Sam Maresh to Talk About Heart Condition

The family of Minnesota freshman-to-be football student-athlete Sam Maresh, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound linebacker, will hold a news conference today at 4 p.m. at Champlin Park High School to discuss a recently discovered medical condition. Maresh was discovered to have a heart murmur and a doctor discovered a congenital heart defect, an aortic valve with a serious leak and an enlarged ventricle.

Sam Maresh has an enlarged aortic root and was told that he would need to undergo open heart surgery to repair or replace his valve and also to “fix” his aorta, and surgery is scheduled for June 26.

Maresh was twice named the Northwest Suburban Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He led the Rebels to an 8-3 record as a senior and totaled 99 tackles, two sacks, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Maresh rushed for eight touchdowns on 22 carries and served as the team’s punter. He was one of six players named to the 2007 Minneapolis Star-Tribune Super Preps team. Maresh earned all-state honors from The Associated Press and was named to the Minnesota Vikings’ all-state team.

Maresh was a three-time state champion in wrestling. He picked Minnesota over offers from Wisconsin, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Michigan and Michigan State. His older brother, Mike, has been a starter at linebacker for North Dakota State the past three seasons and will be a senior in 2008.

Maresh, who signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to play for the Gophers in February, will be available to speak with the media, along with his parents, Julie and Bill Maresh.