’s what I love about the culture here,” Ethan said.

Everyone is in on it together, Ethan said. In other sports at Emmanuel, it’s the upperclassmen who often set the precedent and help new students adjust to college life. Since Ethan and his teammates are all new to Emmanuel, they’ve taken it upon themselves collectively to hold each other accountable.

The coaches helped set the tone for that early on as well. “They set up a good environment for us, where they constantly talk to us about what we need, on the mat and academically,” Ethan said. Since their coaches have been student-athletes themselves, they’ve been a valuable resource in navigating all the challenges that come up.

With its inaugural season this past winter, Emmanuel's Men's Wrestling program became the only NCAA Division III wrestling program based in Boston.

The team’s unity translated to their wrestling meets, where they performed even better than expected.

“Everybody bought in. Being new guys in the division, we didn’t want to get pushed around, and we showed up and fought hard,” Ethan said.

From competition to injury prevention and conditioning, collegiate athletics has been a new environment for Ethan and many of his teammates. Seeing the level of commitment required to maintain their health and continue getting better was a driver in itself, Ethan added, and the team is ready to see just how big of a leap they can make next year.

As his first year at Emmanuel concludes, Ethan has already put in a huge amount of work – as a student and as an athlete – but he’s already seeing the results.

“You have to expect to work harder [in college] but it’s worth doing the work. There’s so much time to pursue your own interests, so just make the best of the time you have and commit to it,” Ethan said.