Notes from Coach Doyle

January 26, 2015


The momentum continues to build on the campus of Wheeling Jesuit University and within the Wheeling Jesuit Wrestling Program. Our week began making the long trip to Millersville, Pa, where we had a very strong performance winning 33-9 over a traditionally strong team that was Division I not long ago. Just two days later, on Saturday, our young team captured it's second tournament title, winning the West Virginia Collegiate Invitational by nearly 50 points (45 to be exact). In a field of the 5 wrestling programs within the state of West Virginia besides WVU, we dominated the day crowing 6 individual champions and Ryan Winlsow (184lbs) took home the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award. It was fantastic to get to see the majority of our team competing and many of our 2nd and 3rd string guys knocked off starters from other programs. It was a complete TEAM effort.

Many of you will get more information later in the week, but this Friday we invite you to our biggest dual meet of the season, when we host the University of Pitt-Johnstown. UPJ is a Division II powerhouse, currently ranked 18th in the country. It will be an electric environment on campus and our pre-match social will begin at 5:45pm for all of our families and friends of the program. Please put it on your calendar and don't miss out!

Individual Summaries:

125

Dustin Warner (24-6, 7 falls, 5th W&J, 3rd Mt.Union, 5th Midwest Classic, WV Inv Champion)
I've given Dustin a lot of credit this year and he continues to impress. On Thursday he pinned a tough regional opponent in under a minute and sits on a 7 match win streak after winning the title this weekend. The McDonough Center will be buzzing Friday night in anticipation of the 125lbs match up with his UPJ opponent. It'll be worth the price of admission!

Jerrid Whaling (3-6, 1 fall, 7th Mt. Union, 5th WV Invitational)
Jerrid had a good day placing 5th. He lost a very close decision to West Liberty's starter to open the day and wrestled hard in his next two matches. Jerrid has had a great year, improving and working hard on a daily basis. He's helped his partners out as well and a great teammate. Look for continued improvements and success from Jerrid.

133

Nolan Whitely (20-5, 2 fall, 3rd W&J, 2nd Mt. Union, WV Inv Champion)
Nolan rolled through his match Thursday and his 4 matches Saturday in route to the title. Nolan keeps getting better and will look to make a serious run at St. Louis. As mentioned in many of my previous emails, there are specifics that will increase his chances and his commitment to those will determine how far he goes.

Josh Henderson (2-1, 1 fall, 2nd WV Inv, 5-5 unattached)
It was awesome having Josh back in the WJU singlet after wrestling unattached first semester. Josh is a hard worker that gets better every day and adds great depth to our room. He started his day off pinning Alderson Broaddus's starter (he started the trend, as two of our other non-starters did the same). After a tough semi final win, Josh fell to Nolan in the final. You will continue to hear of Josh's success during his time at Wheeling Jesuit.

Jaylen Hill (7-8, 7th Mt.Union, 4th WV Invitational)
For those that get to watch Jaylen wrestle, remember that Jaylen has been wrestling for about 3 years. He has a tremendous amount of speed and power and he continues to impress when he gets the opportunity to compete. This weekend was no different as he battled very hard, losing a 1 point match in the semis and in overtime for 3rd and 4th. Watch out for Jaylen as continues to learn and understand wrestling at a high level.

Brad Kakos (1-6, Team Captain)
We've seen Brad at 125 since he stepped foot on campus last year but Brad decided to move up for the remainder of this year. The weight cut was beating him up a little and right now, we just need to focus on getting better in some key areas. Both of Brad's losses Saturday were battles that saw Brad end up on the wrong side. Anyone that knows Brad, knows he's relentless and will recover.

141

Preston Bowshier (22-7, 4 falls, 5th W&J, 3rd Mt. Union, 8th Midwest Classic, WV Inv Champ)
Preston continues to roll and looked great in winning Thursday night over a quality opponent and 3 straight victories Saturday. Preston will have the opportunity at some of the region/country's best in the coming weeks and it'll be fun to see how he responds. Like Dustin, Friday night's match up with his UPJ opponent should be entertaining.

