Princeton University Athletics
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Princeton Wrestling Brings In Another Top-25 Recruiting Group In The Class of 2023
May 22, 2019 | Wrestling
PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton wrestling has welcomed another top-25 recruiting class in the Class of 2023, head coach Chris Ayres.
We are a young squad with all six NCAA qualifiers and three All-Americans returning, so we had to be very tactical in what weights we were recruiting," said Ayres. "We were able to add five very good wrestlers to 184, 197, and 285, which are areas of our lineup that lacked the most depth. We also add another 125/133 wrestler, another segment of the lineup that lacked depth. All said these recruits placed in their respective state or national prep tournaments a combined 23 times with eight titles, and many were nationally ranked for their weight. I feel this class will help build on our current success and many of the wrestlers in this class will become household names among our fans.
This marks the sixth straight year that Princeton has posted a top-25 recruiting class as theopenmat.com placed the group at No. 25. The Class of 2023 also earned honorable mention accolades on FloWrestling.com
Aidan Conner
WT: 285
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
High School: Highland
Before Princeton:
High School: Two-time captain that went 206-20 in his career including a 167-2 mark over his final three years … Earned Texas State titles three times becoming the first wrestler in the school's history … 2018 Super32 Heavyweight Champion … USA Wrestling Fargo All-American twice … Freestyle (five times) and Greco Texas State Champion (six times) … Holds the school record for wins in a season and career victories … Texas Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner and Park Cities People Athlete of the Year following senior campaign … Junior National Duals Freestyle 2018 All-Tournament Team … Texas USA Wrestling 2016-17 Triple Crown Winner … Team placed third at the 2019 State Championship … Member of the Young Men's Service League, Engineering Club … Presidential Service Award in 2016.
Academic: Member of the National Honor Society … Three-time NHSCA Academic All-American … THSCA Academic All-State … District 9 5A All-Academic Team … Cornerstone Scholar Athlete Award (2018-19).
Personal: Son of Sally and Blair Conner … Has a brother, Liam.
Matt Cover
WT: 197
Hometown: Bay Village, Ohio
High School: Bay
Before Princeton:
High School: Captain three years … School's all-time leader in wins (171 and pins (110) … Set the single-season record for wins (46) twice …. Ohio State Qualifier three times … Placed third at states twice in 2017-18 and 2018-19 … Team was conference dual champions all four years and won the conference tournament twice … Named the Great Lakes Conference Most Valuable Wrestler and All-Ohio in back-to-back years (2018-19) … Earned the team's Most Valuable Wrestler, Most Pins and Most Wins Awards in junior and senior campaigns … Lettered in football as a sophomore and junior … Member of the Positive Coaching Alliance
Academic: Member of the National Honor Society … Made the honor roll all four years … Academic All-Ohio twice.
Personal: Son of Keri and Ryan … Has a sister, Merideth, and brother, Mason.
Jack DelGarbino
WT: 285
Hometown: Girard, Ohio
High School: Girard
High School: Three-time captain … Set the school record with a 163-13 record and 106 pins … Finished first at the NHSCA Folkstyle Nationals, Ohio State Championships, USA-Ohio Free + Greco State (twice) and UWW Cadet Greco Nationals … Also earned a second and fourth place finish at the Ohio State Championships … Was second at the UWW Cadet Free Nationals and third at the FloNationals … Three-time Eastern Ohio Wrestling League, Sectional and District Champion … First-team All-Trumbull County four times … Team was regional runner up and league champions … Lettered in football where he was also a three-time captain, two-time All-State Defensive Line and Big 22 Block of Granite … Part of football's program first state championship … Member of the Beta Club, Student Council, Teen Institute and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Academic: Member of the National Honor Society … Academic All-Ohio … First in class … National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete … Wendy's High School Heisman Winner … OHSAA Scholar Athlete Award.
Personal: Son of Michelle and J.T. DelGarbino … Has a sister, Gianna and two brothers, Alex and Andrew … Father, J.T., played football at Youngstown State and wrestled at Edinboro.
Nate Dugan
WT: 184
Hometown: Mooresville, N.C.
