By Shane Holcombe ‘23 and Maddie Olshemski ‘23

“It’s a great day to be a Blue Knight,” has been a staple phrase throughout Wyoming Seminary’s Athletic teams for quite some time now, and the #1 ranked Blue Knights wrestling team held true to the phrase in their victorious dual against #2 ranked Blair Academy. The team came together and were able to put on a show for the fans by winning in dramatic style, as the dual came down to the final match of the night. 

Rarely are the duals between these two decorated programs not decided in the final bouts, and this meeting was no different, as the score was 28-27 going into the final match, where freshman Jude Correa ‘25 had immense pressure to not only win his match, but to win the duel for the Blue Knights. Correa took that pressure and secured the victory with ease, closing out the duel for the Blue Knights. The crowd, although smaller than usual because of limited capacity, made their voices heard to bring energy into the gym and help propel the team to victory. 

Victories from Luke Lilledahl ‘24 , Kai Owen ‘22, Joe Sealey ‘24, and incredible pins from DJ Moehring ‘22 and Nic Bouzakis ‘22, put the Blue Knights wrestling squad in an excellent position to succeed. Kai Owen told “Mat Scouts” after the dual that “he knew going into the night his match could flip the tides.” And that it did. A dramatic last second takedown saw the Senior secure three vital points, sending Carpenter Athletic Center into a frenzy. 

This legendary program saw some changes this year with the hiring of Head Coach, Cornell Robinson. Robinson has an incredible resume, including leading the USA cadet team to a second- place finish in the World Championships. Robinson told The Optinator that “the squad has had to overcome adversity throughout the winter via injuries and Covid, but I’m so happy to see our guys step up in crunch time high stakes moments like tonight.”  Robinson is continuing to make this legendary program his own, while still maintaining the winning tradition, and culture that the program has come to possess.