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Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/25/2020 in all areas

  1. To the IndianaMat community and especially to those senior wrestlers and/or parents: First of all, I'd like to apologize for any hardships you, loved ones, or anyone dear to you is enduring because of the Coronavirus. It's disrupting nearly all aspects of our every day lives, schooling, and work. I'd like to say, especially to the current high school seniors (and by extension, parents) who in many cases have lost their final semesters, proms, sports seasons, and more that I feel for your losses. In retrospect, at least (high school) wrestling got to conclude its season. IHSAA basketball, along with NCAA Winter Sports weren't so fortunate. Hopefully, for all seniors and parents, you were able to complete your goals and end your final season on the note(s) you desired. However, speaking from personal experience, I know that realistically this isn't the case for most. For you all, it has, at the least, been a month (roughly) since the end of the State tournament. Most of you are done with in-person schooling. My question is: What comes next? Though it is pertinent right now to keep a grasp of the day-to-day, especially with how drastically things can shift, it is just as important to not lose sight of your futures. One of the things that has been affected by the pandemic, due the closure of universities and schools, is college recruiting (academically and athletically). If you are leaving your houses, it certainly isn't to visit campuses. Thus, the process of recruiting and the process of college selection have both been complicated tenfold. With this post, I'd like to do my part both on behalf of the Wabash Wrestling program and Wabash College itself to reach out to this community. A little background on me: My name is Anthony Cicciarelli, and I'm currently finishing my junior year at Wabash (online, ha .. ha). At school I double major in Math and Spanish. My journey to Wabash essentially began March of my senior year. I originally hail from Brownsburg; despite being less than an hour away from my hometown, I honestly never really knew about Wabash other than things like Scholastic Duals and just hearing the name in conversation. Beginning during my senior season, I met a few Wabash coaches at tournaments and sent a few texts, but I still really had no idea about the school or people at all. At this point, I wasn't too focused on figuring out my college situation until the end of season. After its conclusion, I considered a lot of things for my future. I ultimately decided two things: I had higher things to aspire for academically, and I had higher goals to set for myself athletically. Wabash gave me a place in which I could accomplish both. Upon visiting Wabash for the first time, *cue cliche* I fell in love. If I were to sum up what I loved, and still love today, about the school, I would mention three important aspects of Wabash: 1) Community With a college of around 900 students, Wabash truly feels like its own neighborhood as opposed to a whole city (e.g. large state schools). When I say that you will see everyone, you will see everyone. Not only do I see almost every professor I've ever had walking across campus on a daily basis, I often times eat lunch less than 10 feet of them (at the Wrestler table in the dining hall). I see classmates all around campus, whether at the library or the gym. On the wrestling side, with a team of over 50 members at a school of 900, the math says that about 1 in 18 of the people right next to me is going to be someone I already know and have a relationship with already. Often times it's even more than that. Each of my classes this semester, I have at minimum one other wrestler with me to work, study, and learn with. Past all of this, the simplest evidence of the communal structure of Wabash can be found every Thursday, when we have a complete class block (1 hour 15 min) blocked off on top of our lunch hour so that students and staff are free to attend an all campus, community meeting in the Wabash "Chapel"(non-religious). 2) Accessibility During my first visit to school, I got to sit in on a class and later meet a professor tailored to my future major interests. The professor sat and talked math with me for the hour, and lo and behold today I am a math major. I was walked between buildings by an individual student guide, and walked to meet and explore the athletic facilities by multiple members of the wrestling team to meet the coaches. Today, as a student, accessibility has not changed a bit. Just my daily homework routine exemplifies it perfectly. My most productive homework spot is in the coaches' office alongside our 4 on site coaches. I'm usually joined by one or two other wrestlers at any given time. If I have an issue with the work, I have a few options. I can reach out to any one of my team members who between themselves cover pretty much any subject area in their majors. I can walk two minutes to my professors' open offices in any of the academic buildings. I can send an email to the professor or the multiple tutoring centers on campus and make an appointment within the very same day. Or, my personal favorite, I can even text a handful of previous or current professors that have given me their personal numbers for all and any reasons necessary. The easiest part of it all is that I can do it all within a 5 minute walk on campus. 