Cardinal Wrestling Announces 2013 Recruiting Class

November 22, 2013

WHEELING, W.Va. – The Wheeling Jesuit wrestling program has signed six student-athletes to National Letters of Intent head coach Sean Doyle announced today. Preston Bowshier (Kenton Ridge High School, Ohio), Kody Kernan (Mussleman High School, W.Va.), Terrance Fanning (Preston County High School, W.Va.), Peyton Geary (Freemont Ross High School, Ohio), Justin Trent (Colonial Heights High School, Virginia) and Justin "Ki" Ryder (Fort Campbell High School) will join the Cardinals in the fall of 2014 as the second recruiting class in program history.

"This is the first full year we had to recruit and words couldn't really explain how excited we are about this group,” said Coach Doyle. “We are striving to find young men that have a focus on becoming great in everything they do and making the right decisions to get there. These individuals come from wonderful families that have laid a foundation to enable success in their sons. We look forward to continuing that and provide the resources for them to achieve maximum success on and off the mat.”



"WJU wrestling head coach Sean Doyle has signed six wrestlers to build on his programs first year success."

Preston Bowshier (Kenton Ridge High School, Ohio) - 141/149
Preston has had a wonderful high school career with a current record of 131-28. Ohio is annually one of the top wrestling states in the country and Preston is a 3x state placer including a runner-up finish last season. He will be a front-runner for a state title this year.
COMMENT- "Preston is a signature recruit for our new program and establishes a clear indicator that the goals within this program are to be the best in the country. Preston's goals of getting a great education while becoming an All-American/National Champ on the mat parallel our program's mission."

Kody Kernan (Mussleman High School, West Virginia) - 141
Kody's high school career has been fantastic while compiling a career record of 130-12. Kody is a three time state qualifier and two time placer, including a State Championship during the 2012-2013 season. Kody will certainly be looking for his 2nd state title this year. Kody is also a 3x regional champion and 2x captain.
COMMENT-"Kody is an individual that brings a lot to the program on a lot of levels. His work ethic and leadership skills in and out of the classroom will be a tremendous asset to our program. Kody strives to be great and we felt all along that this was a PERFECT fit for Kody and our program. We are certainly a much stronger program with the addition of Kody Kernan."

Terrance Fanning (Preston County High School, West Virginia)- 197
Terrance Fanning, like the others in the class, has had an exceptional high school career up to this point. Terrance has a career record of 144 wins and only 17 losses. Reaching the state tournament three times, Terrance has placed twice along with a State Championship in the 2012-2013 season.
COMMENT- "We are extremely excited to announce that Terrance Fanning is part of our 2014-2015 recruiting class. Terrence is an individual that we feel has enormous potential and will excel at the next level. He has been a three sport athlete throughout his high school career and has athletic skills that you don't find a lot in the upper weights. Terrence will fit in perfectly with our current team and make us stronger in all areas."

Peyton Geary (Freemont Ross High School, Ohio) - 157/165
Peyton comes to us from the state of Ohio where he was a 2013 state qualifier. Peyton has compiled a record of 90-31 over his 3 years in high school while achieving 3 letters in both wrestling and football. Peyton has achieved all academic within his league on 3 occasions and all academic at the state level last year.
COMMENT- "Peyton is an individual that has some great years in front of him. We felt through the entire recruiting process that Peyton was a diamond the rough. He has a bright future in front of him on the wrestling mats and in his own career path. He's a motivated young man with his priorities in line. His great leadership and positive attitude will bring great value to our current team."

Justin Trent (Colonial Heights High School, Virginia) - 157/165
Justin comes to us from Virginia where he's put together quite the resume over the past 3 years. While becoming a two time state placer (4th/8th), Justin has put together an impressive 134-16 record. Along the way, he's won 2 regional championships, 2 district championships and been a 3 year captain. Academically Justin has been named all district 3 times and all region twice.
COMMENT- "Justin provides us with some depth in the middle weight classes that we were looking for. His high school success would suggest that Justin is ready to make the transition to the next level and be ready to make an impact. If you look at Justin's resume, the one indicator that we are most encouraged by is that he has a strong focus in the classroom. He understands the balance between the classroom and wrestling mat."

Justin "Ki" Ryder (Fort Campbell High School) - 174/184
Ki will be our wrestling team's first individual from the Bluegrass State. Ki's high school credentials include being a 3x state qualifier, a regional champion in 2013 and a two year captain. Ki has reached honor roll status in all three years of high school. Ki also received the Fort Cambell High School PRIDE AWARD, recognized for leadership and academic excellence.
COMMENT- "It didn't take us long to become very partial to Ki and his family. Ki is a very motivated young man with great character and class. He is a young man that is going to achieve great things during his time at Wheeling Jesuit and in whatever chooses to pursue. Ki started wrestling late in relation to most, so we're also encouraged by the immediate results Ki has seen with limited experience."

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