Waynesburg graduate Welsh wins U23 national title
Associated Press
When you are a wrestler of Rocco Welsh’s caliber, there really isn’t an offseason.
The 2023 graduate of Waynesburg Central High School, who decided on March 29 that he would transfer to Penn State after competing for Ohio State, won the U23 national championship in freestyle at 86 kilograms (189.5 pounds) on Sunday at Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio.
Competing for the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club (NLWC), Welsh won all seven of his matches, including two victories over Jaxon Smith in the best-of-three championship series. Smith placed sixth in the NCAA tournament at 184 while wrestling for Maryland this past March.
Welsh won by scores of 4-2 and 6-3 to earn the title.
Welsh won his first three bouts by technical superiority (combined score of 30-0) to advance to the quarterfinals, where he blanked Simon Ruiz, 3-0. Ruiz, who wrestles collegiately for Cornell, placed fifth in the NCAA tournament at 174.
Welsh topped Lehigh’s Rylan Rogers, 8-3, in the semifinals.
The former Raider who won two state titles and was a four-time finalist was pleased with his performance since his last competition, which was April at the US Open in Las Vegas.
“I felt a lot better on my feet with my attacks and the way I was moving,” Welsh said. “I was more offensive overall than the last time I competed. There is really no off time for me. Maybe a week, if that, but wrestling is a full-time sport. I also didn’t get much of a college season this year, so this is the biggest part of the year for me.”
In winning the national championship, Welsh will travel to Serbia in late October for the U23 World Championships. The event is scheduled for Oct. 20-26.
“Tournaments overseas are challenging for a number of reasons,” Welsh said. “For starters, the competition is against the best in the world, plus it can be tough to find places to eat and getting everything in order for the trip. There can also be a language barrier, but you have to overcome those things. You want to compete against the best in the world, so you do what is needed.”
Welsh began his college career with the Buckeyes, and advanced to the national final his freshman year, but was wrestling in open tournaments this past season and decided to make a change to compete for the defending four-time national champions and head coach Cael Sanderson.
“Every day is super exciting,” Welsh said. “You have so many great guys in the room. Whenever you are trying to be the best, you need the best partners.
“I never have to search guys out. Some days, I am just looking for a guy I can beat in the room because everyone is so good. When I actually compete, I can take out my frustrations a little bit on my opponents after getting beat up all week in practice.”
Welsh competed at 174 his freshman year, but he was wrestling about 15 pounds heavier this past weekend. The starting spot won’t be handed to him at Penn State, but most wrestling aficionados believe he will take the mat at 184.
“It was a pretty easy cut,” Welsh said. “I had to cut a little bit my freshman year at 174, but it’s much better now. I still have to watch what I eat, but it’s all part of the sport.”
As he continues to train throughout the summer and into the fall, Welsh will take some time to team up with a former teammate, as he and Mac Church will host a camp on June 14 and 15 at Canon-McMillan High School. The first session begins on June 14 at 9:30 a.m. and will go until 11 a.m. The second season is from noon to 1:30. An autograph and picture session will follow the second session.
The duo will hold two wrestling sessions the next day with autographs and pictures to conclude the event at 1:30 p.m.
Church competes collegiately at Virginia Tech, and was a national qualifier this past season at 165.
“Mac and I talked about doing a camp for a while, and we are excited to do something in the WPIAL,” Welsh said. “We talk almost every day and still remain best friends despite our schedules. We don’t always talk about wrestling either.
“All the guys on our team from Waynesburg still keep in touch. Coach (Kyle) Szewczyk does a great job of texting the group about what is going on in our lives, and it is really cool to keep in touch. It is crazy to think of how good we were then, and we are just a small school in Waynesburg.”