3) Independence Independence is inherent in almost every person's college experience. For the first time for many students, they are on their own physically, mentally, and emotionally. From the beginning, until the most recent day I was on campus, that rang true. Wabash is grounded in one simple, yet profoundly important, ideal and principle for student conduct: The Gentleman's Rule. It states: "The student is expected to conduct himself at all times, both on and off the campus, as a gentleman and a responsible citizen." This is all encapsulating and all encompassing for life on campus. Simply, students are given the freedom and guidance to conduct themselves in a manner that they see fit, as long as it fits the confines of our one rule. Within Wabash, students find themselves given permissions and privileges that larger schools would never allow. (Of course, if these become detrimental in the slightest, they are not permitted - as they break the one and only rule). In short, good luck finding another school in Indiana that allows all students to have and park their cars free of charge and for all grade levels. This is just the tip of the iceberg in the unique student independence at Wabash. While these are some more personal reasons, the specs of the school and Wrestling program are equally as important and impressive. (Full disclosure, I'm not an actual recruiter or employee of the college, so these are going to be my version of the specs. More empirical numbers can be found on wabash.edu) Wrestling-wise -A team of consistently over 50 members -A team with three #1 ranked wrestlers this previous season, and many more in the rankings -A separate, wrestling-exclusive, nearly brand new wrestling facility that outsizes and outshines many Division I facilities -An extremely high level practice room and talent pool -Wrestler exclusive workout area, exercise equipment, cold and hot tub, fridge, and locker room -A full field house and track for all students, and a full gym (both traditional and more athletics focused areas) -Access to a staff of over 7 combined coaches School-wise -Top notch, incredible financial aid and scholarship opportunities -An extremely high caliber education and net of professors -#1 ranked Career Services in the nation (per Princeton Review) completely free of additional cost -A beautiful and well-preserved campus, as well as short distance between all points -Around 40 majors and minors -Options for both fraternity and independent living -Opportunities for immersion courses, which are classes built around a travel component that is provided free of cost to students (I spent a week in Mexico last year) These are, of course, just some of the so many highlights of the school. There are many more incredible features and compelling statistics for finding. My final message to the seniors that I want to express is that, when considering plans for yourself after high school, you need to look at the big picture. This includes not only the month, or the year, ahead of you. This includes, four, ten, and twenty years down the line. Wabash is a place that is ready to take you in for the present and ride with you for the future. Wabash is a place derived and thriving on goals. An opportunity here will allow you to set incredible goals for yourself, and for those who are willing to work -- achieve these goals on and off of the mat. My life would be profoundly different if I was not still able to wrestle today, and I can confidently say that it would be profoundly worse off as well. Wabash allowed me to mold my unaccomplished goals and unsteady ambitions for the future of high school into clearly structured, attainable, and elite objectives for my college and professional life. Wabash is a place where I can keep enjoying this sport. Wabash is a place where I can keep growing as a man. Wabash is a place where I can keep my future within my grasp. Wabash is a special place. I hope that, at the very least, this has reminded seniors of the important of the times to soon come, the importance of the times behind them, and certainly the unique times we are living in right now. I really urge those who still have unknowns about their future as students, athletes, and student athletes to give Wabash a sincere consideration when making these decisions. It is absolutely not too late to take an interest in the school. Though for obvious reasons, most on campus visits and resources are unavailable right now in person, I can assure you that any member of the community and faculty will be willing to help in every way possible. To any wrestler or parent that has any questions or interests in the school and/or wrestling program, I would really love to help you in the best way possible or put you in contact with someone who can. My phone number is (317) 654-5240 and my email is amciccia21@wabash.edu. Anthony Cicciarelli, Wabash '21 P.S. Any current or former Wabash student, wrestler, fan, or friend of the school that might be able to give their own side "Why Wabash?" as well, please do!
