As many know, the almost four feet of snow two weeks ago threw a wrench into many people’s plans, including the wrestling team as well.The Golden Ram wrestlers had planned on attending the Pennsylvania State championships last weekend. With all of the snow, hindrances on the roads and cancellations of practices, coach Joe Miller thought better of it and decided to cancel their trip to Williamson.
“We decided to get healthy and concentrate on the regional qualifying for nationals.” Miller said.
The regional qualifying tournament will take place on Feb. 27, at Lafayette College in Easton. In the tournament setup, the top three finishers in each weight category will move on to nationals. They will be held in Hampton, VA on March 11-13.
Coach Miller believes that he has seven wrestlers who should qualify for the national’s tournament. Dillon Evans, the 157 lb. wrestler, was crowned the National Champion last season. He will be looking to defend that title at nationals this year.
No matter what the outcome is at nationals, coach Miller couldn’t be happier with his team’s performance. They have accomplished so much this year that sets them apart from all of the others.
“WCU is truly blessed with great wrestling talent,” Miller said.
The team’s overall dual meet record is enough to speak for their whole season, as they finished with 15 wins and only three losses. In the National Duals, West Chester finished in fourth place, and during that weekend beat Grand Valley. That was a huge win for coach Miller, as he said Grand Valley had not lost a club dual meet in eight years.
Miller attributes a great deal of this success to the addition of new coach Alray Johnson this season. Johnson is a former West Chester University wrestler from 1968-1971. At that time, West Chester was a Division I team, and ranked No. 18 in the nation, with Johnson as their captain.
Johnson has represented USA wrestling across the globe, both as a coach and as a wrestler. His accomplishments are being recognized this year, as he will be inducted into the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame of Wrestling.
“He is probably the best club wrestling coach in the USA right now,” Miller said. “And we have him right here in WCU.”
The past two years have truly been amazing and emotional for both the team and the alumni. The alumni are responsible for funding the wrestling program at West Chester. There are currently 100 active members, and they are trying to track down more to help with the funding.
Coach Miller would like to thank Dr. Steve Gambino, the Recreational Director, for all of his help and support with the team and getting them started.
“WCU is a great place for student athletes,” Miller said. “We thank WCU for giving us an opportunity to participate in a sport we love.”
Ryan Frisco is a third-year student majoring in Communication studies. He can be reached at RF648257@wcupa.edu.