Jacob Meister, a 17-year-old junior at Bradford High in Pennsylvania who has cerebral palsy and autism, has been a huge supporter of his school's wrestling team. So, when he got the chance to take to the mat himself, it was a dream come true. His match, which came against teammate Dillon Keane, was the grand finale on Jan. 3 and [...]
When you think of a wrestling match, you probably don't conjure up an image of women on the mat. However, Casey Lopez is trying to change that. And, with the help of Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina, she's well on her way. In early May, Lopez became the first woman to receive a wrestling scholarship to a Division I [...]
Good sportsmanship is timeless. That's why it's worth looking back at the gesture high school wrestler Matt Strunk offered up to an opponent. Strunk, who was a senior at Chambersburg Area Senior High School in Pennsylvania in 2016, was set to face off against Lucas Ortiz, a 152-pound wrestler and senior from Conestoga Valley. The only problem was Ortiz couldn't [...]
Nick Santonastasso doesn't have legs, and he only has one arm, but like any other athlete, his body is doing exactly what he asks of it. The 20-year-old from Bayville, New Jersey was diagnosed at birth with Hanhart Syndrome, an incredibly rare disease in which babies are born with underdeveloped limbs or weak organs. There have only been 12 cases [...]
When Fatih Emirhan lined up to face his opponent, he couldn't help but crack a smile. That's because the young wrestler who has Down Syndrome was nose-to-nose with his coach, Ali Burak Toy, a national wrestler in Turkey. The fierce match featured a small but mighty Fatih throwing his coach over his shoulder twice and pinning him for the win. [...]
Photo courtesy of Dave Stevens By Kim Constantinesco Dave Stevens has lived arguably one of the greatest sports stories that you've never heard of. The 50-year-old, who resides in Bristol, Conn., became the first and only person born without legs to play college football and minor league baseball. And he didn't have prosthetic limbs either. He "ran" [...]
By Matt Petrero Unless you have lived under a rock for the past five years or so, you know that there has been a lot of attention paid to brain injuries in sports. The spotlight not only shines on youth, high school, and college sports, but also on the athletes who get paid to play. Professional athletes know, and have [...]
Undefeated high school wrestling champion Deven Schuko suffered his first loss when he took on Andy Howland, but it wasn't just any defeat. Schuko, a senior from Norton High School in Massachusetts, was 27-0 and then he let one of his dreams die all so could fulfill the wish of Howland, a wrestling enthusiast from Dighton-Rehoboth High School with special [...]
By Alaa Abeldaiem "This is it." As the final seconds of the 2011 NCAA 125-pound national title match ticked away, those were the words that ran through then-Arizona State wrestler Anthony Robles’ head. For years, he had dreamed of winning a title, and with a 7-1 lead against Iowa’s defending champion Matt McDonough, Robles couldn’t help but smile, hearing [...]