Virginia Cavaliers Official Athletic Site

Joe Spisak

Redshirt Senior
Class
Boiling Springs, Pa.
Hometown
Boiling Springs
High School
Joe Spisak - Wrestling - Virginia Cavaliers

2013, 2014, 2015 NCAA Qualifier – 141 pounds
2011 NCAA Qualifier – 133 pounds

AT VIRGINIA: 2014-15
• Became eighth four-time NCAA qualifier in program history
• Earned automatic NCAA qualification after third-place finish at ACC Championships (3/8)
• Was 1-2 at NCAA Championships – recorded 11-2 major decision over Rider’s Chuck Zeisloft, sandwiched between losses to No. 3 seed Lavion Mayes (Missouri) and Jesse Thielke (Wisconsin)
• Went 6-8 against 2015 NCAA qualifiers
• Ranked No. 13 at 141 in final InterMat and TheOpenMat rankings; also ranked No. 14 by Flowrestling, No. 15 by WIN and No. 18 by AWN
• Champion at Hokie Open (11/9)
• Placed seventh at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Open (12/5-6)
• Wrestled in just one ACC dual because of injury suffered on Jan. 1 at Southern Scuffle; returned to action on Feb. 15 at Iowa
• Earned master’s degree in higher education administration in May; secured bachelor’s degree in public policy and leadership in 2014
• Named to NWCA All-Academic Team for third straight year
• Named to All-ACC Academic Wrestling Team and ACC Academic Honor Roll

2013-14
• Qualified for NCAA Championships for third time while going 19-14 against strong schedule
• Went 11-7 in duals, including 3-3 mark in ACC
• Placed fifth at ACC Championships to earn automatic berth into NCAA Championships
• Defeated three returning All-Americans in 2014 (Minnesota’s Chris Dardanes, The Citadel’s Ugi Khishignyam, UNC’s Evan Henderson)
• Posted wins over Dardanes and Khishignyam en route to runner-up honors at Southern Scuffle
• Took runner-up honors at 141 at Southern Scuffle with 5-1 record; lost in sudden-victory time to Penn State’s Zane Retherford in championship match
• Picked up six wins over 2014 NCAA qualifiers, including pair of wins over national seeds (Dardanes, Henderson)
• Named to NWCA All-Academic Team for second straight season

2012-13
• Finished with 21-7 record
• Topped Maryland’s Frank Goodwin in 141 conso final at ACC Championships to take third place and earn automatic berth to NCAA Championships
• Named to ACC Academic Honor Roll for third straight year
• Went 0-2 at NCAA Championships; took top-seeded Logan Stieber (Ohio State) down to wire before falling 8-5 in opener
• Went 17-6 at 141 pounds after starting season at 133 (moved up to 141 on Nov. 16)
• Was 3-6 against 2013 NCAA qualifiers
• Earned ACC Co-Wrestler of the Week honors on Feb. 5 after pinning Maryland’s Shane Arechiga in a dual
• Missed nearly three weeks of action in January because of injury
• Had 15-match winning streak snapped on Feb. 10
• Won the Cleveland State Open and Shorty Hitchcock Tournament at 141 pounds
• Missed nearly three weeks in January because of injury

2011-12
• Redshirt season
• Went 7-1 while competing unattached in open tournaments
• Placed first at 133 pounds in Newberry Open (2/4)
• Took second place at Edinboro Open (2/11)
• Defeated NCAA qualifier Scott Festejo of Old Dominion, 13-6, at Edinboro Open

2010-11
• Posted 23-16 record during freshman season
• Went 16-10 in duals, including 3-2 in ACC action
• Earned at-large berth to NCAA Championships, where he went 0-2
• Fell 5-1 to Levi Mele of Northwestern and 5-4 to Tyler Small of Kent State at NCAAs
• One of five wrestlers nationally named to NWCA All-Academic True Freshman Team
• Named to Academic All-ACC Wrestling Team and ACC Academic Honor Roll
• Scored bonus points in 13 of his 23 wins
• Earned two wins over 2011 NCAA qualifiers – Small of Kent State and T.J. Mitchell of Liberty
• Took runner-up honors at 133 at ACC Championship
• Knocked off No. 2 seed Lou Ruland of Maryland in ACC semifinals, avenging a Ruland pin in the regular season
• Nabbed wins over NC State’s Conor Hovis (tech fall), UNC’s Pat Owens and Duke (forfeit) during ACC regular season
• In last regular-season match, he nearly pinned No. 12 Kyle Hutter of ODU and held lead for majority of bout before falling on late takedown, 10-8
• In his second college bout, he recorded 14-2 major decision over then-No. 18 Jimmy Kirchner of Rider
• Earned team’s Freshman Academic Achievement Award
• Placed third at Cleveland State Open (12/11)

BOILING SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL
• State champion at 130 pounds in 2010
• Four-time state placewinner
• Posted 167-12 career record
• Four-time All-Sentinel Team and All-Conference
• Three-time Patriot News Big 14 Team
• Holds school records for most wins, pins and technical falls
• Won sectional, district and regional titles en route to state crown his senior year
• Won sectionals, districts and regionals as sophomore (112 pounds) and junior (119)
• Placed second at state in 2008 and seventh in 2009
• As freshman, won sectional and district titles and took sixth at state (103 pounds)
• Runner up at 2010 Dapper Dan (130 pounds) and Disney Duals with team MAWA
• Team captain his junior and senior seasons
• John Travers Scholar Athlete finalist
• Coached by Rodney Wright at Boiling Springs
• Also played football as sophomore and junior (tailback/inside linebacker/kick returner)
• Led team in touchdowns his junior year before suffering a broken ankle in fifth game
• Class Historian in 2008 and Class Treasurer in 2010

PERSONAL
• Parents are Steve and Kim Spisak
• Has three sisters, Anna, Mary-Kate and Emma
• Earned bachelor’s degree in public policy and leadership in May 2014

Weight Overall Dual ACC Dual Dual Pts. ACC NCAA MD TF Pins Fastest
Year Class Record Record Record Scored Place Place W/L W/L W/L Pin
2010-11 133 23-16 16-10 3-2 77 1-1/2nd 0-2 1-0 4-1 8-2 1:12
2011-12* 133 7-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1-1 1-0 1-0 2:17
2012-13 133/141 21-7 7-4 2-1 27 2-1/3rd 0-2 4-1 0-0 3-0 0:30
2013-14 141 19-13 11-7 3-3 41 1-2/5th 0-2 2-1 0-0 1-1 0:27
2014-15 141 18-9 5-3 0-1 18 3-1/3rd 1-2 2-5 0-0 4-1 1:21
Career 81-45 39-24 8-7 163 7-5 1-8 9-7 4-1 16-4 0:27

*denotes redshirt season