High School: Lake Norman
Before Princeton:
High School: A three-time captain that secured 150 career wins … Set the single-season record for most takedowns … Placed in the top ten at the state tournament each season of his career … 4A West Regional Champion and 4A State Finalist three times … 4A State Champion in 2018 and 2019 … Super 32 All-American (Seventh place) … Ironman Place Winner (fourth) … Freestyle State Champion twice … Regional MOW in 2019 … 4A State Tournament MOW … A three-time Jason Lanning Most Dedicated Award winner … Perseverance Award winner in 2017 … Named Team's Most Outstanding Wrestler in 2018 and 2019.
Academic: Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award Winner for North Carolina.
Personal: Son of Elizabeth and Doug Dugan … Has a sister, Rachel.
Jack Lang
WT: 157
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
High School: West
Before Princeton:
High School: Senior captain … lettered all four years … Program's all-time leader in wins (152) … Team MVP three times … Placed at states three times … Division Champion twice … Freakshow All-American … Lettered in golf.
Academic: Academic All-State … Had 4.0 GPA.
Personal: Son of Jill and David Lang … Has two brothers, Drew and Will … Brother, Will, wrestled at Princeton in 2015 and 2016 and graduates in 2019.
AJ Lonski
WT: 174
Hometown: Ho-ho-kus, N.J.
High School: Delbarton
Before Princeton:
High School: Senior captain that had over 100 wins … NHSCA All-American … Beast of the East and Escape the Rock medalist … Finished fourth at States … Team won districts and county titles.
Academic: Member of the Spanish National Honor Society … Headmasters' List all four years.
Personal: Son of Lillie and Daniel Lonski … Father, Daniel, wrestled and played sprint football at Princeton 1988-91.
Sean Pierson
WT: 135
Hometown: Nazareth, Pa.
High School: Nazareth
Before Princeton:
High School: Went 144-24 in career … Three-time PIAA State Medalist and Northeast Regional Champion …. PIAA 2019 State Champion (120 lbs) … FloNationals Finalist.
Luca Pontone
WT: 174
Hometown: Reading, Mass.
High School: Belmont Hill
Before Princeton:
High School: Two-time captain that recorded 100 wins … New England Champion and National Prep third-place finisher twice … Fargo All-American … Beast of the East All-American … Team MVP as junior and senior … Team was a three-time league and New England State Champion … Lettered in crew … Community Service member.
Academic: Yale Book Award Recipient …. Won Community Service accolades.
Personal: Son of DeAnne and Paul … Has a sister, Millie.
We are a young squad with all six NCAA qualifiers and three All-Americans returning, so we had to be very tactical in what weights we were recruiting," said Ayres. "We were able to add five very good wrestlers to 184, 197, and 285, which are areas of our lineup that lacked the most depth. We also add another 125/133 wrestler, another segment of the lineup that lacked depth. All said these recruits placed in their respective state or national prep tournaments a combined 23 times with eight titles, and many were nationally ranked for their weight. I feel this class will help build on our current success and many of the wrestlers in this class will become household names among our fans.
This marks the sixth straight year that Princeton has posted a top-25 recruiting class as theopenmat.com placed the group at No. 25. The Class of 2023 also earned honorable mention accolades on FloWrestling.com
Aidan Conner
WT: 285
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
High School: Highland
Before Princeton:
High School: Two-time captain that went 206-20 in his career including a 167-2 mark over his final three years … Earned Texas State titles three times becoming the first wrestler in the school's history … 2018 Super32 Heavyweight Champion … USA Wrestling Fargo All-American twice … Freestyle (five times) and Greco Texas State Champion (six times) … Holds the school record for wins in a season and career victories … Texas Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner and Park Cities People Athlete of the Year following senior campaign … Junior National Duals Freestyle 2018 All-Tournament Team … Texas USA Wrestling 2016-17 Triple Crown Winner … Team placed third at the 2019 State Championship … Member of the Young Men's Service League, Engineering Club … Presidential Service Award in 2016.
Academic: Member of the National Honor Society … Three-time NHSCA Academic All-American … THSCA Academic All-State … District 9 5A All-Academic Team … Cornerstone Scholar Athlete Award (2018-19).
Personal: Son of Sally and Blair Conner … Has a brother, Liam.