    7 points
  2. I’m the exception
    4 points
  3. You don’t think @TeamGarcia ain’t setup 1000s of Twitter burners?? He’s got the bots at the ready!! #Truth
    2 points
  4. By JEREMY HINES Thehines7@gmail.com Howard Jones is, without a doubt, the face of Jennings County wrestling. Jones has coached the Panthers for over four decades (41 years to be exact). And during those 41 years he’s always had to do things the hard way. That’s all about to change. Jennings County has started the construction of a one-of-a-kind wrestling facility. Jones believes this might be the only dedicated wrestling venue for a high school in the Midwest, and possibly even the entire country. The new, five-million-dollar venue will feature seating for over 800 fans. It will have four full-size mats down with the ability to remove some seating and go up to six full size mats. The 24,000 square feet venue will also have two locker rooms and a coaches’ office. “We expect this to make our wrestlers feel like first-class athletes,” Jennings County Athletic Director Cory Stevens said. “They are going to have a facility that no other wrestlers in the region or in the state will have. We hope this attracts others to use it as well, for camps and things of that nature.” For Jones, this is a dream come true. His wrestlers have practiced in a balcony overlooking the basketball gymnasium. The school has two balconies on each side of the gym, and the wrestling team was often so large that it had to split the team up and use both sides. “I was lucky enough to have real good assistant coaches over the years,” Jones said. “I would go on one side and the assistants would go on the other. Sometimes we would divide by weight class. Sometimes we would divide by varsity and junior varsity.” The wrestlers would also have to move the 800-pound mats that were stored in various places throughout the school down to the gym floor for invitationals or dual meets. “Needless to say, it was an inconvenience, at the minimum,” Jones said. “We didn’t get the lighter mats until about four years ago. We always had to end practice early if there was a girls or a boys basketball game.” Jones didn’t much believe that the program was getting its own venue when he was first told about it. He had heard similar talk before. One time the school was going to build a 4.7-million-dollar facility that would house three basketball courts, a weight room, a track and a wrestling room. Ultimately that got voted down by the community. This time around school superintendent Teresa Brown told Jones that it was going to happen. “One day she told me ‘Coach Jones, we’re going to get you that wrestling room.’,” Jones said. “I didn’t believe her. That was about three years ago. Then, at the first of the year, she steps into the gym and said to me ‘Don’t you doubt me coach Jones, don’t you doubt me’.” Jones has had a hand in the design of the facility. He has looked at places like Purdue for inspiration and has tried to emulate what he knows works. “It’s been a very emotional time for me,” Jones said. “I have thought our kids deserved something better, but maybe not this elaborate, for years. I questioned why it was going to be so good. The principal at the time said ‘Howard, why can’t we have the best for our kids?’ That made sense to me. I think this state-of-the-art facility will be what’s best for our kids.” For Jones, the principal’s statement got him thinking. “I’m pretty conservative with things,” Jones said. “When he said that to me, I started thinking differently. I started thinking why not. The school wants to be greedy for the kids and it really shows.” The wrestling facility isn’t the only thing to get a major upgrade at the school. The baseball and softball fields got a multi-million-dollar upgrade. The weight room doubled in size. The football field got new turf. The tennis courts are getting a facelift. But, the largest change, is the wrestling renovation. According to Stevens, this might not have ever happened if it weren’t for the influence Jones has had on the students and the community through wrestling. “They say it has a lot to do with me, but it’s really for the kids,” Jones said. “The kids deserved better and we’re getting there. The educators care