Wrestling Wrap-up
Hoover Wins State Championship;
Completes Wrestling Triple Crown
Team Comes in Ninth in States

By Nick Pitas (March 10, 2005)

This past weekend at the Virginia State Wrestling Championships in Salem Virginia, George Mason junior 152-pounder Willy Hoover stepped onto the mat labeled as an underdog. By the end of the two-day tournament, however, Hoover had outscored his opponents 38-5 (not including a pin in less than a minute), and successfully laid to rest any doubts about his dominance. Hoover’s championship performance was the first for George Mason since Dominic Clark won the gold at 160 pounds in 2001, and capped off what was one of the most successful individual seasons in school history. By adding the State title to his resume, Hoover successfully completed every high school athlete’s dream, the Triple Crown of a District, Region, and State championship.

Just three weeks ago, coming into the district tournament, no one was even sure that Hoover would be able to wrestle. After sustaining a concussion during a win against McLean High School’s 152-pounder Danny Houck, Hoover was unable to practice for almost two weeks heading into the postseason. At Districts, the first sign of what was to come appeared in the form of a decisive victory over then-number-one-ranked 152-pounder Sergio Chavez of Manassas Park. History would repeat itself one week later, as Hoover once again defeated Chavez to gain the Regional Crown. Coming off of last year’s unexpected third place finish, none of the competition thought that they would see the Mustangs crack the top 10 at the State Tournament this year. However, much like their 152-pounder, Mason defied expectations, and rode a late rally to ninth place

Junior Willy Hoover, center, won the State Championship in the 152-pound weight division last  weekend at Salem, Virginia. Hoover becomes Mason’s  first state champion since Dominic Clark won the gold in 2001. At left, senior captain John Sullivan took third place at 171 pounds, and junior Nick Pitas  (125 pounds) finished fourth.

. Aside from the points earned by Hoover, senior captain John Sullivan (171 pounds) took third place, and junior 125-pounder Nick Pitas finished in fourth. Also contributing points, but falling short of the medal rounds was junior Michael Coleman at 135 pounds.