Getting back to nature is important to Jordan Enck.

The Manheim Central senior said he's been an outdoorsman since he was about six years old, mostly with a fishing pole in his hand. He may get into stream management or become a fisheries biologist when he completes college.

Wrestling, too, is almost second nature for Enck, who became the eighth athlete in school history to win a PIAA wrestling title when he defeated Chartiers Valley's Dan Utchel 5-2 in the Class AAA 215-pound finals in March. His 131-21 career record is tops for wins in school history.

Enck will now take his wrestling prowess and love of nature to Long Island, N.Y., home of Hofstra University, which offered him a scholarship he said will cover more than 90 percent of his costs.

That type of investment from a Division I wrestling program carries with it some lofty expectations, since full rides and near-full rides are the exception, not the norm, for wrestlers.

Enck knows there's plenty riding on his shoulders. He may start right away at 197 pounds for the Pride, since NCAA Division I Tournament qualifier Joe Rovelli graduates this spring. Rovelli (112-36 career) went 3-2 at Nationals after finishing second in the Colonial Athletic Association Championships.

"(Hofstra) wanted to sign me in early November for heavyweight, then they considered me for 197 in December," Enck said. "They were in it (consideration) from the beginning and coach (Tom) Shifflet was the one that really kept in contact with me."

Enck followed up his state title with a 6-3 decision over two-time Oregon state champ Tyrell Fortune in the prestigious Dapper Dan Classic. He said that Ohio State and West Virginia contacted him after that win, and that he also considered Edinboro and North Carolina before settling on Hofstra.

So why Hofstra?

"I really got along with their coaches, and I loved the environment of the campus," Enck said. "Their coaches are exactly like our (Manheim) coaches, and (Hofstra) is only a half-hour away from the city (New York City) and the beach is only five miles away.

"It's the best of both worlds."

Enck's connection to Shifflet came about because of Manheim Central head coach Shane Mack's connections with Shifflet.

Mack and Shifflet served as assistant coaches together at Cornell, then Mack served under Shifflet at North Carolina-Greensboro.

"Jordan has the ability to be a very good college wrestler," Mack said in an e-mail. "Besides the physical attributes, Jordan is technically sound. He can score on his feet, has a nice counter-offense series and can get out on the bottom.

"Jordan is a competitor, and you need that mentality in Division I wrestling. He will be put in situations daily that will force him to compete — whether it be in the practice room, on the track or on the mat. The best wrestlers have their best matches when the stakes are the greatest."

"Each individual match is going to be close," Enck said. "It's uncommon to go through college and have a lot of pins or go undefeated. A lot of matches are won by one or two points."

Enck didn't have that much competition as a senior until he got to the postseason. He went undefeated before suffering the only blemish on his 42-1 record by losing in the district finals. He bounced back with his historic run through states.

Among his other accomplishments this year were repeating as Manheim Lions Holiday Tournament champ and winning the War on the Shore, King of the Mountain, L-L League and District Three sectional titles.

So when he enters Hofstra in the fall, he knows he has the experience and talent. "I don't really need to change my wrestling style, but fine-tune it," he said.

That's sort of like picking the right bait to reel in smallmouth bass on the Susquehanna River. Enck's had success doing that, too.

E-mail: pkauffman@lnpnews.com