close

Mt. Lebanon wrestlers qualify for nationals

By Eleanor Bailey almanac Sports Editor ebailey@thealmanac.Net 5 min read
article image -

Not since 2007 has Mt. Lebanon captured a Freestyle national wrestling title. Next month, however, the Blue Devils have two chances to achieve such lofty heights.

Nathan Hoaglund and Luke Stout have qualified for the U.S. Marine Corps 2018 Cadet and Junior National Championships to be held this July 12-20 in Fargo, N.D.

“This is a great achievement,” said Lebo wrestling coach Marc Allemang because some of the biggest names in the sport compete in Freestyle and Greco Roman styles for World and Olympic titles.

Kurt Angle, himself a Lebo alum, captured World titles and Olympic Gold in Freestyle wrestling.

“Obviously, that is pretty cool for Nathan and Luke to see,” Allemang said. “Hopefully that can serve as a way to motivate and inspire our wrestlers to want to do the same.”

Hoaglund, like Angle, is a heavyweight. The rising senior, who also excels in football, posted a 30-8 record this winter. He is 25 victories from entering the Century Club with a 75-33 career mark.

One win shy of qualifying for the PIAA tournament, Hoaglund managed success in other big events. He won Eastern Areas, finished fifth at Powerade, place fourth in the county and second in the section. He was a WPIAL qualifier.

Stout already has matched some of Angle’s achievements. As a sophomore, he competed in the PIAA championships just like Angle in 1985 and Bill Perri in 1982, but Stout became the first 10th-grader to medal at states when he finished fourth this March.

Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

Luke Stout poses with his fourth-place medal from the PIAA wrestling championships. The rising Mt. Lebanon junior recently captured a national title during the USA National Cadet and Junior Wrestling Championships held in Fargo, N.D.

That was just one of the many accomplishments for the 160-pound grappler this year. A two-time PIAA state qualifier, Stout compiled a 35-7 record to improve to 69-14 for his career. The Almanac wrestling MVP was an Allegheny County and Eastern Area champion and a section runner-up. He also finished fourth in the WPIAL championships.

After the scholastic season concluded, the Freestyle and Greco Roman season commenced with several qualifying tournaments for the PAWF state championships.

Hoaglund and Stout won their brackets at the local tournament held at Chartiers Valley and advanced to the state event held in Chambersburg.

According to Allemang, Mt. Lebanon has consistently sent wrestlers to the state tournament for both Freestyle and Greco Roman but has not had a wrestler place first and earn a state championship since Greg Perri won in 2007 for Freestyle. Bakhtiyar Zaynullaev and Kevin Kinyua each won a Greco Roman state title back in 2014 and 2013 respectively.

At the PAWF state championships, Hoaglund and Stout won their brackets and placed in the Top 3 to earn their spot on the Pennsylvania Junior National Team that will compete in North Dakota. On July 9, they both will attend a training camp at Clarion University with other team members.

Allemang expects Hoaglund and Stout to do well in Fargo.

“It is very realistic for Luke and Nathan to place,” he said. “They are both really talented wrestlers.

“They both put in a tremendous amount of time. They are wrestlers that compete in tournaments and club duals all year,” Allemang added. “They have both already wrestled some of the best the state and the nation has to offer. This is another really great opportunity for them.”

The opportunity does not come cheap, however. Participants pay their way to Fargo. The Mt. Lebanon wrestling boosters have provided each of them with an amount of money to offset some costs and the Pittsburgh Wrestling Club also provided funds.

“Both the boosters and the PWC are extremely generous in providing donations for Luke and Nathan,” Allemang said. “At this time, we have been able to provide some help.”

Further support is welcome. All funds toward sponsorship of Hoaglund’s and Stout’s journey are tax deductible as PA/USA Wrestling is a registered 501-C3 nonprofit organization. Visit www.mtlebanonsports.org/sports/wrest/news for more information on how to make a donation.

“We want to support them as they represent our program and the state,” Allemang said. “We want to ensure they can compete without the concern of how much it will cost because it’s an incredible opportunity for them.”

Allemang can’t predict how much the national experience will impact their upcoming high school seasons but he knows that all competition is helpful.

“Wrestling is wrestling,” he said. “Every time you have to mentally prepare for a tournament it’s beneficial. The training, pre-match routines, focusing on your diet and sleep leading up to the event, learning to win tight matches and staying focused through the duration of a match, all of that is useful.

“The more these guys compete at a high level the more they are distancing themselves from their competition,” he continued.

Allemang noted that the majority of Pennsylvania’s state place-winners at Hershey are wrestling year round and competing year round. So, the national tournament in Fargo is “another way for Luke and Nathan to challenge themselves and improve.”

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $/week.

Subscribe Today