Matt Cover
WT: 197
Hometown: Bay Village, Ohio
High School: Bay
Before Princeton:
High School: Captain three years … School's all-time leader in wins (171 and pins (110) … Set the single-season record for wins (46) twice …. Ohio State Qualifier three times … Placed third at states twice in 2017-18 and 2018-19 … Team was conference dual champions all four years and won the conference tournament twice … Named the Great Lakes Conference Most Valuable Wrestler and All-Ohio in back-to-back years (2018-19) … Earned the team's Most Valuable Wrestler, Most Pins and Most Wins Awards in junior and senior campaigns … Lettered in football as a sophomore and junior … Member of the Positive Coaching Alliance
Academic: Member of the National Honor Society … Made the honor roll all four years … Academic All-Ohio twice.
Personal: Son of Keri and Ryan … Has a sister, Merideth, and brother, Mason.
Jack DelGarbino
WT: 285
Hometown: Girard, Ohio
High School: Girard
High School: Three-time captain … Set the school record with a 163-13 record and 106 pins … Finished first at the NHSCA Folkstyle Nationals, Ohio State Championships, USA-Ohio Free + Greco State (twice) and UWW Cadet Greco Nationals … Also earned a second and fourth place finish at the Ohio State Championships … Was second at the UWW Cadet Free Nationals and third at the FloNationals … Three-time Eastern Ohio Wrestling League, Sectional and District Champion … First-team All-Trumbull County four times … Team was regional runner up and league champions … Lettered in football where he was also a three-time captain, two-time All-State Defensive Line and Big 22 Block of Granite … Part of football's program first state championship … Member of the Beta Club, Student Council, Teen Institute and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Academic: Member of the National Honor Society … Academic All-Ohio … First in class … National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete … Wendy's High School Heisman Winner … OHSAA Scholar Athlete Award.
Personal: Son of Michelle and J.T. DelGarbino … Has a sister, Gianna and two brothers, Alex and Andrew … Father, J.T., played football at Youngstown State and wrestled at Edinboro.
Nate Dugan
WT: 184
Hometown: Mooresville, N.C.
High School: Lake Norman
Before Princeton:
High School: A three-time captain that secured 150 career wins … Set the single-season record for most takedowns … Placed in the top ten at the state tournament each season of his career … 4A West Regional Champion and 4A State Finalist three times … 4A State Champion in 2018 and 2019 … Super 32 All-American (Seventh place) … Ironman Place Winner (fourth) … Freestyle State Champion twice … Regional MOW in 2019 … 4A State Tournament MOW … A three-time Jason Lanning Most Dedicated Award winner … Perseverance Award winner in 2017 … Named Team's Most Outstanding Wrestler in 2018 and 2019.
Academic: Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award Winner for North Carolina.
Personal: Son of Elizabeth and Doug Dugan … Has a sister, Rachel.
Jack Lang
WT: 157
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
High School: West
Before Princeton:
High School: Senior captain … lettered all four years … Program's all-time leader in wins (152) … Team MVP three times … Placed at states three times … Division Champion twice … Freakshow All-American … Lettered in golf.
Academic: Academic All-State … Had 4.0 GPA.
Personal: Son of Jill and David Lang … Has two brothers, Drew and Will … Brother, Will, wrestled at Princeton in 2015 and 2016 and graduates in 2019.
AJ Lonski
WT: 174
Hometown: Ho-ho-kus, N.J.
High School: Delbarton
Before Princeton:
High School: Senior captain that had over 100 wins … NHSCA All-American … Beast of the East and Escape the Rock medalist … Finished fourth at States … Team won districts and county titles.
Academic: Member of the Spanish National Honor Society … Headmasters' List all four years.
Personal: Son of Lillie and Daniel Lonski … Father, Daniel, wrestled and played sprint football at Princeton 1988-91.
Sean Pierson
WT: 135
Hometown: Nazareth, Pa.
High School: Nazareth
Before Princeton:
High School: Went 144-24 in career … Three-time PIAA State Medalist and Northeast Regional Champion …. PIAA 2019 State Champion (120 lbs) … FloNationals Finalist.
Luca Pontone
WT: 174
Hometown: Reading, Mass.
High School: Belmont Hill
Before Princeton:
High School: Two-time captain that recorded 100 wins … New England Champion and National Prep third-place finisher twice … Fargo All-American … Beast of the East All-American … Team MVP as junior and senior … Team was a three-time league and New England State Champion … Lettered in crew … Community Service member.
Academic: Yale Book Award Recipient …. Won Community Service accolades.
Personal: Son of DeAnne and Paul … Has a sister, Millie.
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