Virginia Announces 2019-20 Wrestling Newcomers
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia wrestling head coach Steve Garland announced 12 newcomers who will join the program for the 2019-20 academic year with the release of the most recent signing class on Thursday (May 9).
The class features six state champions, a Flo National Champion and 11 state place winners among its members.
“As a coach, each year you are charged with bringing in the guys who you feel will enrich the culture you are trying to build and help you win long term,” said Virginia head coach Steve Garland. “It is a hard task to say the least. You need to do your best to find out who truly loves this sport and the mission of our program.
“We feel like we did this year. We trust we brought in guys that want to uphold our standard during their time here and build a dynasty. They want to be the future CEOs of the world, while also achieving great things on the mat. Most of all, they want to be part of something bigger than themselves. That gives me great hope for this class.”
The incoming class features wrestlers from nine different states, including two each from Michigan (Ethan Weatherspoon, Jason Whitaker), Pennsylvania (Nick Coy, Anthony Steinmeyer) and Virginia (Justin Phillips, Nick Sansone). The class also includes wrestlers from Florida (Trey Lane), Illinois (Zac Spencer), Louisiana (Patrick Evans), Massachusetts (Mateusz Kudra), New York (Ray Costa) and North Carolina (David Veltri).
2019-20 VIRGINIA WRESTLING RECRUITING CLASS
Ray Costa – Huntington, N.Y. – Cold Spring Harbor HS
• New York state place winner 2018 (6th)
• Two-time Nassau County Champion
• Five-Time All-Nassau County
• School record holder for pins (99)
• Two-time team captain
Nick Coy – Jeannette, Pa. – Penn-Trafford HS
• Four-time state qualifier in Pennsylvania
• Two-time state medalist
• Two-time Powerade Player
• WPIAL Champion
Patrick Evans – New Orleans, La. – Brother Martin
• Two-time Louisiana state champion
• 2017 Louisiana runner-up
• 2018 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award Winner
• Three-time team captain
• 134-18 career record at Brother Martin
Mateusz Kudra – North Attleboro, Mass. – North Attleboro HS
• Two-time All-American
• 2018 Journeymen Fall Classic Champion at 285 pounds & Outstanding Wrestler – Hammer Award
• Finished top three at 2018 Super 32 Challenge at 285 pounds
• Massachusetts Wrestling MVP
• Two-time All-State by the Boston Globe
• 126-20 career record at North Attleboro
Trey Lane – Brandon, Fla. – Brandon HS
• Three-time Florida state champion
• 2017 state runner up
• 2017 AAU Gold and NHSCA All-American
• Four-time All-State selection
• 261-7 record with 178 pins
Justin Phillips – Lynchburg, Va. – Liberty Christian Academy
• Three-time Virginia state champion
• 2018 Beast of the East national place winner
• Two-time News & Advance All-Area Wrestler of the Year
• 213 career wins at Liberty Christian Academy
Nick Sansone – Virginia Beach, Va. – Kellam HS
• Four-time All-State selection and semifinalist
• 2019 Virginia State Champion
• Ranked No. 1 at 152 pounds in Virginia
• 2019 Most Outstanding Wrestler at Virginia Duals
Zac Spencer – Huntley, Ill. – Huntley HS
• Four-time Illinois state qualifier
• 2018 All-State and state place winner
• Four-time All-Conference and All-Area
• 164 career wins at Huntley High School
Anthony Steinmeyer – Reading, Pa. – Wilson HS
• 2018 Junior Olympic Freestyle All-American
• Three-time Berks County Interscholastic Athletic Association Champion
• Two-time place winner at Cumberland Valley Kickoff Classic
• Two-time place winner at Penn Manor Holiday Tournament
David Veltri – Chapel Hill, N.C. – Carrboro HS
• Two-time All-State selection
• Two-time North Carolina state finalist
• Three-time North Carolina state place winner
• Four-time All-Conference selection
Ethan Weatherspoon – Jackson, Mich. – Napoleon HS
• Four-time state place winner in Michigan
• Two-time undefeated Michigan state champion
• Posted a 115-0 record as a junior and senior
• Three-time team captain
• Team Most Valuable Wrestler
James Whitaker – St. John’s, Mich. – St. John’s HS
• Four-time Michigan state qualifier
• Two-time All-State selection
• Ranked No. 8 nationally at 152 pounds by InterMat
• Flo National Champion
• 2018 Super 32 Challenge Finalist at 145 pounds, 2017 Super 32 top five
• No. 20 overall recruit for the class of 2019 by Flo Wrestling
• Michigan State Champion