Jesuit sends six to National Championship in Cleveland
February 23, 2019
WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. - The Wheeling Jesuit University wrestling team competed in the NCAA Division II Super Region III Tournament at West Liberty on Saturday and sent six of its wrestlers to the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship in Cleveland.
WJU won Super Region III titles in four out of the 10 weight classes: Cole Laya at 125, Tyler Warner at 133, Connor Craig at 174 and Terrance Fanning at 285. Jared Donahue qualified for Nationals with a runner-up finish at 141. Aidan Pasiuk punched his ticket to Cleveland by earning a third place finish at 184.
In addition to the individuals, Head Coach Danny Irwin was named the Super Region III Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the event. Overall the team placed third behind Notre Dame and University of Indianapolis.
"Just a wild day overall," said Irwin. "We expected that it would be, but our guys stayed in the fight and for 6 of the 10 we advance to Cleveland in two weeks. We had to have at least five qualify to do damage in Cleveland, so an extra Cardinal in the mix will make us that much more dangerous. We have some work to do before March 8th, but I am excited to have Cardinal Culture represented to the fullest in two weeks."
The Cardinals who qualified for the National Tournament will compete next month on March 8-9 in Cleveland, Ohio. Fanning, Pasiuk and Warner will all be making a return visit to the national championship.
"I am so grateful for the support we received today, it felt like a home meet for us. We had alums, professors, administrators, you name it there getting loud for us and it paid off. More importantly it made it fun and that is what Wheeling Jesuit Wrestling is all about. Family and fun!"
Wheeling Jesuit established a new program-record with six wrestlers advancing to the national tournament. The program, now in its sixth year, sent five last year.
"My heart is broke for the other four wrestlers," he added. "They have given so much and should be extremely proud of their effort today. Especially Keegan Driscoll, he has done nothing but give me his best from the first time I met him and I am a better person for my time with him."
TERRANCE FANNING ON THE DAYS EVENTS
"Today was an amazing experience! All day I was trying to fight back the emotions of being a senior and wanting to soak up the most from this experience. However when you are surrounded by a group of men you call your family and everyone is leaving everything out on the mat...there is no better feeling. Then to cap the day off by having your very own coach named coach of the region, I'm at a loss for words."
"Qualifying for nationals is cool. However anything can happen and I'm just happy that every year WJU wrestling is growing and qualifying for nationals will become second nature throughout our team."
TYLER WARNER ON THE TEAM'S PERFORMANCE AND PERSONAL ACOMPLISHMENTS
"Today was a great day! We as a team have been busting our asses all year for this. We have went through hell everyday to achieve our goals, and a few of us gt the chance to do that today. The whole team wrestled hard, and we are climbing year by year! Next year is going to be a dangerous year for every team in the NCAA."
"I felt really good today! I felt like a champion the moment I hoped my eyes this morning. I wrestled to my spots and scored when it was time to score. I keep telling myself everyday that champions are the ones that push through the hard times, the ones that will get knocked down and be right back up without anything holding them down. I visualize myself standing at the top of the podium in March! Not only in March, but in my home state. I have four more matches to go, and I am ready to win those four and stand at the top with many more guys on our team."
CONNOR CRAIG ON WINNING REGIONAL TITLE
"Today was exactly what i needed mentally to head into the next couple weeks. After coming up short of the national tournament last year, this is very promising for what I need to accomplish this year. I couldn't be happier and more excited heading into nationals with this team and making some noise. the people that made it worked extremely hard and it's going to show soon in Cleveland what we are all about."
JARED DONAHUE ON HIS PERFORMANCE
"I felt pretty good today, and I'm glad that I got to see where I stand against some of the top guys in my weight class. I went for first but came up short, but that just showed me what I need to do to be even more ready nationals."
AIDAN PASIUK ON PERFORMANCE AND SUPPORTING TEAMMATES
"Today was a big jump for me. Getting beat my first match and having to work my way back was a journey. I had a lot of fun watching my team be as successful as they were. I can't wait to wrestle with them at nationals. Everyone overall competed awesome. The guys that didn't make it showed tremendous effort which motivated everyone else. Shoutout to my brother Ben Pasiuk for the encouragement the whole time!"
Return to the WV-Mat front page