Tyler Knul (6-8, 5th Mt. Union)
Tyler lost two battles Saturday and his willingness to be a team player has him wrestling up a weight. Tyler agreed to help the team in Virginia when we needed him and bumped up to 141lbs. Because of this, the weight management system would not let him come back down to 133lbs. Tyler has had a successful freshman campaign and his work ethic is not matched by many. It'll be exciting to see him continue to get opportunities to compete and get better.

149

Skyler Terrell (12-6, Captain, 2nd W&J, 3rd WV Invitational)
Skyler wrestled hard in a tough loss Thursday and all day Saturday. He continues to settle in at 149lbs after wrestling 1st semester at 141lbs. He lost a match in the semi finals that if I said was a poor call, that would be putting it mildly. Although it wasn't the reason Skyler lost, it certainly contributed to it. Ultimately Skyler has some things that he needs to make sure of if he wants to put himself in a position to wrestle at the National Tournament.

Kollin Clark (4-8, 2 falls)
Kollin went 0-2 on Saturday but may have had one of the most memorable matches of the day losing a long overtime battle to West Liberty's best wrestler Paolo. Kollin pressed the action the ENTIRE match and dominated all of the action. Unfortunately that doesn't always result in a victory. I'm sure he learned a lot from this match and Kollin will absolutely continue to get better. He does some things very well and must improve on his weak areas to see more success.

Kyle Harris (4-6, 1 fall)
It was very nice to have Kyle back competing Saturday. Kyle's had a very challenging two years in the program due to injuries along the way. We decided last week to let him wrestle in our home event and he battled admirably without being at 100%. Hopefully we can find a way to get Kyle healthy moving forward. He's such a strong team player and supporter of his teammates and creates value in a lot of other areas within our program.

Jonathan Barrett (7-5, Captain, 2 fall, 6th Simonson Open)
Jonathan was held out for medical reasons. In exchange Jonathan did the commentary on our Cardinal Cast and I think he enjoyed that.

Kody Kernan (1-4)
Kody's season has been plagued with injuries and frustrations because of Kody's competitiveness and eagerness to compete. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is step back to move forward. We decided a few weeks ago to shut Kody down and let him get healthy. Kody is very gifted and we want him back to 100% so he can show our fan base his true abilities.

157

Dominick Nania (18-9, Captain, 6 falls, 3rd Mt. Union, WV Invitational Champion)
Dom looked great in a first period fall over a very good Millersville opponent and in 3 straight wins to claim the title. Dom is one guy that most opposing coaches and wrestlers do not want to see. He keeps getting better and working hard and will make noise in late February.

Peyton Geary (9-8, 3 fall, 8th Mt. Union)
Peyton had a huge day Saturday before falling to his teammate Dom in the finals Peyton pinned Alderson Broaddus' starter to open the day and followed that up with another pin in the semis. Peyton may be making greater gains than anyone else in our room. He works very hard on a daily basis and more importantly is very focused on getting better where needs to. He has some big days in front of him and his attitude is a direct reflection.

Justin Trent (2-4)
Justin did not compete Saturday.

165

Reyse Wallbrown (16-10, 4 falls, 5th Mt. Union, 6th WV Invitational)
Reyse has been a little banged up since the Virginia Duals and it was probably the wrong decision to wrestle him Saturday. Winning the WV Invitational is a top priority for us and with it being in our gym, we wanted our best competitors on the mat. We pulled Reyse after his second match because it was apparent he wasn't close to full strength. In the next 4 weeks we'll do everything and have him back in the form that saw him moving up the regional rankings.

Anthony Smith (6-8, 4th WV Invitational)
Everyone always enjoys watching TJ compete. His explosiveness and willingness to open up and attack is exciting for a coach and the fan base to watch. Although he still has some things to work on, TJ will undoubtedly be a fan favorite whenever he steps on the mat.

Cody Eggers (0-6)
Cody, like Kyle and Kody K. has had a tough year getting into the swing of things. Medical conditions have kept him off the mat at inopportune times of the season. Cody is very successful at everything he does and very hard on himself, so although it might not be seen in the W/L column, he's doing great things.

