St. John’s freshman TJ Stewart saw his chance to compete for a national title slip away — but his trip to the National Prep Wrestling Championships on Saturday was still productive.
Stewart, a 160-pounder, advanced to the quarterfinals at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., with high-scoring victories in the early rounds.
His run would end after he forced overtime but eventually lost to No. 2 seed Jake Stefanowicz of Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), a perennial powerhouse.
Stewart was relegated to the consolation rounds, but Coach Cam Watkins saw it as an important lesson for the young wrestler. Watkins said he pulled Stewart aside and explained “sometimes third becomes first place” when victory is no longer an option.
“It’s always tough to bounce back from a loss in a tight match,” Watkins said. “How they respond says a lot about who they are as people.”
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Stewart took the message to heart, winning four consolation matches, including a slim 5-4 decision over Nicholas Feldman of Malvern Prep (Pa.). Stewart’s third-place finish was the top result for any St. John’s wrestler and earned him all-American honors, which are for competitors who finish in the top eight of their respective weight classes.
Junior Luke Kowalski (113) finished sixth to claim his third all-American honors in as many years. Sophomore Chaz Keen was also an all-American for the Cadets with a sixth-place finish at 220 pounds.
Stewart headlines a talented crop of underclassmen for the Cadets. With just four seniors on the roster, St. John’s relied heavily on its underclassmen for depth during the dual meet season. Watkins said Stewart developed as the season went on, leading to his Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title win last week.
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The Cadets scored 79.5 points to earn 10th place at the national meet, the program’s highest finish at the tournament since first competing in 1995.
Finshing just ahead of them was Spalding, which featured five all-Americans at the tournament and took ninth with 85 points.
Senior Garrett Fisk became a two-time all-American for the Cavaliers, placing third in the 152-pound weight class. As Fisk closed the book on his own high school wrestling career, he had a front-row seat to the beginning of another.
His younger brother, Joe, a freshman at Spalding, earned his own all-American honor after taking fifth at 132 pounds. Garrett Fisk said that it was a special moment to watch his brother succeed on the national stage.
“I was super excited for him because I knew it was a very hard accomplishment,” Garrett said. “Being able to watch him place [at National Preps] made me happy.”
Blair Academy (N.J.) won the meet with 354 points, edging Wyoming Seminary (325).
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