Wrestling 2/8/2017 2:45:00 PM Chris Myers

Cardinals Wrestling Honors ‘Founding Fathers’ on Senior Night

WHEELING, W.Va. – Every athletic program needs a solid foundation and the Cardinal wrestling program has established a Culture thanks to a special group of young men, who joined the team when it began four years ago.

This Friday night, head coach Sean Doyle and the Wheeling Jesuit wrestling team will honor the 'Founding Fathers' during Senior Night when it hosts Seton Hill in dual match action.

During Friday night's senior send off, coaches and underclassmen, will recognize the individuals who started the WJU wrestling program in 2013. The festivities will begin at 6 p.m. with live music and refreshments. Prior to the match start at 7 p.m., the seven graduating seniors – Cody Eggers, Jacob Haynes, Dustin Kuhlwein, Maxwell Lacey, Dominick Nania, Corey Siegfried and Nicholas Skonieczny, as well as recognizing its fifth-year seniors – Logan Bowman, Kyle Harris, Josh Henderson, Brad Kakos, Sawyer Leppla, Scott Lopez, Kale Rayner, Anthony Smith, Nathan Starkey, Skyler Terrell, and Ryan Winslow.

Following the match, there will be more refreshments with comments on the graduating class from coaches and wrestlers.

'It's been an incredible four years with this group of young men. To watch them transition from seniors in high school, into an unknown environment and grow together has been inspiring. They have, in many ways, transformed an environment on campus through their pursuit to become great. Most significantly, their pursuit to become excellent in all areas of their lives is what I'm most proud of," Doyle said.

With a promise to be part of something special and leave a lasting impression on a program, coach Doyle sold this group of special young wrestlers on these qualities and so much more. The sky was the limit and the 'Founding Fathers,' as they have become known, as he said they personify the essence of Jesuit education – in the wrestling room, the classroom and the Wheeling community.

"These guys came here because I expressed to them that we would build something special together and compete to win a national championship before they left. It may have seemed rather ambitious at the time, but these guys wrestled for a national dual meet championship in January and will have an opportunity to compete for a tournament title in a few weeks. They deserve all the credit in the world for what they've committed to -- for the adversities they've worked through and for the accomplishments made. They've left a mark on this program and helped create a foundation for future teams to build on." the head coach added.

In the most visible way, this senior group has put the WJU wrestling program on the national NCAA Division II map in four short seasons. In dual matches, the Cardinals hold a 38-22 program record at a .633-win percentage, including back-to-back, double-digit win seasons. For the third year in a row, WJU improved its dual match win record with its 12^th victory last Saturday and stand a program-best, 12-5 going into Friday night.

After going 0-3 in its initial trip to the prestigious National Duals, the Cardinals produced four upsets of nationally ranked opponents. The team had a strong performance against the defending national champion and No. 1 ranked St. Cloud State in the 2017 National Duals Championship match before ultimately losing and finish as the runner-up.

At the Super Region I Championships, the Cardinals tied for last place of 15 teams during their first season, before they have recorded fourth-place finishes in each of the last two post seasons.

The team also sent three wrestlers to the NCAA DII Championships in its second year with the program's first wrestler earning All-American status, and had four qualify a year ago. With wrestlers regionally-ranked in all 10 weight classes, the Cardinals aim to grow its national qualifiers for a third year in a row.

While the team has seen steady growth on the mats, in the classroom, the seniors provide an impressive example for their younger teammates and incoming grapplers. The group has a combined 3.03 overall GPA, but just as important have led the team to improve its GPA each year. The WJU team GPA has jumped nearly .45 percent to a 2.81 GPA over the three-year period.

Coach Doyle has built his WJU wrestling program on producing well-rounded and upstanding young men. Through this model, the coach stresses giving back to the community, in addition to being dedicated student-athletes.

Over the past seven and a half semesters, the Cardinals wrestlers, driven by the senior leadership, have accumulated more than 2,800 hours of service in the Wheeling area. The WJU wrestlers gave 460 hours in year one, a number which increased to more than 1,150 combined service hours last year. Coach Doyle's team has taken part in service projects to include the Easter Seals Wheeling Vintage Raceboat Regatta, American Heart Association Heart Walk, Alzheimer's Association Annual Walk and the First Christian Church Pumpkin Sale. The Cardinals have also given time helping community members move, taken immersion trips throughout the year and involved in the Special Olympics.

Here is a closer look at the 'Founding Fathers' set to graduate this spring:

Nania from Greensburg, Pa., has become the Cardinals all-time leader in wins (92), career falls (39), career tech falls (16) and career dual match wins (37). He made his first trip to the NCAA DII Championships off his 29-9 junior year record. This year, Nania (22-7) is the No. 1 ranked 149-pound wrestler in Super Region I and No. 6 in the nation.

The Hempfield Area High graduate carries a 2.965 GPA in elementary education and plans to teach and coach after graduation.

Making his mark in his final campaign, Lacey is in the middle of his second 20-win season at 23-9. The 285-pound Cardinal has a 64-47 career record and 19 pins, including a career-best fall in 1:06 last weekend. The No. 4-rated Super Region I heavyweight has produced some of the most exciting anchor matches this season, including a final-second win over Pitt-Johnstown's D.J. Sims two weeks ago.

The Columbus, Ohio native, who carries a 2.936 GPA in business, has his sights set on pursuing a career in international marketing.

Another upper weight Cardinal, Corey Siegfried, has been a team stalwart for the past four years. The Canton, Ohio product has recorded a 58-39 career record with seven falls. He opened his WJU career with 17 and 19-victory seasons in his first two years. Corey is 13-8 with a fall this season.