for the kids. But since this announcement I’ve had hundreds of people call or contact me about how much wrestling has done for them. That was done without this kind of facility. It’s not that we create champion wrestlers. It’s important that we realize we’re creating champion kids.” This has been an emotional journey for Jones. Former wrestlers are working on the building of the new facility and even the companies that put in the bids for the construction were ran by some of Jones’ former wrestlers. “Each of our six elementary schools have former wrestlers of mine that are coaching,” Jones said. “All but one of my assistants were coached by me. The middle school – all but one of the coaches was coached by me. It makes me very proud. One of the things that probably puts things in perspective for me the most is that I had a principal at one of the elementary schools come up to me and said ‘Howard, I’m tired of going to principal meetings and hearing about your wrestling program.’ But wrestling is a fraternity, not just within the school, but it creates a strong bond for life.” Stevens hopes to see other schools build similar facilities for their programs in the future. “We hope this inspires other schools to do something similar,” Stevens said. “Everyone is going to benefit from this – not just the high school, but the younger kids as well. Wrestling is a sport that does great things for kids. The more we can inspire other kids, the better. I was not a wrestler, but I see the value the sport offers for kids today.” View full article
    1 point
  5. Congratulations to Brice Coleman from Warren Central for signing with Indiana Tech. He is projected to wrestle 157. View full signing
    1 point
  6. There are 15 wrestlers that were 3-time champs, so they are all ahead of him. Add in the following that were all two-time champs and were in the finals at least three times Brandon Wright (Warren Central) Matt Coughlin (Evansville Mater Dei) Tommy Forte (Mishawaka) Camden Eppert (Anderson Highland) Alec Viduya (Roncalli) Eric Roach (Crown Point) Drew Hughes (Lowell) Blake Rypel (Indianapolis Cathedral) Cooper Samuels (Floyd Central) Ethan Raley (Indian Creek) Jacob Covaciu (Merrillville) Eric Galka (Hobart) Francisco Porras (Hobart) Ian Hinton (Mishawaka) Michael Escobedo (Lake Central) Cody LeCount (Perry Meridian) Joe Lee (Evansville Mater Dei) Eric McGill (Munster) Cayden Rooks (Columbus East) You have to put him over 15 of these guys. Joe Lee, Cody LeCount, Matt Coughlin, Blake Rypel, and Brandon Wright all had at least comparable national accolades.
    1 point
  7. 125 - Angel Escobedo (champ, 4th, 5th, world top 5) 133 - Stevan Micic (2nd, 3rd, world top 5) 141 - Nick Lee (5th, 5th, current clear top 2) 149 - Jason Tsirtsis (champ, 3rd, 7th) 157 - Dave Lilovich (4th, 7th) 165 - Andrew Howe (champ, 2nd twice, 3rd) 174 - Bud Palmer (2nd, 3rd) 184 - Keith Davison (3rd, 5th) 197 - Riley Lefever (undefeated D3, as high as #3 on Team USA senior depth chart) HWT - Mason Parris (current clear top 2)
    1 point
  8. Yes this was a good year for the Boilers, no doubt,and I remember Indiana had a team, about 20 or so years ago, that was decent at the NCAA. But we all saw what happened to Indiana. Jury is out for the boilers for now. I'm not on here to Dis what is happening with the two schools, I go to all of Indianas matches and stay up with Purdue , but a part of me thinks there isn't enough time for it to happen with the given history of wrestling at these schools.hopefully they prove me wrong.
    1 point
  9. In imaginary land, Nick Lee falls by one point again, 6-5, to Pletcher; and Mason Parris emphatically avenges his only loss by winning a national championship, 5-0, over Gable Steveson. Purdue ends up 10th as a team.
    1 point
  10. There's more than corn in Indiana!
    1 point
  11. Paycheck141

    RIP Ryan Myzak

    If any one knew Ryan he was a former wrestler for Hammond Gavit a 6th Placer finisher in 1998 at 171lbs he lost a battle with Multiple Myeloma on March 19th 2020 here is the story below https://kishfuneralhome.net/obituary/ryan-michael-myszak/?fbclid=IwAR1LO9vRVBKwJBLOcsoR39rzV8bgJzJ62-CFAl4o7xlWuL717t5xPO3mBYQ
    0 points
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