Highlanders Grapple at WPIAL AAA Individual Championships

sent five athletes to the 2011 WPIAL AAA individual wrestling championships, which were held at from March 3-5.

Each Baldwin wrestler earned his spot in the WPIAL AAA championships with a top-five finish at the AAA Section 2 individual championships, .

Baldwin's senior Alex Greguric finished in second place in the 145-pound weight class at that section meet and was joined at the WPIAL meet by senior Taylor Hall (fourth place at the section meet at 152 pounds), junior Wil Ostermeyer (fourth place at 189), senior Anthony Noone (fifth place at 215) and senior Randy Bush (fifth place at 285).

The top three finishers at the WPIAL individual championships earned a spot in the PIAA individual championships, but unfortunately for the Highlanders, none of their grapplers finished that high.

Still, three Baldwin wrestlers made it past Day One of the WPIAL tournament in their respective weight classes, including Greguric, Hall and Bush.

Bush was "pigtailed" in the tournament, meaning that he had to win his first-round match or be eliminated, but Bush's opponent didn't show for the pigtail match, giving Bush the win by walkover.

If a wrestler survives a pigtail match, the tournament becomes a double-elimination bracket for him after that. Bush lost his next two matches, though, and was eliminated.

Wrestlers that lose a pigtail match are eliminated without the chance to compete on a double-elimination basis. That was the story for Noone and Ostermeyer, who both lost pigtail bouts.

Greguric – the 2011 Section 2 runner-up – and Hall were not pigtailed at the WPIAL championships, and each of them won one match before being eliminated.

"For some kids, it's quite an accomplishment just to make it to WPIALs," said George McCormack, Baldwin's head varsity wrestling coach for the 18th straight season. McCormack pointed out that only 20 wrestlers per weight class qualify each year for the WPIAL AAA individual championships.

"You try to advance as far as you can," he said. "It is one of the toughest tournaments that we're in all year ... Western Pennsylvania, as a whole, is one of the hotbeds of wrestling. When we watch the NCAA [championships] every year, it's amazing how many kids that you see at that level that have come from this area.

"To make it to the state level, top three, is quite an accomplishment, and we just didn't get anybody at that level right now."

Ostermeyer was the only non-senior for Baldwin to advance to the WPIAL tournament this year, and McCormack expects him back for next season.

"Oh yeah. No doubt about it," McCormack said. "We're very excited about his season for next year."

Baldwin didn't put together the kind of campaign that it wanted to this season, not only missing the WPIAL team championships but also the section team championships.

"Little disappointing," McCormack said. "I had more injuries this year than any other year that I've coached – concussions, separated shoulders, knees. We had key starters that were within our lineup that I lost halfway through the season.

"Disappointing not for the quality of the effort; it's just that the sport in general is difficult and tough with the injuries that you can get. It was hard this year."

McCormack went on to talk about the challenges that his team will face next season as well as what impact wrestling will have on his program's large departing senior class.

"Next year is definitely going to be a rebuilding season," he said. "We're losing eight seniors from the starting lineup. We definitely have our work cut out for us. That's quite a big group to be losing to graduation.

"Rebuild, regroup and try to make the best of it for next year.

"As for the guys that are graduating ... it's just not wrestling that they learn through this sport; it's all of the hard work, dedication and everything that goes into [it].

"In the long run, as a human being, it's going to make them a better person. It teaches you how to set goals and to achieve those goals and work hard. They'll keep that with them throughout their lifetime."

The Highlanders' season is complete.