Siegfried is a criminal justice major where he holds a 2.622 GPA. The senior plans to work at a Day Reporting Center upon graduating this spring.

In his first year at WJU, Nic Skonieczny has been a welcome addition to the lineup. The 165-pounder is 15-9 this season and rated No. 7 in the Super Region I's individual rankings. Over his first three years at the University of Findlay, Nic won 59 matches, and earned All-GLIAC Second Team honors and had 57 takedowns last year.

Skonieczny will earn a business management degree and has plans to stay involved in wrestling as a coach.

The final three WJU seniors may not have made as big of an impression on the mat over their careers, but the trio's program contributions have been invaluable.

Cody Eggers of Cleveland, N.C., has been a WJU leader. He has been a consistent team member and top classroom performer with a 3.458 GPA in business. With job offers already being made to him, Cody plans to make a career in financial management.

Coming from Toronto, Ohio, Jacob Haynes has cherished his opportunity to being one of the first men to ever wrestle for the WJU program. Haynes has a solid 3.385 GPA as a history and education major. After graduation, Jake has plans to be an author as one of his future endeavors.

Despite battling injuries wrestling-wise, Dustin Kuhlwein out of Ostrander, Ohio, has been a vital part of the Cardinals' program growth. Kuhlwein intends to use his nursing degree, where he maintains a 3.456 GPA, to work as a nurse, as well as, farm with his family.

With these seven and the rest of the fifth-year seniors, Coach Doyle believes his Cardinals are on the path for its best mark at the Super Region Championship, and take the program's next step toward winning a team championship at the NCAA DII National Championships in Birmingham, Alabama in March.

WJU vs. Seton Hill Match Notes:

Wheeling Jesuit (12-5)
• WJU seeks to add one more dual victory to its program-best 12 season dual wins.
• It is the third year in a row for WJU to increase its dual victories
• WJU is 5-4 vs. ranked opponents
• Ranked No. 2 in Super Region I
• Swept East Stoudsburg (33-12), Shippensburg (36-4) and LIU Post (37-4) last weekend in dual matches by a combined 106-20 combined team score and won 26 of 30 individual bouts.
• All 10 WJU probable starters are ranked in this week's D2Wrestle Super Region I rankings
• Jake Donahue (125) continued his strong 2017 performance with a 3-0 weekend and stands at 10-1 in this calendar year with his lone loss coming to Mercyhurst's No. 1 ranked Willie Bohince, 3-0
• Cardinals now have a program-best five 20-win wrestlers – Maxwell Lacey (23-9), Dom Nania (22-7), Greg Brusco (22-8), Daniel Romero (21-7) and Nolan Whitely (21-10)
• Whitely became the first WJU wrestler with 20-wins in each of his first three seasons. He is now 72-30 in his career
• Freshman Greg Brusco (157) became the latest first-year 20-win performer
• Terrance Fanning (197) has won his last seven matches and have outscored those opponents, 38-10, in those bouts.
• Since returning to the lineup, Dustin Warner (133) is 7-0 and now is 15-1 on the year.

Seton Hill (8-6)
• Mark 4th year in a row for the two teams meeting in dual action
• WJU has won the first three meetings
     2013-14 at SH: WJU 24, SH 19
     2014-15 at WJU: WJU 16, SH 14
     2015-16 at SH: WJU 22, SH 14
• Ranked No. 7 in Super Region I
• SH last competition was a 35-12 dual win at Waynesburg. Griffins won seven of 10 matches, including two tech falls and one pin
• Griffins are 4-5 vs. common WJU opponents. SH lost to Tiffin, LIU Post, Gannon, Mercyhurst, and UPJ, but defeated Shippensburg, West Liberty, Alderson Broaddus and East Stroudsburg. WJU is 6-3 against the same foes

• Probable Wrestlers Matchups Ranked Within Super Region I (Nationally)
125 – SH: Alan Diltz 6th vs. WJU: Jake Donahue 4th
133 – SH: Tyler Kennedy 7^th vs. WJU: Dustin Warner 2^nd (12^th)
141 – SH: Joey Alessandro 1st (5^th) vs. WJU: Daniel Romero 8th
149 – SH: Ty Lydic 4^th vs. WJU: Dominick Nania 1st (6^th)
157 – SH: Zak Voytek 6th vs. WJU: Greg Brusco 4th
165 – SH: Damon Greenwald 8^th vs. WJU: Nic Skonieczny 7th
174 – SH: Zach Mattucci 7^th vs. WJU: Reyse Wallbrown 6^th
184 – WJU: Nate Starkey 5th
197 – SH: Jake Temple 4^th vs. WJU: Terrance Fanning 2^nd (12^th)
285 – WJU: Maxwell Lacey 4th

• Probable Lineups (Season Records)
Wheeling Jesuit
125 - Jake Donahue (15-5)
133 - Dustin Warner (15-1)
141 - Daniel Romero (21-7) or Nolan Whitely (21-10)
149 - Dominick Nania (22-7) or Brandon Tenney (12-6)
157 - Greg Brusco (22-8)
165 - Nic Skonieczny (15-9) or TJ Smith (12-10)
174 - Reyse Wallbrown (19-12)
184 - Nate Starkey (11-11)
197 - Terrance Fanning (15-7)
285 - Maxwell Lacey (23-9)

Seton Hill
125 – Alan Diltz (15-4)
133 – Tyler Kenney (14-10)
141 – Joey Alessandro (11-3)
149 – Ty Lydic (15-9)
157 – Zach Voytek (12-1)
165 – Damon Greenwald (14-11) or Tanner Druck (11-10)
174 – Zach Mattucci (14-11)
184 – Billy Bowlen (15-10)
197 – Morris Lawson (6-7)
285 – Lou Maser (3-11)

-GoCards-

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