Indiana Wrestler Endures Homelessness to Win State Championship

In February, Michael White became Indianapolis (Indiana) Lawrence North High School’s first wrestling state champion in more than 10 years to cap off his undefeated season at 47-0. However, success did not come easy for one of the top wrestlers in the 190-pound weight class according to FloWrestling.

For nearly a year, White was homeless and struggled to make it to school, which made getting to wrestling practice even more difficult. Despite the challenges, White was still determined to be the best wrestler possible.

Lawrence North head wrestling coach Jacob Aven played a big role in White’s rise to the top. Aven’s leadership as a coach and mentor helped White join Oklahoma State’s 2026 recruiting class, the top-ranked class in the country.

Aven met White when he was only in eighth grade after he caught the attention of some of the people from his middle school.

“He’s the biggest, strongest, freakiest athlete you’ve ever seen,” Aven said.

When White came to Lawrence North for his freshman year, he had lofty aspirations that made Aven skeptical.

“He was like, I’m gonna be a state champ, I’m gonna wrestle D1, I’m gonna be the number one kid in the country,” Aven said.

Little did he know all three of these things would come true.

“You hear kids say stuff, you never really see the follow through. You never see that actually happen, so it was truly incredible that actually happened,” Aven said.

White’s record was below .500 as a freshman, but he didn’t let that get in the way and continued to have a growth mindset.

“The craziest part about him is he was not deterred one time,” Aven said.

White’s commitment to improvement is evident, and he wastes no time in learning after a match.

“He sits there, watches the match over, analyzes it, says this is what I need to work on,” Aven said. Aven added that having such a positive mindset like this is rare.

Between his freshman and sophomore years, White attended wrestling camps and practices and fully bought in to wrestling. It showed in his sophomore season when he finished sixth at state but defeated the eventual state champion earlier in the season.

“Clearly he was there and he was ready to win a state title,” Aven said.

As White continued to improve, he gained strong support among the community as he traveled around the country to compete in various events with team Indiana.

“Through some great donors, some great alumni, and just people around the community, we were really able to raise funds and help him go on these team Indiana trips,” Aven said.

Despite taking a skill major jump after making a name for himself around the country, White still went into wrestling with a mentality to always get better.

“He’s the most coachable kid. He doesn’t have an attitude, he doesn’t have the ‘I’m not going to listen to you mentality,’ he just fixes it,” Aven said.

This attitude has also been embraced by his teammates to create a positive culture within the Lawrence North wrestling program.

“We’re not feeling sorry for ourselves. We’re gonna work and grind it every single day year-round until we have the perfect craft,” Aven said.

Aven described it as bringing a “no excuse” mentality to the team, citing that White went above and beyond.

“This kid made it happen with limited support, and he was willing to do whatever it took to make it happen,” Aven said.

Despite White’s significant challenges such as getting to practice, he was incredibly resilient.

“There may have been times in the summer when maybe he didn’t have a ride to practice so he would walk,” Aven said.

Lawrence North also did a lot to help White get the support academically as a student-athlete with its expanse of resources.

“We had some of those conversations, and again, people here at the school did whatever they could to help out,” Aven said.

While winning a state championship was a significant achievement for White, it also goes beyond the mat.

“We would’ve learned life lessons, but this will project him so much further in life than just winning a state championship,” Aven said.

Aven reflected on his time not only coaching White but also seeing him through his journey as he gears up to start his collegiate athletic career at Oklahoma State. When asked about a specific aspect or moment that Aven was most proud of, he said “Just him being able to go to college and completely change his life.”

White has become a local legend in the Indianapolis area. He’s frequently approached by people to take pictures and even sign autographs. Aven touched on the idea of what it’s meant for him personally to see how people have embraced White.

“We say it every day. Wrestling changes lives. It just makes you change the trajectory of your life,” he said.

In a story of resilience, Michael White has shown that overcoming difficult circumstances is possible when it revolves around a sport where you commit yourself to excellence. However, it goes well beyond the mat. White has already left a lasting legacy among high school sports and the wrestling community which continues to support him. His incredible journey is only getting started as he looks to grow even more at the college level.

Noah Eaton was a spring semester intern in the NFHS Publications/Communications Department. He is a senior at Indiana University in Bloomington.