174

Sawyer Leppla (12-10, 3 fall, 4th W&J, 5th Midwest Classic, 5th WV Invitational)
Sawyer went 2-2 on Saturday and placed 5th. In Sawyer's two years, he's complied more wins than anyone in a Cardinal singlet. Although Saturday didn't go as he had hoped, I'm sure it will be a motivator for Sawyer moving forward.

Dean Meyer (3-1, 3rd WV Invitational)
Saturday was Dean's debut in a Cardinal singlet and he definitely left a positive impression on those watching. Dean had a very successful high school career but hasn't really competed consistently for almost two years due to injury. Having strong depth is a BIG priority for us and we feel like we have two very capable wrestlers in our room at 174lbs right now.

Nate Starkey (2-5, 2 falls)
Nate has not competed since his injury at the Mt. Union Invitational. Like last year, Nate has been plagued with some serious injuries that give us no other option than to keep him out. Right now, Nate is in recovery and we hope we can get him back and keep him at 100%. He's a talented wrestler but even the best can't compete at a lot less than 100% health.

184

Ryan Winslow (15-6, Captain, 8 falls, 2nd W&J, WV Invitational Champ)
Ryan won his 2nd WV Collegiate Invitational Title Saturday and received his first Most Outstanding Wrestler award as well. Last year Ryan took the Most Falls Award and decided to upgrade this year. Ryan had a patented 'Ryan Winslow' win in the finals, coming back from a 6-2 deficit in the first to win on a late takedown.

Ki Ryder (3-4)
It was great to have Ki competing this weekend. Ki works his tail off in the room and I think he's starting to show our fans he's going to be ready to compete at a high level. He went 2-2 this weekend and wrestled very hard against West Liberty's starter losing a tough battle late.

Jared Leasure (0-2)
Jared experienced an ankle injury early in the week that kept him off the mat.

Nate Hupp (3-3, 2 fall, 3rd WV Invitational)
Nate may have wrestle his last match in a Cardinal singlet this weekend. Nate came to us as a junior last year and has added some 'old man' wisdom to the room. Our team loves Grandpa Hupp and Nate will also be our first WJU Wrestling Alum in May. He's taking over 20 credit hours this semester to graduate on time and this has prevented him from being able to practice as much as we both would like. He did win his last two matches in a WJU singlet!

197
Maxwell Lacey (12-11, 2nd W&J, 8th Midwest Classic, WV Invitational Champ)
Max recorded a solid win Thursday night and won the title Saturday defeating his West Lib opponent that beat him earlier in the year. Max is showing some signs of what we've been asking of him and it needs to continue. He has the ability to make a run at the National Tournament if his next 5 weeks have focus to detail.

Jacob Haynes (0-4)
Jake did not wrestle this weekend for medical reasons.

285

Corey Siegfried (19-9, 4 falls, 2nd W&J, 5th Mt. Union, 2nd WV Invitational)
Corey rattled off two wins before falling to his West Lib opponent in the finals. Corey is wrestling well and always battles, as we've gotten use to in his time at Wheeling Jesuit. I'm confident Corey will be at his best when it counts next month, he's a gamer!

Miguel Staples (0-8)
Miguel competed hard on Saturday and by wrestling with Corey and Logan every day, he continues to see great gains in the room. Again, although the wins aren't coming for Miguel, gains are being made.

Redshirts/Injured

For those wondering about some names that have been missing, here is a list of wrestlers not listed above:

Scott Lopez- Scott is back in the room and wrestling full go. It is great to have Scott back! He is a great asset to have teaching and battling with our starters. Scott is redshirting this year.

Damon Outward- Damon wrested at the Purple Raider Open recently and went 2-2 as an unattached wrestler. Both losses came at the hands of D1 opponents. Damon will be ready to make a run at the podium next year. He's working very hard.

Steven Frazier- Competing as an unattached wrestler 2-4 year to date. Steven is redshirting.

Logan Bowman- Competing as an unattached wrestler 3-6 year to date. Logan is redshirting.

Terrance Fanning- Competing as an unattached wrestlers 1-2

Dustin Kuhlwein- Not currently competing (recovering from injury)



Kale Rayner- Not currently competing


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