Wrestling is in Tyler Turner's blood. So is being a Badger.
It's no wonder that the senior from rural Spring Valley chose to wrestle at the University of Wisconsin. His three older brothers, Ryan, Adam and Tony all wrestled as Badgers, and his dad was a high school wrestling coach.
"It was kind of natural that I got into it," Turner said. "When my oldest brother came [to Wisconsin], right then I knew that I wanted to go to a Division I school. If he could do it, then I knew I could do it. And then my next brother came, and I was like, I'm going to Wisconsin. I wanted to be a Badger."
Although the decision already seemed to have been made for him, Turner said he was not pressured into coming to UW and was supported by his entire family.
"My parents and [brothers] were like, 'You can go wherever you want, we're going to support you,'" Turner said.
"It's a strong family," UW head coach Barry Davis said. "They're very close. They all had the same qualities."
A wrestler since the age of 5, Turner admits that the sport didn't come easy at first, despite the heavy family influences.
"I wasn't real good at it right away," Turner said, "but I picked up on it and enjoyed doing it."
Turner also enjoyed the time he spent wrestling on the same team as his brothers. Though he didn't get to be teammates with his oldest brother in high school, the four siblings all had the chance to share the mat together during Tyler's freshman year at UW.
"It was awesome," Turner said. "Just to see that difference in my brothers, to see how far they've improved, it made me real excited."
With such a strong wrestling background in the family, the Turner boys engaged in their fair share of wrestling around the house.
"We were pretty crazy growing up," Turner said. "Definitely a lot of bumps and bruises."
All that time spent competing with his brothers has certainly paid off. As a high schooler, Turner was a two-time state champion with a career record of 148-5. He was named UW team captain this year for the third straight season and is currently ranked fourth in the country in the 149-pound division.
His coach feels that Tyler has the chance to top the accomplishments of his big brothers and become a national champion.
"He's been doing well," Davis said. "I could see the improvement coming this summer. Right now, Ty has a chance to do something the other three never had the chance to do, and that's being on the victory stand here."
Coach Davis also feels the move from the 157-pound weight class to his current 149-pound weight was the right move after Turner came into the season a few pounds lighter than last year.
"He's taller, has more leverage that way, and he's much stronger at that weight class," Davis said. "It was a good move for him to go down to 149."
While Turner finds great strength in his close family upbringing, he also contributes much of his success to his faith. Although he is majoring in elementary education, he plans to seek a higher calling after his career at Wisconsin through sports ministry.
He and his fiancée, current Badger women's hockey player Phoebe Monteleone, are involved in a group called Athletes in Actions, a Christian sports ministry that works with college students.
"We're trying to use sports as a way to bring out Christ through people," Turner said. "We're here on campus to develop the total athlete. It's a really cool ministry that I've been really involved with for the last four years, and I've put it in my heart to keep going with that. It's a lot of fun."
With a great family history behind him, Turner's future looks equally as promising, both for Turner individually and for his team.
"We have a solid team if everybody stays healthy," Turner said. "[If everyone] does what they're doing now, I think we'll be just fine."
"Ty's very goal-oriented," Davis said. "He's very organized. It's a good thing, because it kind of settles everything in for him. I think he's going to have a very bright future."