With good roster numbers, new girls team, Norwin wrestlers ready to put in work
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Saturday, December 9, 2023 | 11:01 AM
Paul Schofield | Tribune-Review
Norwin’s Aiden Pham (white uniform) and Franklin Regional’s Troy McClelland are in a scramble that was ruled a defensive pin win for Pham at 215 pounds during a match last season.
Life rewards hard.
It’s a refrain Norwin wrestling coach Kyle Martin refers to often. The labor intensive nature of the sport comes with its benefits.
“Wrestling is hard,” Martin said. “Every parent should want their child to wrestle.”
At Norwin, a lot of them do.
The Knights are in a good place with more than 100 wrestlers in the youth program, 50-plus at the middle school level and more than 30 on the high school team.
“Wrestling is one of the toughest sports to compete in,” Martin said. “Our numbers are growing as men’s wrestling (numbers) overall in the country are declining.
“That’s a testament to our athletic department and our coaches from top to bottom. They have all bought in to our mission.”
With numbers thriving, Norwin is aiming for a strong season on the mat.
Top returnees for the Knights include Nate Campbell, Aiden Pham, Chaise Thompkins, Collin Bruno, Luca Butera, Aiden Shieh, Aaron Wong, Evan Gill, Cam Tokarsky, Bill Petko, Austin Hladek, AJ Hewitt, Nick Puskar, and Gage Mamie.
“Expectation is always the same for Norwin wrestlers,” Martin said. “Be passionate about service to the community, competition on the mat, achievement in the classroom and relationships with their peers, teachers, families, community …”
Some newcomers Martin expects to make in impact include Landon Sidun, Jake Hall, Nate Klingensmith, Santino Brasco and Sebastian Summerville.
There will be a girls team for the first time, and Martin thinks the new addition will be more than a novelty.
“Girls team expectations are the same as the boys,” he said.
Martin said top girls for the Knights include Carysn Champion, Jo Dollman and Octavia Walker.
“Our identity will change each year as any program’s should,” Martin said. “Every athlete is different. Every team different. Our identity will change with the unique athletes we have each year. Our mission, goals and action plan remain the same.”
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Norwin
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