Good Afternoon Robinson wrestling family!
It’s been a while since my last installment, and I am truly sorry for that! As always, I want to thank you for all that you have done to make our program a success, and we hope to continue to be a source of pride for you! Our kids have been doing a great job in their off-season training,
This is a big weekend for our program!
1. Brent Jones will be competing in the US Olympic Trials in Iowa City Iowa at 96 Kg. You can follow the event at www.trackwrestling.com. He has been dealing with some injuries and illness, but his training has been going well, and he is prepared to be on the 2012 team!
2. Brooks Martino will be honored as the Virginia AAA wrestler of the year by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Virginia Chapter in Richmond this weekend. You can see more information on the event at: http://www.virginiawrestling.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/VIRGINIA-CHAPTER-Banquet-ADD-2011Ad.pdf. He is also a nominee for the Dave Shultz Award for excellence. The High School Excellence Award is named in honor of the late Olympic and World Champion Dave Schultz. Each award recipient is evaluated on excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, character, citizenship, and community service, and Brooks is the nominee for Virginia. We are hoping he is also nominated for the Regional award and the NATIONAL award. Brooks will be attending UPenn in the fall, and he is definitely deserving of this award!
3. Also, on Friday, 2000 graduate, Matt Fassnacht will officially tie the knot in a Wedding ceremony in Reston! I think he has met his match, and we are excited for him and his bride Marina!
Many of you may not know, because I was a poor communicator, but we did again compete in the State tournament which was again at Robinson, and as usual the people who put on the tournament put on a great show. It was great to see so many alumni in the stands, and I know that your prayers and positive energy helped us to be successful! Our athletes also came to perform! Again we finished 2nd in the District. After the districts, we finished 2nd in the region and we were the state runner-up as a team. At the beginning of the season, there were A LOT of people who said we were a dead team, but we proved what our program was capable of!
Individually, the region again brought success for the Rams, We had 2 CHAMPS… Brooks Martino won his 3rd northern region title, and Jake Pinkston won his 2nd title. Santiago Valdez and Daniel Mika finished 2nd, Austin Riggs and Jonathon Simmons finished 3rd and Greyson Olimpo finished 4th. Also placing were Cole DePasquale (5th) and Andre Kendall (6th).
At the state tournament, we showed up to Compete! Brooks Martino capped his Senior season with his second State Title, and Santiago Valdez after a runner-up finish in the Region also capped his last season with the Rams with a State title of his own! Our third state finalist didn’t come away with a title, but Jake Pinkston looked great but was defeated in the end by his opponent from Freedom High School. Jonathon Simmons lost a heart breaker in the Semi-finals, and he finished a strong 5th in the tournament, and freshman Austin Riggs completed his freshman season in arguably the toughest weight in the tournament in 7th place. I am so proud of all of our young men, and we look forward to many future successes!
A few other former Rams finished their seasons well! Dallas Smith, after 2 runner-up finishes for the rams was the AA state champion for Christiansburg HS, Jack Bass wrestled in Texas this year, and he finished as the Texas State runner-up, Jake Smith finished 5th in the California states, Matt Lengyel was the European Champion in Germany for the DODDS title…and he was voted the Outstanding wrestler, and Matt Sharpy also finished strong as the European runner-up in Ramstein, Germany!
This year’s Washington Post All-Met was published a few weeks ago, and the Rams were well represented. Brooks Martino was a first team member, Santiago Valdez made the second team, and Jake Pinkston was disrespected a little bit and was honorable mention….
Congratulations and Godspeed to Wrestling Alumnus Todd Sturgill who recently was been deployed to Afghanistan with the United States Marine Corps! We wish him the best
Congratulations are also in order to Robinson Wrestling Alumnus Ryan McCoy. On March 9th, he tied the knot with his bride Natalie! We wish the best for them, and we know they will be in love for many years to come!
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that Austin Riggs won the NHSCA Freshman National Championship at 120 lbs in VA Beach. He beat the Georgia State Champ and the New Mexico State champ in the quarter finals and semi-final match, and he beat the bronze medalist from the Pennsylvania states in the final! Look for HUGE things from Austin in the future!
On June 9th, we will be hosting a 5 Km run fundraiser that will be split with the Wounded Warrior project. After the event, we will also be hosting a pig roast. Details will be coming directly. We hope that you will exercise and feast with us on Saturday June 9.
Thanks again for all that you do, and we hope to see you soon!!!!
Bryan Hazard
(703)517-6825
Bryan Hazard
Middle School Health Specialist / Physical Education Instructor
Head Wrestling Coach
Robinson Secondary
Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.
John F. Kennedy
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